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

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its PayPal stake by 14.6% in Q4 to 188,940 shares, valued at about $11.03 million.
• Insiders sold 87,608 shares totaling roughly $3.83 million over the past three months — including EVP Frank Keller (29,581 shares) and CAO Chris Natali (2,208 shares) — leaving insiders with just 0.08% ownership.
• Analyst coverage is mixed, with a consensus "Hold" and an average price target of $56.61 after multiple downgrades and cuts, while catalysts like Michael Burry’s disclosed stake, PYUSD growth and Venmo product moves are offset by competition and legal risks.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 188,940 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 24,040 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in PayPal were worth $11,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in PayPal by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 524 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Dagco Inc. lifted its position in PayPal by 1,250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dagco Inc. now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in PayPal by 120.6% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 545 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of PayPal stock opened at $50.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.40. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.46 and a 52-week high of $79.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.92.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.06). PayPal had a return on equity of 25.42% and a net margin of 15.77%.The firm had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. PayPal's payout ratio is presently 10.35%.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed a sizable new PayPal stake (~3.5%), drawing attention from value and activist-focused investors and helping fuel speculative buying. Michael Burry Reveals Major PayPal (PYPL) Position Amid Software Stock Buying Spree
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin is gaining traction; growth in PYUSD and PayPal’s distribution advantage are cited as medium-term revenue and product positives by crypto/payments analysts. PayPal’s (PYPL) PYUSD Is Growing Fast and the Distribution Advantage Is Hard to Ignore
• Positive Sentiment: Product/monetization moves such as Venmo’s Stash expansion (higher rewards/merchant reach) could lift consumer engagement and TPV over time. PayPal's Venmo Stash Expansion: Will This Drive More Transactions?
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter about activist interest and potential takeover/strategic action has pushed speculative buying and helped shares recover. Why PayPal Stock Popped Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader industry reports forecast steady growth in the U.S. payment gateways market through 2034 — a constructive backdrop but not an immediate catalyst. United States Payment Gateways Market Forecast and Company Analysis Report 2026-2034 Featuring PayPal...
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: some models tighten fair value only slightly and highlight takeover talk, while others cut targets — creating a polarized consensus that supports volatility. How The Story Around PayPal Holdings (PYPL) Is Shifting With Mixed Views And Takeover Talk
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho and other analysts downgraded/flagged PayPal on rising competitive risk from Elon Musk’s X Money / X Money features (high interest promos, integrated app reach) — a direct threat to Venmo and wallet dynamics. PayPal (PYPL) Stock Faces Mizuho Downgrade Amid X Competition Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Mounting securities class-action filings and multiple law‑firm deadline alerts raise legal and headline risk that could pressure sentiment and increase potential liabilities/costs. DEADLINE ALERT for PYPL: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Reminds Investors...

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Frank Keller sold 29,581 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.02, for a total transaction of $1,361,317.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,373,113.34. The trade was a 36.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total transaction of $98,763.84. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,992.20. The trade was a 65.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 87,608 shares of company stock valued at $3,831,535 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of PayPal from $50.00 to $34.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of PayPal from $87.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of PayPal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of PayPal from $64.00 to $41.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.61.

About PayPal

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a global digital payments platform that enables consumers and merchants to send and receive payments online, on mobile devices and at the point of sale. The company provides a broad set of payment solutions, including a digital wallet, merchant payment processing, checkout services, invoicing and fraud-management tools. PayPal's platform is designed to support e-commerce, in-person retail and person-to-person transfers, targeting both individual consumers and businesses of varying sizes.

Key products and services in PayPal's portfolio include the PayPal wallet and checkout ecosystem, the Venmo peer-to-peer mobile app, Braintree's developer-focused payment gateway, Xoom for international money transfers, and PayPal Credit and buy-now-pay-later options.

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