Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 16,321 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 11.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 125,915 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 16,321 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in PayPal were worth $8,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 1.6% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,157 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its position in PayPal by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC raised its position in PayPal by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,698 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,062,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of PayPal by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Trading Up 1.5%

PayPal stock opened at $46.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.54 billion, a PE ratio of 8.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.43. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.46 and a 12 month high of $79.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.42% and a net margin of 15.77%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.35%.

Key Stories Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg/Yahoo reported that Stripe has expressed interest in all or parts of PayPal, reviving takeover speculation and short‑term buying interest from traders hoping for a strategic bid. PayPal Surges on Stripe Acquisition Interest
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal, MoonPay and M0 announced PYUSDx, a developer‑facing platform to issue app‑specific stablecoins backed by PayPal USD — a product extension that could broaden crypto rails and new revenue channels if adoption follows. PayPal, MoonPay and M0 launch PYUSDx
• Neutral Sentiment: Follow‑up reporting (Semafor/TechCrunch) says PayPal may not be actively pursuing a sale and that no formal talks are underway — this tempers deal hopes and makes the takeover angle speculative until confirmed. PayPal might not be looking to sell itself, report
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or are soliciting plaintiffs in securities class actions against PayPal (lead‑plaintiff deadlines around Apr. 20), creating litigation over disclosures that can pressure the stock and increase potential settlement risk. PYPL Shareholder Action Reminder — Faruqi & Faruqi
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and independent writeups point to slowing growth, rising credit losses, weaker free cash flow and guidance that disappointed investors — narratives that undercut a sustainable multiple expansion. PayPal: A Textbook Value Trap (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Sell ratings and critical notes (e.g., Morgan Stanley / TipRanks coverage) highlight competitive pressure (Braintree economics, Venmo monetization) and an unattractive risk/reward that can keep selling pressure under any rally. Sell Rating on PayPal — TipRanks

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Argus reduced their price target on shares of PayPal from $87.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on PayPal from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.21.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In other PayPal news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 37,613 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total value of $1,560,563.37. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,285,484.67. This trade represents a 54.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 3,478 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.20, for a total value of $139,815.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 51,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,072,993.40. This trade represents a 6.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 42,304 shares of company stock worth $1,749,493 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

PayPal 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.