Machina Capital S.A.S. Takes Position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 50,346 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,285,000. PayPal comprises 1.0% of Machina Capital S.A.S.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Tsfg LLC raised its stake in shares of PayPal by 81.6% in the first quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Price Performance

NASDAQ PYPL traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $77.98. 6,882,061 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,787,694. The company has a market capitalization of $75.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.85 and a 52-week high of $93.66. The firm's 50-day moving average is $73.08 and its 200-day moving average is $73.00.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.84 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 24.59% and a net margin of 14.26%. The business's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PYPL shares. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of PayPal from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of PayPal from $88.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on PayPal from $104.00 to $85.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on PayPal from $98.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on PayPal from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PayPal news, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total value of $281,168.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares in the company, valued at $1,244,274.36. The trade was 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $277,035.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,020,248. This represents a 21.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,796 shares of company stock worth $863,028. 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.