ANALYST-DOWNGRADE

PYPL

PayPal Holdings, Inc.
NEUTRAL
Impact 4/10
Processed4mo ago SECanalyst-PYPL-macquari-20260507
Macquarie double downgrade: Outperform → Neutral
Actionable Insight • Neutral

This downgrade adds to a bearish analyst drift and aligns with persistent insider selling, but Macquarie's below-average accuracy on this name tempers the signal. Traders should monitor for further downgrades or EPS revision weakness before acting.

DirectionNeutral
Final — all horizons settled through T+60d
PYPL ▲ +23.84% at T+60d
NEUTRAL call ✓ call won +23.84% · α vs SPY +21.73% · entry $46.20 → $57.21
Entry anchored
May 7, 2026
via day open
T+1d
-1.82%
call -1.82% · α -2.65%
$45.36
settled 5mo ago
T+5d
-2.09%
call -2.09% · α -3.60%
$45.23
settled 5mo ago
T+20d
-7.76%
call -7.76% · α -10.90%
$42.61
settled 4mo ago
T+60d
+23.84%
call +23.84% · α +21.73%
$57.21
settled 8w ago

Price Chart

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Executive Summary

Macquarie double-downgraded XYZ from Outperform to Neutral on May 7, slashing its price target from $58 to $50. The move comes as consensus is heavily tilted toward Hold (63.5% of 52 analysts), with the mean target at $52.97 implying 14.5% upside from the current $46.27. Macquarie's new $50 target sits above the $48 median but below the $52.97 mean. The firm has a 55% overall accuracy rate on 441 calls but only a 50% rate on 6 calls for this name, with a below-average average return of 1.1%. Net downgrades outnumber upgrades 2-to-1 over the past 30 days, and EPS revisions for the next quarter are slightly negative (1 up, 2 down). Insider selling persists, with three executives selling shares worth over $700K in March-April, and institutional flows are mixed — a $950M new position from Norges Bank contrasts with exits by Sound Shore and Two Sigma's 74.5% trim. While the rating change aligns with the consensus hold view, the double-downgrade magnitude and price target cut signal growing caution. Next earnings are on July 27, outside the 30-day flag window.

Impact Score

Base Score
3/7
LLM Adjustment
+1
Final Score
4/10

Consensus & Targets

Buy / Strong Buy
15 (29%)
Hold
33
Sell / Strong Sell
4
Total Analysts
34
Mean PT
$52.97
Median PT
$48.00
High PT
$147.39
Low PT
$32.00
Current Price
$46.27
Implied Upside
+14.5%

Of 52 analysts covering XYZ, 4 are Strong Buy (7.7%), 11 are Buy (21.2%), 33 are Hold (63.5%), and 4 are Sell (7.7%). Consensus is overwhelmingly Hold, and Macquarie's downgrade to Neutral brings it in line with the prevailing view.

Among 34 analysts with price targets, the mean is $52.97, median $48, high $147.39, and low $32. Current price of $46.27 implies 14.5% upside to the mean. Macquarie's new $50 target is above the $48 median but below the $52.97 mean, representing a 14% reduction from their prior $58.

Recent Analyst Activity

DateFirmActionRatingPrice Target
2026-05-07MacquariedowngradeNeutral$50.00
2026-05-06UBSmaintainNeutral$48.00
2026-05-06RBC CapitalreiterateOutperform$59.00
2026-05-05NeedhamreiterateHold—
2026-04-24Truist SecuritiesmaintainSell$45.00
2026-04-22BMO CapitalinitiateMarket Perform$52.00
2026-04-21Cantor FitzgeraldmaintainNeutral$54.00
2026-04-21B of A SecuritiesmaintainNeutral$55.00
2026-04-16MizuhodowngradeNeutral$50.00
2026-04-08CitigroupmaintainNeutral$48.00

Over the past 30 days, analyst activity includes 1 upgrade and 2 downgrades, with Mizuho also downgrading to Neutral on April 16. EPS revisions are mixed: current quarter saw 2 upward revisions vs 1 down; next quarter has 1 up vs 2 down; fiscal year end 2026 has 5 up vs 4 down. Net, estimates are slightly negative for the near term but positive for longer horizons.

