PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Acquired by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,740 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in PayPal were worth $16,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MONECO Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,732,000. Lansing Street Advisors purchased a new position in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $219,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in PayPal by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 45,417 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its position in PayPal by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,544 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in PayPal by 234.2% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on PayPal from $92.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Phillip Securities reaffirmed an “accumulate” rating and issued a $90.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of PayPal in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of PayPal from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.52.

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of PYPL opened at $74.95 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.88. The firm has a market cap of $74.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.44. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.97 and a 12-month high of $93.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $8.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.27 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 23.67%. PayPal’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

About PayPal

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a technology platform that enables digital payments on behalf of merchants and consumers worldwide. It operates a two-sided network at scale that connects merchants and consumers that enables its customers to connect, transact, and send and receive payments through online and in person, as well as transfer and withdraw funds using various funding sources, such as bank accounts, PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products comprising its installment products, credit and debit cards, and cryptocurrencies, as well as other stored value products, including gift cards and eligible rewards.