PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Up 2.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) rose 2.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as $68.47 and last traded at $68.50. Approximately 2,505,247 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 12,108,700 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PYPL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of PayPal from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on PayPal from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.03.

PayPal Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $68.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average is $80.33 and its 200-day moving average is $80.90.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. PayPal’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other PayPal news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.15, for a total value of $176,478.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,145,308.10. This represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PYPL. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in PayPal in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its position in PayPal by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PayPal by 344.3% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.