PYPL Stock Analysis & Forecast (2026)

PayPal Holdings, Inc. Financial Services Credit Services
$53.53
Current Price
76%
Buy
View Plans
Data refreshed: August 31, 2026

Key Financial Metrics

Market Cap
$45.80B
P/E Ratio (TTM)
10.1x
P/E Forward
9.2x
Revenue Growth
4.8%
Gross Margin
40.5%
Net Margin
14.4%
Return on Equity
24.5%
Debt/Equity
0.72

AI Analysis Summary

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) is a Financial Services company in the Credit Services industry with a 76% Buy Score. Key strengths include Gross Margin (40.5%), Net Margin (14.4%), Return on Equity (24.5%). The score on this page is a five-factor screen — revenue growth, gross margin, net margin, return on equity and debt-to-equity — each scored against fixed thresholds from a neutral starting point of 50%. The eight-section analysis, including moat, free cash flow, dilution and valuation, runs in the full report.

Revenue Growth: Moderate Gross Margin: Good Net Margin: Good Return on Equity: Excellent Debt/Equity: Elevated

This analysis is generated by StrongBuyAnalytics AI using publicly available financial data from SEC filings, earnings reports, and market feeds. It is not personalized investment advice. See our methodology and disclaimer.

Why PYPL Has a 76% Score

3 of the inputs in our model moved PYPL's score away from the neutral baseline of 50%, landing it at 76% (Buy). Each one below is a specific figure from PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s reported financials, not a judgement call:

Recent Catalysts for PYPL

4 data points sit outside the score itself but bear on PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s next few quarters. They are reported here as observations, not predictions:

Wall Street consensus target is $59.66 (+11.4% from current price), based on 33 analyst estimates.
Analyst consensus recommendation: Hold.
Institutional ownership at 79.2% — strong smart-money backing.
Dividend yield of 1.04% provides income while you wait for capital appreciation.

PYPL vs. SYF, AFRM, SOFI, COF

Compared against other Credit Services companies we cover, picked for having a similar market capitalisation to PYPL.

Ticker Price Market Cap P/E Rev Growth Net Margin ROE
PYPL $53.53 $45.80B 10.1x 4.8% 14.4% 24.5%
SYF $77.09 $25.08B 7.9x 0.6% 35.5% 20.8%
AFRM $74.01 $24.97B 13.4x 33.0% 45.3% 45.1%
SOFI $17.82 $23.01B 36.4x 42.6% 14.9% 7.1%
COF $213.68 $131.09B 11.8x 1111.0% 21.9% 9.0%

PYPL Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s liquidity and cash generation as of the most recent filing — note the cash position of $11.26B against $14.22B of debt:

Total Cash
$11.26B
Total Debt
$14.22B
Current Ratio
1.29
FCF Yield
9.7%
EBITDA
$6.46B
Operating Margin
17.0%

Figures are drawn from PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s most recent balance sheet and cash flow statement as filed with the SEC. See the filings themselves.

PYPL Valuation Snapshot

Trailing P/E
10.1x
Value territory
Forward P/E
9.2x
Earnings growth expected
Price / Book
2.3x
Reasonable
PEG Ratio
1.13
Fairly valued
Analyst Target (Mean)
$59.66
Range: $36 – $147
52-Week Price Range — PYPL is trading at 37% of its range
$38.46 (52W Low) $79.22 (52W High)

Who Holds PYPL? — Institutional 13F Filings

Institutional investment managers with >$100 M in qualifying assets must disclose their equity positions quarterly on SEC Form 13F — typically within 45 days of quarter-end. Search those filings below to see which hedge funds, mutual funds, and asset managers reported PYPL as a holding, how many shares they held, and how positions changed quarter over quarter.

Search 13F Filings for PYPL Free · no sign-in required · live SEC EDGAR data
What you see free
Which institutions reported PYPL, share counts, reported values, and direct links to the SEC filing.
Research Pro adds
Full manager portfolios — every position a fund holds, quarter-over-quarter changes, and concentration weights.
Data limitation
13F shows long equity positions as of the filing date. Short positions, full derivatives, and current intent are not disclosed.

Is PYPL a Buy Right Now?

We do not answer that question for you, and we do not publish buy or sell calls. What we publish is a score: PYPL rates 76% on our five-factor fundamentals screen, which puts it in the "Buy" band. Everything below explains how it got there so you can disagree with it.

76% · Buy band

PayPal Holdings, Inc. clears our thresholds on most of what we measure. The strongest readings are gross margin (40.5%) and net margin (14.4%). Nothing in the data we score currently works against it.

