PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the forty research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-four have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.2571.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on PayPal from $74.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on PayPal from $94.00 to $90.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on PayPal from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $66.00 target price (down previously from $83.00) on shares of PayPal in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of PayPal from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 5th.

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of PYPL stock opened at $57.66 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $53.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.42. PayPal has a 52 week low of $55.85 and a 52 week high of $93.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.40.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $8.42 billion during 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%. PayPal’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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, equities analysts forecast that PayPal will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. PayPal’s payout ratio is currently 11.22%.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with Microsoft to power Copilot Checkout — integration lets shoppers complete purchases inside Microsoft Copilot, expanding PayPal’s payment footprint and potential transaction volume. PayPal Teams With Microsoft to Power Checkout in Copilot
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting PayPal as a value buy — recent pieces (Forbes, MoneyShow) argue PYPL’s valuation and margins make it an attractive long‑term purchase for value investors. Should You Consider Buying PayPal Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: New Transaction Graph Analytics program — product aimed at merchant analytics/insights that could boost monetization and seller retention if adoption scales. How PayPal’s New Transaction Graph Analytics Program Will Impact PayPal Holdings (PYPL) Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity shows elevated interest — options flow and positioning can signal short‑term speculators hedging or positioning around catalysts, but direction is ambiguous. Behind the Scenes of PayPal Holdings’s Latest Options Trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna trims price target (from $94 to $90) but keeps a “positive” rating — reduced upside estimate but analyst stance remains constructive, a mixed signal for sentiment. PayPal price target lowered by at Susquehanna
• Neutral Sentiment: Market summaries note PYPL has dipped more than the broader market recently — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Why Paypal (PYPL) Dipped More Than Broader Market Today
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its price target to $65 — a meaningful cut that reduces analyst‑driven upside and likely pressured sentiment. The Goldman Sachs Group Lowers PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Price Target to $65.00
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrade drove a sell reaction — coverage noting the downgrade has coincided with downward pressure on the stock. PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Down 2.2% After Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Public criticism from commentators (Jim Cramer: “late to new technologies”) feeds a narrative that PayPal risks losing share to newer fintech entrants and could weigh on sentiment. Jim Cramer on Paypal: “The Company’s Been Late to New Technologies”

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In other news, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,374 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.29, for a total value of $615,303.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,366,486.71. This trade represents a 20.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,156 shares of company stock worth $2,432,524. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in PayPal in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its holdings in shares of PayPal by 100.4% in the second quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 87,524 shares during the period. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal in the third quarter worth $30,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in PayPal during the second quarter valued at $36,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.