PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Receives Market Perform Rating from Citizens Jmp

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating reiterated by investment analysts at Citizens Jmp in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lifted their price target on shares of PayPal from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Redburn Partners set a $50.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $68.28.

PayPal Price Performance

Shares of PayPal stock opened at $41.70 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $39.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $58.48 and its 200 day moving average is $65.01. PayPal has a one year low of $41.43 and a one year high of $82.69.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.06). PayPal had a return on equity of 25.64% and a net margin of 14.96%.The company had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PayPal will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.84, for a total transaction of $249,054.08. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,854,022.72. This represents a 11.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.29, for a total value of $615,303.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,366,486.71. This represents a 20.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altman Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,068,000. Marco Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PayPal by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 52,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,070,000 after buying an additional 3,380 shares during the period. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,219,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PayPal by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,354 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 1,488 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in PayPal by 200.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,942 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 20,646 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share (annualized yield ~1.3%), with record date March 4 and payment March 25 — a signal of capital returns to shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Some bulls remain: select analysts are sticking with constructive views (one note highlighted a long‑term upside case), providing a counterbalance to broad sell‑side cuts. Patient PayPal Bulls Will Win Big, Says Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Board installed Enrique Lores (former HP CEO and PayPal board chair) as incoming CEO effective March 1; Jamie Miller will serve as interim CEO and David Dorman as independent chair. Management change creates execution uncertainty but could bring operational discipline. PayPal Appoints Enrique Lores as CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational bright spot — total payment volume showed year‑over‑year growth (TPV +8.5% in Q4) — but key customer metrics (transactions/account) decelerated, leaving the growth outlook mixed. PayPal in Charts: TPV rose 8.5% Y/Y in Q4
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed: adjusted EPS $1.23 vs. consensus ~$1.28–$1.29, revenue $8.68B below forecasts, and management issued a weaker 2026 profit outlook — the primary driver of today’s selloff. PayPal Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut ratings/targets after the print: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Sell and slashed its PT to $34 (from $50); multiple firms moved to Hold and trimmed targets — raising downside pressure. Underweight on PayPal: Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder legal risk: law firms have opened securities‑fraud investigations tied to the surprise leadership change and results, adding litigation overhang. Securities Fraud Investigation Announced
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational / leadership concerns: former PayPal president David Marcus publicly criticized the firm’s strategy and execution, reinforcing investor doubts about management drift. Former PayPal President Slams Company

About PayPal

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.