North Star Asset Management Inc. Takes $10.69 Million Position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

North Star Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 247,634 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,693,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PYPL. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal during the second quarter worth $25,000. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal during the first quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in PayPal by 15,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in PayPal during the second quarter valued at $27,000. 68.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In other PayPal news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.10, for a total value of $77,679.70. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $128,749.60. This represents a 37.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.54, for a total transaction of $196,194.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,768,260.18. The trade was a 9.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 14,774 shares of company stock valued at $738,249 over the last 90 days. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PYPL shares. HSBC began coverage on PayPal in a research note on Friday, July 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on PayPal from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on PayPal from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded PayPal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on PayPal from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.28.

PayPal Price Performance

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $61.47 on Friday. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.46 and a 12 month high of $79.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $52.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.30.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its earnings results 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. PayPal had a net margin of 14.36% and a return on equity of 24.39%. The business had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. PayPal’s payout ratio is 10.59%.

PayPal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal’s expansion into tuition payments could support future growth. Integrations with Nelnet Campus Commerce, Illumia and TouchNet allow students and families to use PayPal and Venmo for tuition-related payments, broadening Venmo’s commercial use. PayPal Holdings Tuition Payment Push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $1.38 versus consensus of $1.28 and revenue of approximately $8.68 billion versus estimates of $8.47 billion. Total payment volume reportedly increased 10% year over year, while analysts have raised some price targets and investors continue to view the new CEO transition as a possible turnaround opportunity. Why Is PayPal Up Since Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent momentum had been strong, with PayPal gaining about 10% over the past month and 39% over three months, although its one-year total return remained negative. The stock’s valuation—roughly 12 times earnings—may attract value investors, but reported analyst targets vary widely and several remain below the current trading level. PayPal Opinions on Earnings and Acquisition Speculation
• Negative Sentiment: The reported collapse of the Advent-Stripe discussions eliminates hopes for a deal premium. The consortium had previously been linked to an offer of at least $60.50 per share, with negotiations reportedly focused on a higher bid. Without that proposal, investors may refocus on PayPal’s slower revenue growth and execution risks. Advent Stripe Consortium Drops PayPal Pursuit

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.