PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Position Raised by Long Focus Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Long Focus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 60.3%, now owning 1,250,000 shares which comprise 2.7% of its portfolio, making it the firm's 7th largest holding.
• Insider sales were reported, with significant transactions from Suzan Kereere and CAO Chris Natali, who collectively sold over 11,000 shares recently.
• Analysts maintain a largely positive outlook on PayPal, with seventeen rating it as a Buy and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Long Focus Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 60.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,250,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 470,000 shares during the period. PayPal makes up approximately 2.7% of Long Focus Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Long Focus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.13% of PayPal worth $81,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ardmore Road Asset Management LP grew its position in PayPal by 30.4% during the 1st quarter. Ardmore Road Asset Management LP now owns 300,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $19,575,000 after acquiring an additional 70,000 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PayPal by 2.6% during the first quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 7,925 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 2.4% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 8,266 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of PayPal by 27.8% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 684,222 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $44,645,000 after buying an additional 148,810 shares during the period. Finally, Azora Capital LP bought a new stake in PayPal during the 1st quarter valued at $6,453,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ PYPL traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $69.33. 4,274,558 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,001,014. The company has a market cap of $66.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $71.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.90. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.85 and a 52 week high of $93.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $8.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.08 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 14.49%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. PayPal has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.180-1.220 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 5.150-5.300 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Deborah M. Messemer sold 3,795 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $277,035.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,020,248. This represents a 21.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total transaction of $281,168.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,244,274.36. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,898 shares of company stock worth $1,909,636. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PYPL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Truist Financial started coverage on PayPal in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $74.00 price target on PayPal in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $96.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, JMP Securities reduced their target price on PayPal from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

About PayPal

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.