PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Shares Acquired by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,608,600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.29% of PayPal worth $117,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of PayPal by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $248,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in PayPal by 41.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake in PayPal by 40.1% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 17,388 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 4,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in PayPal by 17.9% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 18,909 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 2,865 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In other news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.46, for a total transaction of $66,128.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,586 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,443.56. The trade was a 45.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total transaction of $536,170.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,076,687.32. This trade represents a 20.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 20,612 shares of company stock worth $966,623 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of PayPal from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of PayPal from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Clear Str upgraded shares of PayPal to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on PayPal from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.61.

PayPal Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of PYPL opened at $56.82 on Tuesday. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.46 and a 12 month high of $79.50. The firm has a market cap of $50.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $44.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.13.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.05 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 25.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. Analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is 10.51%.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Takeover chatter is the main catalyst, as reports say Stripe and Advent have put forward a multi-billion-dollar bid that could force a higher valuation for PayPal. Reuters: How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators argue the offer may set a floor for PayPal’s value, which can support the stock if investors expect a better deal or competing interest. The Motley Fool: PayPal: Is Being Bought Out What’s Best for the Company Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades from Barclays and Clear Street add another supportive angle, suggesting some on Wall Street see improving upside despite the company’s challenges. American Banking News: PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Upgraded at Barclays
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal remains a heavily watched stock, but the “trending” coverage itself does not change fundamentals and may just reflect investor speculation ahead of earnings. Yahoo Finance: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term earnings expectations are mixed, with Wall Street expecting a single-digit EPS decline next quarter, which keeps attention on fundamentals rather than just takeover headlines. Barchart: What to Expect From PayPal’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term articles highlight that PayPal has fallen from favor, faces stronger competition from Apple Pay, and is now being viewed as a takeover target rather than a market leader. Reuters: How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target

About PayPal

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.