Machina Capital S.A.S. Takes $1.06 Million Position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 15,843 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thompson Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PayPal by 2.8% during the second quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,991 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,519,000 after buying an additional 4,165 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in PayPal by 1.8% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,855,897 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $191,516,000 after purchasing an additional 51,268 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of PayPal by 15.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 164,901 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,058,000 after purchasing an additional 22,139 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,292,583 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $291,338,000 after buying an additional 313,180 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 3rd quarter valued at $13,210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on PYPL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on PayPal from $50.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday. Rothschild Redb lowered PayPal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $52.00 price target on shares of PayPal 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.88.

PayPal Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ PYPL opened at $41.03 on Thursday. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.96 and a 52 week high of $79.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $58.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.58, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.43.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. PayPal’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.22%.

More 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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,854,022.72. The trade was a 11.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 value of $615,303.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,366,486.71. This trade represents a 20.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.