PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Trading 1.4% Higher - Should You Buy?

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) shot up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $76.39 and last traded at $76.37. 3,028,408 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 10,863,799 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Seaport Res Ptn cut PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of PayPal from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of PayPal from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $98.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.42.

PayPal Trading Up 1.4%

The firm has a market cap of $74.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $70.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.84 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 24.59% and a net margin of 14.26%. PayPal's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total value of $304,824.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 48,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,550,894.92. This trade represents a 7.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,244,274.36. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,796 shares of company stock valued at $863,028 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in PayPal by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at about $248,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in PayPal by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,217 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of PayPal by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,561 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 1,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norden Group LLC increased its stake in shares of PayPal by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,800 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.