PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Should You Buy?

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)’s share price was up 1.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $57.79 and last traded at $57.66. Approximately 15,991,725 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 15,387,682 shares. The stock had previously closed at $56.56.

Key PayPal News

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership: PayPal expanded its multi‑year relationship with Deutsche Bank to scale merchant settlements, payouts and withdrawal capabilities across the U.S., Europe and APAC — a strategic partnership that can help drive cross‑border volumes and merchant growth. PayPal Teams With Deutsche Bank to Scale Payment Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst landscape snapshot: Recent analyst coverage is mixed — the 6‑month median price target sits around $72.50 (above the current price), but firm opinions vary widely, leaving a split view that can keep trading volatile. Where PayPal Holdings Stands With Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/regulatory backdrop: A proposed California “billionaires’ tax” is creating headlines across tech; the news is more macro for the sector than company‑specific, though it keeps broader tech sentiment choppy and could influence investor risk appetite. Proposed billionaires’ tax in California rattles Silicon Valley, entangles Gov. Newsom
• Negative Sentiment: Price‑target cut + neutral rating: Piper Sandler trimmed its PYPL target from $76 to $74 and set a “neutral” rating — a signal that a previously constructive view is cooling and that upside is now seen as limited versus risk. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade: Daiwa America cut PayPal from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” reducing near‑term conviction from an institutional buyer and likely pressuring sentiment. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and technical pressure: Several commentaries argue PYPL has more downside risk and noted recent weakness versus the broader market — narrative pieces that can amplify selling. PayPal stock price crash has more room to go: here’s why
• Negative Sentiment: Investor/insider signals and social reaction: Social commentary and data feeds highlight a recent institutional/retail debate after downgrades; Quiver’s summary also flags multiple insider sales in recent months — insider selling can be viewed negatively by the market. PayPal Holdings, Inc. Stock (PYPL) Opinions on Recent Downgrade and Market Challenges
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data appears inconsistent in public feeds (reported spike but with zero reported shares) — ambiguous signals on whether bears are increasing bets, so treat short‑interest headlines with caution until clearer data is available.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on PYPL. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $66.00 price target (down from $83.00) on shares of PayPal in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of PayPal from $76.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Cowen restated a “mixed” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PayPal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of PayPal from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.81.

PayPal Trading Up 1.9%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.42.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $8.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.21 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.96% and a return on equity of 25.64%. PayPal’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. Equities research analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,838 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.97, for a total transaction of $264,706.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,171,731.33. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,156 shares of company stock worth $2,432,524. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PYPL. GSB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of PayPal by 1.7% during the second quarter. GSB Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,160 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in PayPal by 1.6% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,157 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Pitti Group Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in PayPal by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pitti Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,233 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its stake in PayPal by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 6,404 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.