PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Given New $45.00 Price Target at Stephens

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) had its price objective trimmed by Stephens from $65.00 to $45.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho set a $60.00 target price on PayPal in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $58.00 price target on PayPal in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Compass Point raised shares of PayPal from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.88.

PayPal Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $41.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.43. PayPal has a twelve month low of $39.96 and a twelve month high of $79.74. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.06). PayPal had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The business had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that PayPal will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. PayPal’s payout ratio is presently 11.22%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,854,022.72. This represents a 11.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.29, for a total transaction of $615,303.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,366,486.71. The trade was a 20.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PYPL. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of PayPal in the second quarter worth $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its holdings in PayPal by 100.4% during the 2nd 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. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PayPal in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key PayPal News

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some investors/analysts flag a potential buying opportunity because PYPL is deeply oversold after the sell‑off; contrarian pieces and technical analyses argue support levels could attract buyers. Should You Buy The Dip In PayPal Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: A handful of firms kept constructive views (or less bearish stances) despite cuts to targets, arguing PayPal’s cash flow, buyback capacity and long‑term position in payments give upside if execution restores growth. Analyst notes and reiterations
• Neutral Sentiment: Board appointed Enrique Lores (former HP CEO and PayPal board chair) as incoming CEO (effective March 1) with Jamie Miller interim — a major leadership shift whose impact is uncertain: it may reassure some investors but also signals the board’s dissatisfaction with past execution. PayPal Appoints Enrique Lores as CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal announced a modest quarterly dividend (small yield) — positive for income‑seeking holders but unlikely to move the stock materially given current execution concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations (adjusted EPS $1.23 vs. ~$1.29 est.; revenue ~$8.68B vs. ~$8.8B) and management lowered near‑term profit guidance for 2026 — the primary catalyst for the price decline. Q4 results and call
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts cut price targets or downgraded ratings after the quarter and CEO change, increasing sell pressure and reducing near‑term institutional support. Analyst downgrades and price‑target changes
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder/legal risk rose: several law firms have opened securities‑fraud investigations probing the gap between prior outlooks and results, adding uncertainty and potential headline risk. Securities investigation notice
• Negative Sentiment: Public criticism from former PayPal leaders and commentary about slowing branded‑checkout and transactions‑per‑account growth have amplified concerns that PayPal’s core growth engine is stalling. Former exec criticism

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.