Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. by 2.9%, owning 142,762 shares valued at approximately $10.61 million as of the latest reporting period.
• Multiple institutional investors have adjusted their investments in PayPal, with AQR Capital Management LLC significantly increasing its stake by 15.8% during the first quarter.
• PayPal's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.40, surpassing estimates, while the company projects guidance for Q3 2025 EPS between $1.180 and $1.220.

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 142,762 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,989 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in PayPal were worth $10,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 15.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,501,936 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $224,001,000 after acquiring an additional 476,763 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PayPal in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Allianz SE grew its position in PayPal by 281.8% during the 1st quarter. Allianz SE now owns 30,338 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 22,392 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in PayPal during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $529,264,000. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the second quarter worth $3,513,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In other PayPal news, CAO Chris Natali sold 7,102 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.35, for a total value of $492,523.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total value of $288,801.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 48,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,364,235.37. This trade represents a 7.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,102 shares of company stock worth $1,046,607. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $69.25 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.85 and a 1 year high of $93.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.44. The business's 50 day moving average price is $68.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.30.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.10. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 14.49%.The firm had revenue of $8.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. PayPal has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.180-1.220 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 5.150-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on PYPL shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded PayPal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $96.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $84.50.

PayPal 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.

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