American Express [AXP] vs PayPal Holdings [PYPL] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: American Express Co. wins in 10 metrics, PayPal Holdings Inc. wins in 9 metrics, with 0 ties. American Express Co. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric American Express Co. PayPal Holdings Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 19.88 9.27 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 6.53 2.28 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 190.92 60.70 PayPal Holdings Inc.
PEG Ratio 1.23 0.25 PayPal Holdings Inc.
EV/EBITDA N/A 7.17 N/A
Profit Margin (TTM) 16.17% 15.78% American Express Co.
Operating Margin (TTM) 17.46% 17.49% PayPal Holdings Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 17.46% 17.49% PayPal Holdings Inc.
Return on Equity 33.99% 25.73% American Express Co.
Return on Assets (TTM) 3.79% 4.88% PayPal Holdings Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $16.00B $5.56B American Express Co.
Dividend Yield 1.07% 0.68% American Express Co.
1-Year Return 13.08% -41.37% American Express Co.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 3.24 1.36 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Enterprise Value $234.98B $47.68B American Express Co.
EV/Revenue Ratio 3.51 1.44 PayPal Holdings Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) N/A 46.50% N/A
Revenue per Share (TTM) $96 $35 American Express Co.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $16.02 $5.41 American Express Co.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.13 1.41 American Express Co.
Short % of Float 2.33% 5.69% American Express Co.

American Express Co. vs PayPal Holdings Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
American Express Co.3.05%7.39%6.99%12.47%-12.33%-10.02%
PayPal Holdings Inc.2.31%2.98%-4.32%-6.45%-30.05%-26.92%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
American Express Co.13.08%88.98%105.75%426.09%571.01%514.97%
PayPal Holdings Inc.-41.37%-37.48%-85.34%12.33%19.72%19.72%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: American Express Co. vs PayPal Holdings Inc.

MetricAXPPYPL
Market Information
Market Cap i$214.20B$45.42B
Market Cap CategoryMega capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i2,981,85511,850,881
90 Day Avg. Volume i3,204,41815,069,050
Last Close$335.38$42.49
52 Week Range$288.34 - $387.49$38.46 - $79.50
% from 52W High-13.45%-46.55%
All-Time High$387.49 (Dec 12, 2025)$310.16 (Jul 26, 2021)
% from All-Time High-13.45%-86.30%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.11%0.04%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.14%0.28%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.16%0.16%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.17%0.17%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.34%0.26%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i190.9260.70
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$48.80$22.02
Cash per Share (MRQ)$69.39$11.32
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$18.43B$6.42B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$10.70B$3.27B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.07%0.68%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$3.98$0.28

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: American Express Co. vs PayPal Holdings Inc.

MetricAXP (Apr 26, 2026)PYPL (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i19.889.27
Forward P/E i15.848.65
PEG Ratio i1.230.25
Price to Sales (TTM) i3.241.36
Price to Book (MRQ) i6.532.28
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$214.20B$45.42B
Enterprise Value i$234.98B$47.68B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i3.511.44
Enterprise to EBITDA iN/A7.17
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.131.41
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$48.80$22.02

Financial Statements Comparison: American Express Co. vs PayPal Holdings Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricAXP (2025)PYPL (2025)
Revenue/Sales i72.23B33.17B
Cost of Goods Sold iN/A17.71B
COGS % of Revenue i0.0%53.4%
Gross Profit iN/A15.47B
Gross Margin i0.0%46.6%
Research & Development iN/A3.10B
Operating Income (EBIT) iN/A6.40B
Operating Margin i0.0%19.3%
EBITDA iN/A7.87B
EBITDA Margin i0.0%23.7%
Pre-Tax Income i13.80B6.29B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i19.1%19.0%
Income Tax i2.96B1.06B
Income Tax % of Revenue i4.1%3.2%
Net Income (Profit) i10.83B5.23B
Profit Margin i15.0%15.8%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricAXP (2025)PYPL (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i47.71B8.05B
Total Current Assets iN/A59.76B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i0.0%180.1%
Total Current Liabilities iN/A46.44B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i0.0%140.0%
Long-Term Debt i56.39B9.99B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i78.1%30.1%
Total Shareholders Equity i33.47B20.26B
Retained Earnings i25.49B32.47B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i35.3%97.9%
Property, Plant & Equipment i19.16B0

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricAXP (2025)PYPL (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i13.17B6.66B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i18.2%20.1%
Capital Expenditures i-2.43B-849.00M
Free Cash Flow i16.00B5.56B
FCF Margin i22.2%16.8%
Debt Repayment i-18.16B-5.10B
Common Stock Repurchase i-5.81B-6.05B

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricAXPPYPL
Shares Short i12.46M45.98M
Short Ratio i3.112.55
Short % of Float i2.33%5.69%
Shares Outstanding i686.00M920.00M
Float Shares i533.35M918.58M
% Held by Insiders i22.23%0.66%
% Held by Institutions i65.54%84.06%
% Held by Public i12.23%15.28%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: American Express Co. vs PayPal Holdings Inc.

MetricAXPPYPL
Last 12-Month Dividend i$3.98$0.28
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.07%0.68%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$3.00$0.09
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.30%0.29%
3-Year Total Dividends i$9.00$0.28
Ex-Dividend DateJan 02, 2026Mar 04, 2026