Cetera Investment Advisers Purchases 9,071 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in PayPal Holdings, acquiring an additional 9,071 shares, bringing their total ownership to 211,125 shares valued at approximately $13.78 million.
• Several hedge funds significantly boosted their positions in PayPal, with ExodusPoint Capital Management increasing its holdings by 223.1% during the fourth quarter.
• PayPal reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.40 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates of $1.30, and generated revenue of $8.29 billion.

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 211,125 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,071 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in PayPal were worth $13,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in PayPal by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter worth approximately $248,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of PayPal by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,353 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,420,000 after acquiring an additional 4,787 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in PayPal by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 612,283 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,307,000 after acquiring an additional 43,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in PayPal by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 34,181 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,006,000 after acquiring an additional 1,944 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

PayPal Stock Down 2.4%

PYPL traded down $1.74 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $69.71. 20,738,048 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,734,490. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.33. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $73.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.66. The stock has a market cap of $67.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.45. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.85 and a twelve month high of $93.66.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.08 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.49% and a return on equity of 25.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Compass Point assumed coverage on PayPal in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $120.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PayPal from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $75.00 price target on PayPal in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on PayPal from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $84.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total value of $281,168.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,244,274.36. This represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Deborah M. Messemer sold 3,795 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $277,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,020,248. This trade represents a 21.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,796 shares of company stock worth $863,028. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

PayPal Company Profile

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a technology platform that enables digital payments on behalf of merchants and consumers worldwide. It operates a two-sided network at scale that connects merchants and consumers that enables its customers to connect, transact, and send and receive payments through online and in person, as well as transfer and withdraw funds using various funding sources, such as bank accounts, PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products comprising its installment products, credit and debit cards, and cryptocurrencies, as well as other stored value products, including gift cards and eligible rewards.