PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Shares Acquired by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its stake in PayPal by 4.1% to 586,588 shares (about $39.6M), and institutional investors now own roughly 68.32% of the company.
• PayPal recently missed expectations with EPS of $1.23 and revenue of $8.68B for the quarter, while the stock trades at a P/E of 8.30 and a market cap near $41.3B.
• The company faces elevated risks from multiple securities class-action filings, recent CEO departure and management turnover, and notable insider selling, which increases legal and execution uncertainty.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its stake in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 586,588 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 23,084 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. owned about 0.06% of PayPal worth $39,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PYPL. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in PayPal by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,157 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its holdings in shares of PayPal by 8.7% during the second quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,840 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of PayPal by 2.5% in the third quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 6,404 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of PayPal by 2.9% in the third quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,698 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCG Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PayPal by 1.1% in the second quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal has been included in Mastercard’s new crypto partner program alongside firms like Binance and Ripple, which supports its PYUSD/stablecoin and payments roadmap and could help revenue diversification if partnerships scale. Binance, Ripple, PayPal join Mastercard's 85+ partner crypto initiative
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation looks attractive to some investors and analysts: recent coverage highlights a low P/E and price targets above current levels, which can attract value buyers if execution stabilizes. Why PayPal’s Rally Faded—And What Could Restart It
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro and crypto market moves are creating mixed flows: regulatory alignment between the CFTC and SEC and episodic crypto volatility are shaping sentiment for payments/crypto plays like PayPal. This is a backdrop rather than an immediate company-specific catalyst. Crypto Currents: CFTC affirms crypto oversight alignment with SEC
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class-action filings and numerous law‑firm alerts allege PayPal misled investors about growth and guidance (class period cited Feb 25, 2025–Feb 2, 2026). Firms are soliciting lead‑plaintiff motions with an April 20, 2026 deadline — this litigation wave increases legal risk, potential costs, and investor uncertainty. PayPal Holdings (PYPL) Faces Securities Class Action Amid $9 Billion Market Cap Wipeout, CEO Departure -- Hagens Berman
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and management turnover remain immediate execution risks: coverage notes weak Feb results, cautious guidance, and the CEO departure — all drivers behind the recent selloff and continued skepticism until clear operational improvement is shown. Why PayPal’s Rally Faded—And What Could Restart It
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile commentary suggests competitive pressure from other payment/fintech platforms and actions by industry figures (e.g., Elon Musk) could further compress PayPal’s growth in key consumer/payment corridors. Elon Musk just made things uncomfortable for PayPal and Cash App

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of PayPal stock opened at $44.90 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $48.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.75. The company has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $38.46 and a one year high of $79.50.

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 net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The company had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. PayPal's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on PYPL. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on PayPal from $64.00 to $41.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho set a $60.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Compass Point raised shares of PayPal from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $51.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PayPal currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $59.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total value of $98,763.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,992.20. This represents a 65.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 29,581 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.02, for a total value of $1,361,317.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,373,113.34. This trade represents a 36.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,608 shares of company stock worth $3,831,535. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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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