PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s Why

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) shares rose 1.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $77.50 and last traded at $77.57. Approximately 2,415,368 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 11,238,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $76.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PYPL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of PayPal from $90.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on PayPal from $72.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price target on PayPal from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.52.

PayPal Stock Up 2.1 %

The stock has a market cap of $77.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $86.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.01.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in PayPal by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new position in PayPal in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 344.3% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its position in shares of PayPal by 186.1% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 412 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

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.