PayPal Holdings [PYPL] vs Discover Financial [DFS] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: PayPal Holdings Inc. wins in 7 metrics, Discover Financial Services wins in 11 metrics, with 0 ties. Discover Financial Services appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric PayPal Holdings Inc. Discover Financial Services Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 9.27 10.69 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.28 2.81 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 60.70 76.67 PayPal Holdings Inc.
PEG Ratio 0.25 15.76 PayPal Holdings Inc.
EV/EBITDA 7.17 N/A N/A
Profit Margin (TTM) 15.78% 35.88% Discover Financial Services
Operating Margin (TTM) 17.49% 48.02% Discover Financial Services
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 17.49% 48.02% Discover Financial Services
Return on Equity 25.73% 28.47% Discover Financial Services
Return on Assets (TTM) 4.88% 3.19% PayPal Holdings Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $5.56B $8.16B Discover Financial Services
Dividend Yield 0.68% N/A N/A
1-Year Return -41.37% 59.50% Discover Financial Services
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 1.36 3.77 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Enterprise Value $47.68B $54.07B Discover Financial Services
EV/Revenue Ratio 1.44 4.05 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 46.50% N/A N/A
Revenue per Share (TTM) $35 $53 Discover Financial Services
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $5.41 $18.72 Discover Financial Services
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.41 1.15 Discover Financial Services
Short % of Float 5.69% 2.49% Discover Financial Services

PayPal Holdings Inc. vs Discover Financial Services Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
PayPal Holdings Inc.2.31%2.98%-4.32%-6.45%-30.05%-26.92%
Discover Financial Services-0.21%5.25%27.98%32.59%32.59%32.59%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
PayPal Holdings Inc.-41.37%-37.48%-85.34%12.33%19.72%19.72%
Discover Financial Services59.50%92.69%394.32%235.99%1,378.57%587.93%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: PayPal Holdings Inc. vs Discover Financial Services

MetricPYPLDFS
Market Information
Market Cap i$45.42B$50.34B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i11,850,8815,150,998
90 Day Avg. Volume i15,069,0503,227,899
Last Close$42.49$200.05
52 Week Range$38.46 - $79.50$119.95 - $207.42
% from 52W High-46.55%-3.55%
All-Time High$310.16 (Jul 26, 2021)$207.42 (May 12, 2025)
% from All-Time High-86.30%-3.55%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.04%0.13%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.28%0.30%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.16%0.36%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.17%0.48%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.26%0.28%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i60.7076.67
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$22.02$71.16
Cash per Share (MRQ)$11.32$47.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$6.42B$8.71B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$3.27B$4.45B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i0.68%N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.28N/A

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: PayPal Holdings Inc. vs Discover Financial Services

MetricPYPL (Apr 26, 2026)DFS (May 30, 2025)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i9.2710.69
Forward P/E i8.6515.76
PEG Ratio i0.2515.76
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.363.77
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.282.81
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$45.42B$50.34B
Enterprise Value i$47.68B$54.07B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i1.444.05
Enterprise to EBITDA i7.17N/A
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.411.15
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$22.02$71.16

Financial Statements Comparison: PayPal Holdings Inc. vs Discover Financial Services

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricPYPL (2025)DFS (2024)
Revenue/Sales i33.17B17.91B
Cost of Goods Sold i17.71BN/A
COGS % of Revenue i53.4%0.0%
Gross Profit i15.47BN/A
Gross Margin i46.6%0.0%
Research & Development i3.10BN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i6.40BN/A
Operating Margin i19.3%0.0%
EBITDA i7.87BN/A
EBITDA Margin i23.7%0.0%
Pre-Tax Income i6.29B6.07B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i19.0%33.9%
Income Tax i1.06B1.54B
Income Tax % of Revenue i3.2%8.6%
Net Income (Profit) i5.23B4.54B
Profit Margin i15.8%25.3%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricPYPL (2025)DFS (2024)
Cash & Equivalents i8.05B8.47B
Total Current Assets i59.76BN/A
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i180.1%0.0%
Total Current Liabilities i46.44BN/A
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i140.0%0.0%
Long-Term Debt i9.99B16.25B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i30.1%90.7%
Total Shareholders Equity i20.26B17.93B
Retained Earnings i32.47B33.58B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i97.9%187.5%
Property, Plant & Equipment i0N/A

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricPYPL (2025)DFS (2024)
Operating Cash Flow i6.66B4.70B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i20.1%26.2%
Capital Expenditures i-849.00M-209.00M
Free Cash Flow i5.56B8.16B
FCF Margin i16.8%45.5%
Debt Repayment i-5.10B-5.07B
Common Stock Repurchase i-6.05B-83.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricPYPLDFS
Shares Short i45.98M5.45M
Short Ratio i2.552.12
Short % of Float i5.69%2.49%
Shares Outstanding i920.00M251.34M
Float Shares i918.58M250.18M
% Held by Insiders i0.66%0.16%
% Held by Institutions i84.06%86.52%
% Held by Public i15.28%13.32%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: PayPal Holdings Inc. vs Discover Financial Services

MetricPYPLDFS
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.28N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i0.68%N/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.09N/A
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.29%N/A
3-Year Total Dividends i$0.28N/A
Ex-Dividend DateMar 04, 2026N/A