Teacher Retirement System of Texas Reduces Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lowered its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 27.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,251 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 56,209 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in PayPal were worth $9,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new position in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sutton Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in PayPal by 115.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 58.6% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 609 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In other PayPal news, SVP Frank Keller sold 7,686 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,420,795.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

PayPal Stock Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ PYPL traded up $1.02 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $63.95. 7,304,246 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,098,979. The company has a market cap of $66.89 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.25 and a 52 week high of $76.54. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $64.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.95.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.22 by ($0.14). PayPal had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 21.58%. The company had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. PayPal's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PYPL. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of PayPal from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of PayPal from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded PayPal from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on PayPal from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $72.73.

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.