PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Shares Sold by Amova Asset Management Americas Inc.

Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. decreased its position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 69.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,183 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 356,800 shares during the period. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc.'s holdings in PayPal were worth $7,198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PYPL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in PayPal by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,376,927 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,276,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,534,462 shares in the last quarter. Rule One Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at $2,043,000. Step Capital Management Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in PayPal in the fourth quarter worth $6,130,000. Easterly Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in PayPal by 705.2% in the fourth quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 100,651 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,876,000 after purchasing an additional 88,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in PayPal by 76.0% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 54,458 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,430,000 after buying an additional 23,516 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In related news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.46, for a total transaction of $66,128.02. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,586 shares of the company's stock, valued at $78,443.56. This trade represents a 45.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total value of $536,170.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,567 shares in the company, valued at $2,076,687.32. This represents a 20.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 20,612 shares of company stock worth $966,623 in the last ninety days. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PayPal Trading Up 0.5%

PayPal stock opened at $56.82 on Tuesday. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $79.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.12 billion, a PE ratio of 10.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.33. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $44.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.13.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.07. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.02% and a net margin of 15.00%.The company had revenue of $8.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. PayPal's payout ratio is 10.51%.

PayPal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Takeover chatter is the main catalyst, as reports say Stripe and Advent have put forward a multi-billion-dollar bid that could force a higher valuation for PayPal. Reuters: How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators argue the offer may set a floor for PayPal’s value, which can support the stock if investors expect a better deal or competing interest. The Motley Fool: PayPal: Is Being Bought Out What's Best for the Company Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades from Barclays and Clear Street add another supportive angle, suggesting some on Wall Street see improving upside despite the company’s challenges. American Banking News: PayPal NASDAQ: PYPL Upgraded at Barclays
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal remains a heavily watched stock, but the “trending” coverage itself does not change fundamentals and may just reflect investor speculation ahead of earnings. Yahoo Finance: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term earnings expectations are mixed, with Wall Street expecting a single-digit EPS decline next quarter, which keeps attention on fundamentals rather than just takeover headlines. Barchart: What to Expect From PayPal’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term articles highlight that PayPal has fallen from favor, faces stronger competition from Apple Pay, and is now being viewed as a takeover target rather than a market leader. Reuters: How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PYPL shares. Piper Sandler cut their target price on PayPal from $46.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on PayPal from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays upgraded PayPal from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $55.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on PayPal from $41.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $54.61.

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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