Ethic Inc. Trims Stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Ethic Inc. cut its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 12.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 11,250 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in PayPal were worth $5,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PYPL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in PayPal during the first quarter worth $293,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of PayPal by 146.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 16,693 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,089,000 after buying an additional 9,923 shares during the period. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 19.2% in the first quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 48,535 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,167,000 after buying an additional 7,825 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,374 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.13, for a total value of $94,984.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.97, for a total value of $264,706.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,171,731.33. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,156 shares of company stock valued at $2,432,524. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on PYPL. KGI Securities decreased their target price on PayPal from $85.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued a “negative” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of PayPal from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $80.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.29.

PayPal Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of PayPal stock opened at $59.10 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.85 and a 52-week high of $93.25. The company has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $63.35 and a 200 day moving average of $68.07.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $8.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.21 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.96% and a return on equity of 25.64%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. PayPal has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.390 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 19th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.22%.

PayPal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bullish take arguing PYPL may be under‑appreciated and has upside vs. consensus — supports investor optimism and potential buying interest. Is Everyone Under-Estimating Paypal Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Long-form bullish thesis positioning PayPal as a good 2026 idea (growth/turnaround narrative) that could attract longer‑term buyers. PayPal: Ultimate Gift For 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation note: PYPL is trading below its industry P/E while earnings estimates have been rising — a value/earnings improvement argument that may support a rebound. PayPal Stock Trades Below Industry P/E: How to Play the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Options‑market coverage shows elevated activity/interest in PYPL, which can amplify moves and signal directional bets from traders. Unpacking the Latest Options Trading Trends in PayPal Holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes PYPL is a “trending” ticker — higher attention can increase volatility but doesn’t imply direction. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Balanced coverage (2 reasons to watch, 1 caution) highlighting both catalysts and risks — useful for traders but mixed for near‑term direction. 2 Reasons to Watch PYPL and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-stats piece: coverage remains mixed (buy/hold/sell split) with a median target around $75 — indicates divergent views and potential for upward revision if execution improves. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Offers Upside, but Analysts Aren’t Fully Convinced
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analysis vs. peers (StoneCo) highlights tradeoffs between scale and regional growth — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. StoneCo vs. PayPal: Which Fintech Stock Has More Upside Potential?
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target sharply (to $51 from $74) and downgraded PYPL to Underweight — a concrete near‑term bearish catalyst that can pressure shares and influence other institutional sellers. Morgan Stanley Reduces Price Target on PayPal Holdings (PYPL)

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.