Empowered Funds LLC Makes New $7.40 Million Investment in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 171,307 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,397,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PYPL. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in PayPal during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in PayPal in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in PayPal by 15,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $50.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on PayPal from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho set a $51.00 price target on PayPal in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded PayPal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.14.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In related news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.10, for a total value of $77,679.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,216 shares in the company, valued at $128,749.60. This trade represents a 37.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.96, for a total value of $253,715.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,888,723.68. This represents a 11.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,774 shares of company stock worth $738,249. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some market observers argue that PayPal’s board protected potentially greater long-term shareholder value by rejecting the reported $60.50-per-share offer, which valued the company at approximately $53 billion. Options pricing also continues to indicate a bullish bias among some traders. PayPal Drops 12% Overnight on Dead Stripe Deal
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal remains an independent turnaround story, with recent initiatives expanding PayPal and Venmo tuition-payment integrations through campus platforms. Investors will now focus more closely on whether management can improve growth and execution without takeover support. PayPal Tuition Payment Push
• Neutral Sentiment: The failed transaction removes a major change-of-control catalyst and returns attention to PayPal’s standalone fundamentals. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, but revenue growth remained modest and earnings per share declined year over year, leaving execution of its turnaround as the key valuation driver.
• Negative Sentiment: The reported withdrawal eliminates the takeover premium that had supported PYPL during weeks of deal speculation. Reports cited valuation concerns, regulatory hurdles and a breakdown in negotiations; the abrupt reversal has therefore prompted investors to reassess PayPal at its lower standalone valuation. PayPal Shares Fall After Consortium Abandons Takeover Pursuit
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts, including Mizuho, are highlighting risks facing PayPal after the deal collapsed. The heavy trading volume and test of the 50-day moving average indicate heightened uncertainty as investors await evidence that the company can generate sufficient growth independently. Why PayPal Stock Is Down and What Mizuho Thinks Comes Next

PayPal Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $53.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.46 and a 12 month high of $79.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.16. The company has a market cap of $45.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.14, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.29.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.47 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 24.39% and a net margin of 14.36%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.38 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. PayPal’s payout ratio is currently 10.59%.

PayPal Company Profile

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.