With Block Stock Up 11% in a Week, Is It Time to Compare It Against PayPal Stock?
PayPal (PYPL) stock offers superior revenue growth across key periods, better profitability, and relatively lower valuation vs Block (XYZ) stock, suggesting you may be better off investing in PYPL
- PYPL’s quarterly revenue growth was 5.1%, vs. XYZ’s -1.6%.
- In addition, its Last 12 Months revenue growth came in at 4.1%, ahead of XYZ’s 1.4%.
- PYPL leads on profitability over both periods – LTM margin of 19.1% and 3-year average of 17.8%.
Single stock can be risky, but there is a huge value to a broader diversified approach we take with Trefis High Quality Portfolio. Trefis works with Empirical Asset Management – a Boston area wealth manager – whose asset allocation strategies yielded positive returns during the 2008-09 period when the S&P lost more than 40%. Empirical has incorporated the Trefis HQ Portfolio in this asset allocation framework to provide clients better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.
XYZ creates payment solutions with hardware for card and contactless transactions, offering reporting, analytics, and next-day settlement, including devices like card readers and an iPad-based point of sale system. PYPL operates a global digital payments platform enabling consumers and merchants to send and receive payments in around 200 markets and 100 currencies.
Valuation & Performance Overview
| XYZ | PYPL | Preferred | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation | |||
| P/EBIT Ratio | 24.2 | 12.0 | PYPL |
| Revenue Growth | |||
| Last Quarter | -1.6% | 5.1% | PYPL |
| Last 12 Months | 1.4% | 4.1% | PYPL |
| Last 3 Year Average | 13.9% | 7.0% | XYZ |
| Operating Margins | |||
| Last 12 Months | 8.6% | 19.1% | PYPL |
| Last 3 Year Average | 5.0% | 17.8% | PYPL |
| Momentum | |||
| Last 3 Year Return | 41.3% | -15.6% | XYZ |
Note: For “Last 3 Year Return” metric, preferred stock is one with higher returns unless the returns are too high (>300%) which creates risk of sell off.
See more revenue details: XYZ Revenue Comparison | PYPL Revenue Comparison
See more margin details: XYZ Operating Income Comparison | PYPL Operating Income Comparison
But do these numbers tell the full story? Read Buy or Sell PYPL Stock to see if PayPal’s edge holds up under the hood or if Block still has cards to play (see Buy or Sell XYZ Stock).
Historical Market Performance
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total [1] | Avg | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returns | |||||||||
| XYZ Return | 248% | -26% | -61% | 23% | 10% | -7% | 23% | ||
| PYPL Return | 117% | -19% | -62% | -14% | 39% | -11% | -36% | ||
| S&P 500 Return | 16% | 27% | -19% | 24% | 23% | 15% | 108% | <=== | |
| Monthly Win Rates [3] | |||||||||
| XYZ Win Rate | 83% | 50% | 42% | 42% | 58% | 67% | 57% | ||
| PYPL Win Rate | 67% | 50% | 25% | 58% | 58% | 56% | 52% | ||
| S&P 500 Win Rate | 58% | 75% | 42% | 67% | 75% | 67% | 64% | <=== | |
| Max Drawdowns [4] | |||||||||
| XYZ Max Drawdown | -39% | -27% | -68% | -38% | -26% | -45% | -41% | ||
| PYPL Max Drawdown | -21% | -23% | -64% | -29% | -9% | -33% | -30% | ||
| S&P 500 Max Drawdown | -31% | -1% | -25% | -1% | -2% | -15% | -12% | <=== | |
[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] 2025 data is for the year up to 10/8/2025 (YTD)
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
No matter how good the numbers, stock investment is never a smooth ride. There is a risk you must factor in. Read PYPL Dip Buyer Analyses and XYZ Dip Buyer Analyses to see how these stocks have fallen and recovered in the past.