Firm Track Record — Macquarie

Macquarie accuracy: 55% on 441 calls | avg return: 5.6%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

FirmAccuracyCallsAvg Returnvs Average
Monness, Crespi, Hardt100%3/319.5%top tier
Goldman Sachs100%4/44.2%top tier
JP Morgan100%3/32.8%top tier
BMO Capital80%4/510.6%top tier
Susquehanna80%4/59.7%top tier
B of A Securities67%2/3-9.6%top tier
Baird67%4/6-0.3%top tier
Canaccord Genuity60%3/53%above average
Barclays60%3/53%above average
UBS60%3/53.2%above average

Macquarie's overall accuracy is 55% on 441 calls with a 5.6% average return. On this specific stock, Macquarie is 3 for 6 (50%) with a mere 1.1% average return, placing it in the 'below average' tier. Top performers on XYZ include Monness, Crespi, Hardt (100% on 3 calls, 19.5% avg return) and Goldman Sachs (100% on 4 calls, 4.2% avg return). The worst-performing firm on this name is Wolfe Research (50% on 2 calls, -21.2% avg return).

Earnings Estimates

Next earnings: Jul 27, 2026

PeriodEPS Est.EPS RangeRevenueRevisions (7d)
0q$1.33$1.27 — $1.49$8.5B↑1 ↓0
+1q$1.34$1.26 — $1.45$8.6B↑1 ↓0
0y$5.31$5.17 — $5.53$34.1B↑1 ↓0
+1y$5.80$5.27 — $6.57$35.6B↑0 ↓0

Cross-Platform Signals

Insider Trades (90d)
0 buys / 5 sells
Congressional
Mark Alford (republican) — sell $1,001 - $15,000
Congressional
Byron Donalds (republican) — buy $1,001 - $15,000
Congressional
Byron Donalds (republican) — buy $1,001 - $15,000
Institutional
NORGES BANK — new
Institutional
SOUND SHORE MANAGEMENT INC /CT/ — exit (-100%)
Institutional
Fund 1 Investments, LLC — exit (-100%)

Insider sentiment is bearish — three executives (Natali Chris, Keller Frank, Kereere Suzan) sold shares totaling over $700K in March-April, with no insider buys. Congressional activity is mixed (two small sells, two small buys). Institutional flows show divergence: Norges Bank initiated a massive $950M position, but Sound Shore and another fund fully exited, and Two Sigma trimmed 74.5%. Short interest data is unavailable. Overall, the insider selling and institutional exits diverge from the Norges Bank entry, creating a mixed cross-platform picture that does not strongly reinforce the downgrade.

Investment Themes

Fintech & Payments

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

18 reports for PYPL
Performance horizon
83% Hit rate 5 of 6 directional calls best @ T+20▲ +30.13%Jul 8, 2026
Filters
Rows
Reports for PYPL — sortable, filterable
TypeNow
Aug 31, 2026
4w ago
Court Ruling
BULLISH ★ 6/10
$52.67 $53.89▲ +2.32%▲ +2.69%$52.81 (+0.28%)
Aug 19, 2026
6w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 2/10
$61.25 $52.94▼ −13.57%▼ −11.62%$52.81 (−13.78%)
Aug 12, 2026
7w ago
Court Ruling
BULLISH ★ 6/10
$59.20 $53.31▼ −9.95%▼ −8.05%$52.81 (−10.79%)
Jul 30, 2026
9w ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 2/10
$57.21 $53.65▼ −6.23%▼ −9.22%$52.81 (−7.69%)
Jul 28, 2026
9w ago
8-K
BULLISH ★ 6/10
$58.32 $62.27▲ +6.77%▲ +3.39%$52.81 (−9.45%)
Jul 24, 2026
10w ago
ANALYST-UPGRADE
NEUTRAL ★ 4/10
$56.15 $61.55▲ +9.62%▲ +5.99%$52.81 (−5.95%)
Jul 16, 2026
11w ago
ANALYST-UPGRADE
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$56.56 $61.66▲ +9.02%▲ +4.57%$52.81 (−6.63%)
Jul 14, 2026
11w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 1/10
$47.37 $59.00▲ +24.55%▲ +22.06%$52.81 (+11.48%)
Jul 10, 2026
12w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 1/10
$46.32 $59.04▲ +27.45%▲ +25.03%$52.81 (+14.01%)
Jul 8, 2026
12w ago
ANALYST-UPGRADE
BULLISH ★ 3/10
$44.53 $57.95▲ +30.13%▲ +26.86%$52.81 (+18.59%)
Showing 10 of 18

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Report published May 7, 2026