PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Given “Hold” Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC restated their hold rating on shares of PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on PYPL. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of PayPal from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of PayPal from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of PayPal from $76.00 to $73.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of PayPal from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $66.00 price objective (down previously from $118.00) on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $72.73.

PayPal Trading Down 1.9 %

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $65.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.44. PayPal has a one year low of $50.25 and a one year high of $76.54. The firm has a market cap of $68.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.41.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.14). PayPal had a return on equity of 21.58% and a net margin of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $7.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that PayPal will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Frank Keller sold 7,686 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.64, for a total value of $466,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 23,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,795.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sutton Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in PayPal by 115.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sutton Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 443 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 77.5% during the first quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 394 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.