PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• PayPal has a consensus “Hold” rating from 47 brokerages: 34 analysts recommend holding, nine recommend buying and four recommend selling. The average 12-month price target is $55.50.
• PayPal’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $1.38 versus the $1.28 consensus and revenue of $8.68 billion versus $8.47 billion expected. Revenue increased 4.8% year over year, although analysts project full-year EPS of approximately $5.31.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, equivalent to $0.56 annually and a 1.0% yield. Recent analyst opinions remain mixed, with some firms raising targets or upgrading the stock while others cite competitive pressure, investment-related margin risks and execution concerns.

Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the forty-seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirty-four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $55.50.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on PayPal from $43.50 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Truist Financial raised PayPal from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $57.00 in a report on Friday, July 24th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of PayPal from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th.

PayPal Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $58.35 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $46.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.02. PayPal has a 52-week low of $38.46 and a 52-week high of $79.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.33.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.47 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 24.39% and a net margin of 14.36%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that PayPal will post 5.31 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. PayPal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.51%.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.38, above the $1.28 consensus, while revenue rose 4.8% year over year to $8.68 billion, exceeding the $8.47 billion estimate. Total payment volume increased 10% to $486.4 billion. PayPal Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to $5.38 per share and highlighted improving branded checkout, Venmo growth, cost savings and investments in AI, digital identity and stablecoin-enabled payments. The guidance increase supports the view that CEO Enrique Lores’ turnaround is gaining traction. PayPal’s Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Checkout Stability
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets following the results. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods moved its target to $70 and upgraded PayPal to Outperform, while JPMorgan raised its target to $65 and retained a Neutral rating. PayPal also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share and repurchased approximately $1.5 billion of stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Takeover speculation remains a catalyst. Stripe and Advent International reportedly offered $60.50 per share, but PayPal’s board viewed the proposal as too low. The company appears open to a higher offer while continuing its standalone turnaround, leaving investors to balance potential deal value against execution of the recovery plan. PayPal Leaves the Door Open to a Higher Takeover Offer
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Goldman Sachs issued a Sell warning, while Wells Fargo, Baird, Canaccord, TD Cowen and other firms maintained Neutral or Hold ratings, citing slower branded-checkout growth, margin pressure from investment spending, competitive threats and execution risk. Several targets remain below the current share price. PayPal Stock Splits Wall Street

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 3,379 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.79, for a total value of $144,587.41. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,325,762.57. This represents a 9.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Frank Keller sold 4,612 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.54, for a total value of $196,194.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,768,260.18. This trade represents a 9.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,543 shares of company stock worth $364,325. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PYPL. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of PayPal by 15,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Advocate Investing Services LLC bought a new position in PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 68.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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