PYPL Earnings & Revenue Outlook

PayPal Holdings, Inc. reported revenue growth of 4.8% year over year, against a Credit Services peer set where scale and pricing power vary widely. Growth that slow contributes little to the score on its own; margins and capital efficiency carry more weight for PYPL.

Earnings fell -3.1% over the same period, trailing revenue, which points to cost or margin pressure.

Track upcoming report dates on our earnings calendar.

PYPL Stock Forecast (Next 3–12 Months)

This is a fundamentals outlook, not a price target — we do not publish one. It describes what PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s current financials imply about the next three to twelve months if the trends in them hold.

Constructive: The main thing to watch over the next few quarters is whether those figures hold; the score is built on trailing data and will move if they do not.

Bull Case for PYPL

These are the PayPal Holdings, Inc. figures that push the score up, taken straight from the most recent reported financials:

  • Gross Margin (40.5%)
  • Net Margin (14.4%)
  • Return on Equity (24.5%)

Learn More About Stock Analysis

Free 14-Min Course
Instructor
StrongBuy Analytics
Fundamental Research Team
How to Read Your Research Report
★★★★★ 4.9 rating
14Min
15Chapters
FreeNo sign-up

See how every metric on this PYPL page — quality score, valuation, DCF scenarios, confidence, and data limitations — fits into a professional research report.

Generate My Free PYPL Report

Guides to the specific measures used in this PYPL analysis:

Fundamental Analysis Guide

How the financial statements behind this page fit together.

Understanding P/E Ratio

What PYPL's 10.1x multiple does and does not tell you.

Return on Equity (ROE)

Why PYPL's 24.5% return on equity matters for stock selection.

Stock Valuation Methods

How DCF, multiples and asset-based approaches value a company like PayPal Holdings, Inc..

How to Read Earnings Reports

Where the PYPL growth and margin figures on this page come from.

What Are Demand Zones?

The technical side we deliberately keep out of the PYPL score.

Related Tools for PYPL

Demand Zone Analyzer PYPL Live Chart PYPL SEC Filing News Earnings Calendar Institutional Ownership Sector Scanner Average Down Calculator

PYPL SEC Filing News

Latest SEC filings for PYPL explained in plain English — insider buys/sells (Form 4), proposed sales (Form 144), material events (8-K), and quarterly & annual reports.

Loading recent SEC filings…
View all PYPL SEC Filing News →

Frequently Asked Questions about PYPL

Is PYPL a good buy right now?
We do not issue buy or sell calls. PYPL has a Strong Buy Score of 76% (Buy), which is a fundamentals rating, not a recommendation. That is at the strong end of our range: PYPL scores well on the fundamentals we weight most heavily. The score is helped most by gross margin (40.5%). Read how scores work to see what each input contributes.
What is the PYPL stock forecast for 2026?
We publish a fundamentals outlook rather than a price target. For 2026 the PYPL view rests on revenue growth of 4.8%, a net margin of 14.4% and a trailing P/E of 10.1x, which together produce the 76% Strong Buy Score. Our methodology explains how those inputs are weighted.
What are key support and resistance levels for PYPL?
Support and resistance are technical levels, so they are not part of the fundamentals score. You can see current PYPL demand zones (support) and supply zones (resistance) on our demand zones page. With PYPL at $53.53, the tool shows how far the stock sits from the nearest zone.
Which companies are PYPL's closest peers?
On this page PYPL is compared with SYF, AFRM, SOFI, COF. Compared against other Credit Services companies we cover, picked for having a similar market capitalisation to PYPL. The table puts PYPL's a gross margin of 40.5%, an ROE of 24.5%, a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72 next to the same figures for each peer.
What is PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s market cap and P/E ratio?
As of August 31, 2026, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) has a market cap of $45.80B, a trailing P/E of 10.1x and a forward P/E of 9.2x. Valuation is one of the inputs to the Strong Buy Score, alongside growth, margins, capital efficiency and balance-sheet strength.
Where does the PYPL data on this page come from?
Company financials come from PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s own filings with the SEC, with prices and consensus estimates from market data feeds; the figures on this page were last refreshed on August 31, 2026. Our data sources page lists every provider and how often each one is updated.
Is the PYPL analysis PDF report free?
Your first PYPL report is free and does not require a card. The score on this page is a five-factor screen; the report runs the deeper eight-section analysis, adding moat, free cash flow, share dilution and valuation work that is not on this page. Further reports are covered by a subscription; see pricing for the current plans.

This PYPL analysis is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. All data is sourced from public filings and market feeds. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Read our full disclaimer.