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

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

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

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

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

Discover Financial Services vs PayPal Holdings Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

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

Long-term Returns

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

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

MetricDFSPYPL
Market Information
Market Cap i$50.34B$45.42B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i5,150,99811,850,881
90 Day Avg. Volume i3,227,89915,069,050
Last Close$200.05$42.49
52 Week Range$119.95 - $207.42$38.46 - $79.50
% from 52W High-3.55%-46.55%
All-Time High$207.42 (May 12, 2025)$310.16 (Jul 26, 2021)
% from All-Time High-3.55%-86.30%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.13%0.04%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.30%0.28%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.36%0.16%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.48%0.17%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.28%0.26%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i76.6760.70
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$71.16$22.02
Cash per Share (MRQ)$47.16$11.32
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$8.71B$6.42B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$4.45B$3.27B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A0.68%
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$0.28

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

MetricDFS (May 30, 2025)PYPL (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i10.699.27
Forward P/E i15.768.65
PEG Ratio i15.760.25
Price to Sales (TTM) i3.771.36
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.812.28
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$50.34B$45.42B
Enterprise Value i$54.07B$47.68B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i4.051.44
Enterprise to EBITDA iN/A7.17
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.151.41
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$71.16$22.02

Financial Statements Comparison: Discover Financial Services 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

MetricDFS (2024)PYPL (2025)
Revenue/Sales i17.91B33.17B
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 i6.07B6.29B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i33.9%19.0%
Income Tax i1.54B1.06B
Income Tax % of Revenue i8.6%3.2%
Net Income (Profit) i4.54B5.23B
Profit Margin i25.3%15.8%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricDFS (2024)PYPL (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i8.47B8.05B
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 i16.25B9.99B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i90.7%30.1%
Total Shareholders Equity i17.93B20.26B
Retained Earnings i33.58B32.47B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i187.5%97.9%
Property, Plant & Equipment iN/A0

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricDFS (2024)PYPL (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i4.70B6.66B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i26.2%20.1%
Capital Expenditures i-209.00M-849.00M
Free Cash Flow i8.16B5.56B
FCF Margin i45.5%16.8%
Debt Repayment i-5.07B-5.10B
Common Stock Repurchase i-83.00M-6.05B

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricDFSPYPL
Shares Short i5.45M45.98M
Short Ratio i2.122.55
Short % of Float i2.49%5.69%
Shares Outstanding i251.34M920.00M
Float Shares i250.18M918.58M
% Held by Insiders i0.16%0.66%
% Held by Institutions i86.52%84.06%
% Held by Public i13.32%15.28%

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

MetricDFSPYPL
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$0.28
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/A0.68%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend iN/A$0.09
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/A0.29%
3-Year Total Dividends iN/A$0.28
Ex-Dividend DateN/AMar 04, 2026