PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) shot up 1.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $45.47 and last traded at $45.23. 11,175,078 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 24,104,965 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.67.

Key PayPal News

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Loop Capital initiated coverage with a “Hold” rating and a $46 price target, giving the shares a modest near-term catalyst and framing the name as fairly valued at current levels. “Cautions on Volatility”: PayPal Stock Notches Up as Loop Capital Starts Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/coverage highlight Venmo expansion and TPV growth (user base topping 100M, push into ~90 markets) as a medium-term revenue driver that supports payments volume and monetization upside. PayPal Expands Venmo: Will It Become a Global Commerce Engine?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory backdrop remains uncertain: a Senate probe into recent SEC crypto enforcement pullbacks mentions PayPal among firms with crypto/stablecoin initiatives, which could affect future regulatory risk but is still developing. Senator Blumenthal Probes SEC Crypto Case Pullback After Enforcement Chief’s Sudden Exit
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class‑action notices and filings surfaced (several law firms alerting investors) tied to events from Feb 25, 2025–Feb 2, 2026; firms are soliciting lead‑plaintiff motions ahead of an April 20 deadline, creating legal overhang and headline risk. Deadline Alert: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP
• Negative Sentiment: Hagens Berman highlighted a lawsuit tied to the surprise CEO ouster and the withdrawal of long‑term targets, noting a large market‑cap decline — this amplifies investor concern about management/communication failures. PYPL SHAREHOLDER NOTICE: Hagens Berman Alerts PayPal Investors to Securities Class Action
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade arguing PayPal is undervalued but facing branded‑checkout weakness and an expected EPS decline (~7%), limiting near‑term upside. PayPal Undervalued, But Checkout Weakness Limits Upside Amid Earnings Decline
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile media caution: coverage noting Jim Cramer advised careful buying has been cited as pressure on sentiment and contributed to recent selling momentum. PayPal (PYPL) Stock Down Significantly After Jim Cramer Advised Careful Buying

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PYPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on PayPal from $91.00 to $59.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of PayPal from $76.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $50.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PayPal has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.11.

PayPal Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $46.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.42% and a net margin of 15.77%.The company’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.35%.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 37,613 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total value of $1,560,563.37. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,484.67. The trade was a 54.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total transaction of $98,763.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,992.20. This represents a 65.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 87,608 shares of company stock valued at $3,831,535. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of PayPal by 15,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

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.