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

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group increased its PayPal stake by 15.5% in Q3 to 164,901 shares, valued at about $11.06 million.
• PayPal beat Q3 expectations, reporting $1.34 EPS and $8.42 billion revenue, and issued Q4 2025 guidance of $1.270–1.310 EPS and FY2025 guidance of $5.350–5.390 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with a $78.29 target while several firms (notably Morgan Stanley) have cut targets, and insiders have been net sellers as the stock trades near its one‑year low (~$58).

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 164,901 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,139 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in PayPal were worth $11,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in PayPal in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its holdings in shares of PayPal by 100.4% during the second quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 385 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 87,524 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of PayPal by 52.5% during the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 610 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

PayPal Stock Performance

PayPal stock opened at $58.38 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.00. The stock has a market cap of $54.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.85 and a 1-year high of $93.25.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $8.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.21 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.64% and a net margin of 14.96%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. PayPal has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.390 EPS. On average, analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. PayPal's payout ratio is 11.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PYPL. Compass Point decreased their price objective on PayPal from $66.00 to $56.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Dbs Bank decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of PayPal from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of PayPal from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on PayPal from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $78.29.

Key Stores Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgraded PayPal to a buy while flagging important caveats — the upgrade can attract buyers but emphasizes risks investors should watch. PayPal: A Buy, But With A Huge Caveat (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Forbes argues investors may be underestimating PayPal, providing a bullish take that could support longer-term interest from value-seeking investors. Is Everyone Under-Estimating Paypal Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: InsiderMonkey notes PayPal offers upside but highlights mixed analyst sentiment (roughly one-third Buy, majority Neutral), suggesting limited near-term conviction among brokers. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Offers Upside, but Analysts Aren’t Fully Convinced
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlights PayPal as a trending/security-of-interest to readers — increased attention and search interest can increase volatility but doesn’t signal direction by itself. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga reports notable options activity in PYPL, which can magnify intraday moves and reflect speculative positioning rather than fundamental change. Unpacking the Latest Options Trading Trends in PayPal Holdings - PayPal Holdings NASDAQ: PYPL
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative piece contrasting Shift4 (FOUR) and PayPal is informational for competitors and market positioning but doesn’t by itself move PYPL fundamentals. Critical Contrast: Shift4 Payments NYSE: FOUR & PayPal NASDAQ: PYPL
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN item references broader political commentary tied to a PayPal-linked figure — peripheral to company fundamentals and likely immaterial for investors. White House Advisor David Sacks Hints At Leaving California Over 'Confiscation Of Net Worth'
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target sharply (to $51 from $74) and downgraded PayPal to Underweight — a clear near-term negative catalyst that can force selling and weighs on sentiment. Morgan Stanley Reduces Price Target on PayPal Holdings (PYPL)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted a recent intraday dip relative to the market; combined with the downgrade and mixed broker views, that contributes to the stock trading lower today. Paypal (PYPL) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Insider Activity at PayPal

In related news, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.97, for a total transaction of $264,706.86. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,171,731.33. This represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,374 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.13, for a total value of $94,984.62. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,156 shares of company stock worth $2,432,524. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PayPal Company Profile

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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