PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Shares Sold by AE Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• AE Wealth Management cut its PayPal stake by 46.8% in Q4, selling 26,221 shares and leaving 29,805 shares worth about $1.74 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 87,608 shares (roughly $3.83 million) last quarter, including notable reductions by CAO Chris Natali and Suzan Kereere.
• Wall Street consensus is a Hold with a $56.39 target amid multiple downgrades, and PayPal recently missed quarterly EPS ($1.23 vs. $1.29) and revenue expectations.

AE Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 46.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 29,805 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 26,221 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC's holdings in PayPal were worth $1,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PayPal during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in PayPal during the third quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in PayPal by 285.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 524 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Dagco Inc. lifted its holdings in PayPal by 1,250.0% during the third quarter. Dagco Inc. now owns 540 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in PayPal by 120.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 545 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total value of $98,763.84. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,992.20. The trade was a 65.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Suzan Kereere sold 37,613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total transaction of $1,560,563.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,285,484.67. The trade was a 54.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 87,608 shares of company stock valued at $3,831,535 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PYPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $42.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group set a $50.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-three have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.39.

PayPal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal announced a multi‑year partnership making it the NFL’s official peer‑to‑peer payments partner, expanding PayPal/Venmo visibility and P2P use cases within a large fan ecosystem — a constructive revenue/engagement catalyst if adoption follows. PayPal Named Official Peer-to-Peer Payments Partner of the NFL
• Positive Sentiment: Activist and acquisition chatter has surfaced after guidance missteps, leadership turnover and shareholder suits; speculation that hedge funds or strategic buyers might push for change has lifted short‑term interest and trading. Is PayPal an Acquisition Target? How to Play PYPL Stock Right Now Amid Activist Investor Rumors.
• Positive Sentiment: Notable value investors (e.g., Michael Burry) have reportedly opened positions, signaling some investors view the selloff as a technical opportunity rather than a fundamental collapse — potential vote of confidence for long‑term holders. PayPal Stock Is Down More Than 80% Over the Past 5 Years. Michael Burry Is Buying the Dip.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target to $55 while keeping a neutral rating — a modest positive signal for upside but not a bullish endorsement; it could temper downside risk more than drive a rally. Benzinga: BOA raises PYPL PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Several opinion pieces and value‑stock roundups highlight PayPal as a potential turnaround/value play — these may attract long‑term, value‑oriented buyers but don’t change near‑term fundamentals. Five Value Stocks with Recovery Potential in 2026: PayPal
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho downgraded PYPL to Neutral and cut its price target citing competitive threat from X Money and other headwinds; analyst downgrades like this increase selling pressure and raise FY outlook concerns. Mizuho Downgrades PayPal (PYPL) to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class‑action filings and law‑firm notices (lead plaintiff deadlines) create an ongoing legal overhang that can pressure the stock and deter some institutional buyers until resolved. PYPL CLASS ACTION DEADLINE TONIGHT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analyst/opinion pieces caution on execution risks — earnings/guidance misses, Venmo competitive substitution and insider selling have amplified skepticism. PayPal: Still Holding On For Dear Life, A Cautious Hold (Downgrade)

PayPal Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $50.88 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $45.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $45.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.40. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.46 and a twelve month high of $79.50.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. PayPal's payout ratio is currently 10.35%.

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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