Sanford C. Bernstein Lowers PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Price Target to $45.00

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $62.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.46% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC cut shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on PayPal from $50.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on PayPal from $90.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on PayPal from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on PayPal from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.49.

PayPal Stock Performance

PYPL opened at $41.49 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. PayPal has a 52-week low of $38.88 and a 52-week high of $79.50. The firm has a market cap of $38.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $56.32 and its 200-day moving average is $63.75.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.84, for a total value of $249,054.08. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,854,022.72. The trade was a 11.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 3,478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.20, for a total value of $139,815.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,072,993.40. This represents a 6.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PYPL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $949,758,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in PayPal by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,376,927 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,276,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,534,462 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in PayPal by 35.9% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,177,536 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $548,520,000 after purchasing an additional 2,160,227 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 1,066.0% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,106,215 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $156,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of PayPal during the third quarter valued at about $97,794,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish write‑ups argue the sell‑off is overdone and present a value/buying case that can attract contrarian investors and short covering. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A second Seeking Alpha piece highlights an overextended sell‑off and scenarios that could trigger a rebound, supporting near‑term buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes PYPL is a trending/most‑watched stock — this can lift volume and volatility but doesn’t change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The board ousted CEO Alex Chriss and named Enrique Lores as his replacement, a disruptive leadership change that signals concern about execution and increases near‑term uncertainty. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms (Kessler Topaz; Levi & Korsinsky) have opened securities investigations into PayPal’s disclosures and the timing of leadership changes, raising legal risk and potential distraction/costs. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts slashed price targets and moved to neutral/sell (Truist to $39/sell; Daiwa to $42/neutral; Bernstein to $45/market perform; Cantor to $42), which reduces broker support and adds downward pressure. Truist/Other Cuts Daiwa
• Negative Sentiment: Former PayPal president David Marcus publicly criticized management and said the company needs saving, reinforcing investor concerns about execution and strategy. Bloomberg Interview
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: EVP Frank Keller sold ~3,478 shares (disclosed SEC filing), which some investors interpret as a negative signal even if not large. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings (Feb 3) missed consensus on EPS and revenue, so disappointing fundamentals are part of the sell‑off backdrop (earlier catalyst).

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.