PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Should You Buy?

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)’s stock price shot up 1.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $86.94 and last traded at $86.60. 1,663,128 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 12,839,767 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on PYPL. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of PayPal from $80.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America raised shares of PayPal from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $86.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of PayPal from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on PayPal from $92.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.42.

PayPal Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $85.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $85.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.44.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.88 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 23.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in PayPal by 50.6% in the second quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 497 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in PayPal by 930.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 515 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp raised its stake 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 125.3% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 437 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About PayPal

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.