PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Cut to "Hold" at StockNews.com

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on PYPL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on PayPal from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of PayPal from $63.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. JMP Securities boosted their target price on PayPal from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on PayPal from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, PayPal currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $72.73.

PayPal Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ PYPL traded down $1.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.14. 17,936,377 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,608,131. PayPal has a one year low of $50.25 and a one year high of $76.54. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $69.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.45.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $7.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.52 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 20.84%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that PayPal will post 4.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In other PayPal news, SVP Frank Keller sold 7,686 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.64, for a total value of $466,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,420,795.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sutton Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of PayPal by 115.0% during the third quarter. Sutton Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 443 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. American National Bank bought a new position in PayPal in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in PayPal during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

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.

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