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PYPL
PayPal Holdings, Inc. · Fintech / Digital Payments
$56.00
+34.29% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
V
Visa Inc. · Payments Network
$351.60
+7.04% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
PYPL
1
V
4
Comparison scoreboard
V LEADS 4/5AI Score
PYPL 37.9
V ✓50.3
1Y Return
PYPL -26.32%
V ✓-0.07%
Fwd P/E
PYPL ✓9.83
V 24.12
Target Up.
PYPL -7.32%
V ✓+11.97%
Op. Margin
PYPL 17.97%
V ✓67.35%
Metrics last refreshed: 7/24/2026
Quick take
PYPL vs V: PayPal vs Visa Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Visa is a world-class payment network duopolist with unmatched moat, extraordinary margins, and consistent compounding; PayPal is a digital payments platform undergoing a turnaround to restore branded checkout growth and improve profitability. Visa is the premium quality holding; PayPal is a discounted turnaround with significant free cash flow yield but meaningful execution risk.
Use this PYPL vs V comparison to choose between a best-in-class payment network with premium quality and a discounted digital payments platform with turnaround upside. Visa compounds quietly with near-guaranteed payment volume growth; PayPal must execute on its strategic reset to re-rate from a depressed valuation.
Live analysis · updated 7/24/2026
V holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. V has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-0.07% vs -26.32%), though PYPL has the better forward P/E setup (9.83x vs 24.12x for V). V leads on both revenue growth (17.10%) and operating margin (67.35%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for V (+11.97%) than for PYPL (-7.32%).
Normalized 1Y performance
PYPL
V
Recent returns
PYPL
V
Analyst price targets & sentiment
PYPL · 38 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.3/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$49.00
analyst high$120.00
analyst mean$52.42
current price$56.00
-7.3% upside to analyst mean
V · 40 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.7/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$289.00
analyst high$425.00
analyst mean$401.47
current price$351.60
+12.0% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
PYPL may suit investors who:
- →Want exposure to digital payment infrastructure at a significant discount to its historical valuation
- →Believe the Chriss turnaround (Fastlane, Venmo monetisation, profitable checkout focus) will restore branded volume growth
- →Value PayPal's free cash flow yield as an attractive entry point for a business with durable network characteristics
- →Are comfortable with turnaround execution risk in exchange for the valuation discount vs quality peers
V may suit investors who:
- →Want one of the highest-quality businesses in the world — a payment network toll road with near-irreplaceable infrastructure
- →Value consistent double-digit EPS growth from payment volume compounding and buybacks
- →Prefer an asset-light model with no credit risk and extraordinary return on equity
- →Are comfortable paying a premium multiple for best-in-class business quality and long-term durability
Performance & AI score
| Metric | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 37.9 | 50.3 |
| AI rank | #1389 | #492 |
| Latest close | $56.00 | $351.60 |
| 1M return | +34.29% | +7.04% |
| 6M return | +0.20% | +8.09% |
| 1Y return | -26.32% | -0.07% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $7.3K (-27.0%) started 2025-07-23 | $9.9K (-1.0%) started 2025-07-23 |
| 5Y ago | $1.83K (-81.7%) started 2021-07-26 | $14.91K (+49.1%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $14.82K (+48.2%) started 2016-07-25 | $50.58K (+405.8%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $49.89B | $681.89B |
| Trailing P/E | 10.61 | 31.26 |
| Forward P/E | 9.83 | 24.12 |
| Price/Sales | 2.24 | 18.85 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.55 | 15.95 |
| Analyst target | $52.42 | $401.47 |
| Target upside | -7.32% | +11.97% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 7.20% | 17.10% |
| Earnings growth | -6.20% | 35.50% |
| EPS growth | -6.20% | +35.50% |
| FCF margin | +12.10% | +48.43% |
| Operating margin | 17.97% | 67.35% |
| Profit margin | 15.00% | 51.68% |
| ROIC proxy | 25.12% | 60.35% |
| Return on equity | 25.12% | 60.35% |
| Dividend yield | 0.99% | 0.75% |
| Beta | 1.33 | 0.75 |
| Debt/equity | 58.28 | 67.23 |
| Current ratio | 1.26 | 1.09 |
| Quick ratio | 0.22 | 0.67 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
PYPL max drawdown50.04%
V max drawdown17.35%
PYPL max wkly drop24.88%
V max wkly drop8.30%
5Y risk snapshot
PYPL max drawdown87.26%
V max drawdown28.60%
PYPL max wkly drop31.59%
V max wkly drop11.76%
10Y risk snapshot
PYPL max drawdown87.33%
V max drawdown36.36%
PYPL max wkly drop31.59%
V max wkly drop16.49%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -26.95% | -1.04% |
| CAGR | -26.98% | -1.04% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.63 | -0.14 | |
| Max drawdown | 50.04% | 17.35% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.31% | 4.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 24.88% | 8.30% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -81.75% | +44.71% |
| CAGR | -28.87% | +7.68% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.68 | 0.24 | |
| Max drawdown | 87.26% | 28.60% | |
| Max daily drop | 24.59% | 7.74% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.59% | 11.76% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +48.23% | +374.17% |
| CAGR | +4.02% | +16.85% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.18 | 0.58 | |
| Max drawdown | 87.33% | 36.36% | |
| Max daily drop | 24.59% | 13.55% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.59% | 16.49% |
Business comparison
| Category | PYPL | V |
|---|---|---|
| Company | PayPal Holdings, Inc. | Visa Inc. |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Credit Services | Credit Services |
| Core business | Digital payments platform operating PayPal, Venmo, Braintree, and Xoom. Processes peer-to-peer payments, merchant checkout, and cross-border payments. Under CEO Alex Chriss, executing a turnaround focused on profitable growth, branded checkout share, and Venmo monetisation. | World's largest payments network by volume, processing card payments across more than 160 currencies in 200+ countries. VisaNet connects banks, merchants, and consumers through credit, debit, and prepaid cards. Revenue is driven by payment volume, transactions, and value-added services. |
| Investor focus | Branded checkout stabilisation and share recovery, Venmo monetisation, AI-powered checkout innovations (Fastlane), operating leverage, and free cash flow yield relative to valuation. | Switched transaction volume growth, cross-border payment recovery, value-added services revenue, tap-to-pay adoption, and new payment flow expansion (B2B, government). |
PYPL strengths
- →Enormous global installed base of 430M+ active accounts — brand recognition in digital wallets is second only to Apple Pay in many markets
- →Venmo is the dominant peer-to-peer payments app in the US with undermonetised potential
- →Fastlane guest checkout product and AI personalisation could recover branded checkout share from competition
V strengths
- →Visa and Mastercard are a global duopoly in card network infrastructure — essentially a toll road on every consumer purchase
- →Asset-light model — Visa does not take credit risk, holds no loans, and generates extraordinary returns on equity
- →Network effects are self-reinforcing — more cardholders attract more merchants; more merchants attract more cardholders
Risks to watch — PYPL
- →Unbranded/pass-through volume (Braintree) dilutes take rate — strategic shift to profitable branded checkout is critical
- →Competition from Apple Pay, Google Pay, and buy-now-pay-later players has eroded PayPal's checkout dominance
- →Turnaround execution risk — multiple strategy pivots under successive CEOs have dented investor confidence
Risks to watch — V
- →DOJ antitrust scrutiny of Visa's debit network practices could result in structural changes or fines
- →Buy now, pay later, real-time bank payments (FedNow), and crypto rails are emerging as potential long-term network alternatives
- →Merchant pushback on interchange fees creates ongoing regulatory and legislative risk in multiple jurisdictions
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