PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Given a $75.00 Price Target by Morgan Stanley Analysts

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised its target price for PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) from $74.00 to $75.00, indicating a potential upside of 5.55% from its previous closing price.
• PayPal's current stock rating is largely "hold," with two sell ratings, 17 hold ratings, 19 buy ratings, and one strong buy from analysts.
• In recent trading, PayPal shares were down 0.6% to $71.06, with a market capitalization of $69.10 billion and significant insider selling reported in the past 90 days.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) has been given a $75.00 price objective by analysts at Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 11.76% from the stock's previous close.

PYPL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PayPal from $103.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on shares of PayPal from $120.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $75.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.57.

PayPal Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of PayPal stock traded down $1.65 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $67.11. The stock had a trading volume of 15,163,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,276,834. The stock has a market cap of $64.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.45. PayPal has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $93.66. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $73.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.10. PayPal had a net margin of 14.49% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The firm had revenue of $8.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PayPal will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Deborah M. Messemer sold 3,795 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $277,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 13,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,020,248. This represents a 21.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total value of $281,168.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,244,274.36. This represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,796 shares of company stock valued at $863,028. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in PayPal by 726.0% during the first quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 413 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in PayPal during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PayPal in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Company Profile

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.