Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Increases Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. grew its position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,117 shares during the quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.’s holdings in PayPal were worth $3,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PYPL. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in PayPal in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in PayPal by 15,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ PYPL opened at $59.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $79.21. The company has a market capitalization of $50.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.30.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.47 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 24.39% and a net margin of 14.36%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.37 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Frank Keller sold 4,612 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.54, for a total value of $196,194.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,768,260.18. This represents a 9.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.10, for a total transaction of $77,679.70. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,216 shares in the company, valued at $128,749.60. The trade was a 37.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 10,612 shares of company stock worth $484,534 over the last three months. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

PayPal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Venmo growth supports the recovery story. Venmo’s total payment volume is growing at a mid-teens rate, giving PayPal an important source of transaction growth. Increasing adoption of products such as payments, credit and other monetization tools could help convert that activity into faster revenue growth. PayPal’s Venmo: Can Monetization Sustain Its Mid-Teens Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings and operational improvements remain supportive. PayPal reported quarterly earnings of $1.38 per share, ahead of the $1.28 consensus estimate, while revenue of $8.68 billion also exceeded expectations. Commentary highlighting improvements under CEO Enrique Lores and PayPal’s strong July performance has reinforced the view that the company may be stabilizing after a difficult period. Jim Cramer Examines PayPal Holdings Performance Under Enrique Lores and M&A Speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and M&A speculation are influencing sentiment. Analysts and commentators are debating whether PayPal remains undervalued following its recent share-price gains. Reported speculation about a potential buyout proposal has added an additional catalyst, but there is no confirmed transaction, making this a source of volatility rather than a firm fundamental driver. Is PayPal Holdings (PYPL) Undervalued After Earnings And Its Recent Share Price Jump?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about monetization and the sustainability of growth. Venmo’s strong payment-volume expansion will not necessarily produce comparable revenue growth unless PayPal can increase product usage and monetization. After the stock’s sharp recent advance, any evidence that revenue conversion or profitability is lagging expectations could limit further upside. PayPal’s Venmo: Can Monetization Sustain Its Mid-Teens Growth?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PYPL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of PayPal from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of PayPal from $46.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of PayPal from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.72.

PayPal Company 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.