PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Trading 1.1% Higher – What’s Next?

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) shares were up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $68.99 and last traded at $68.81. Approximately 2,620,829 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 12,002,343 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of PayPal from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.03.

PayPal Stock Up 3.4 %

The firm has a market cap of $69.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $82.08 and its 200-day moving average is $80.99.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.08. PayPal had a return on equity of 23.67% and a net margin of 13.04%. The business had revenue of $8.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In other PayPal news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.15, for a total transaction of $176,478.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,145,308.10. This represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of PayPal by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 189,842 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $14,813,000 after buying an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in PayPal by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. M&G PLC raised its holdings in shares of PayPal by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 256,548 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $20,011,000 after purchasing an additional 36,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forte Capital LLC ADV acquired a new stake in PayPal during the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000. 68.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.