Sifting through countless of stocks in the Financial Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Global Payments Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. operates a technology platform that enables digital payments for merchants and consumers worldwide. The company operates a two-sided network at scale that connects merchants and consumers that enables its customers to connect, transact, and send and receive payments through online and in person, as well as transfer and withdraw funds using various funding sources, such as bank accounts, PayPal or Venmo account balance, consumer credit and debit products, credit and debit cards, and cryptocurrencies, as well as other stored value products, including gift cards and eligible rewards. It provides payment solutions under the PayPal, PayPal Credit, Braintree, Venmo, Xoom, Hyperwallet, Honey, and Paidy names. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Global Payments Inc. provides payment technology and software solutions for card, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It offers authorization, settlement and funding, customer support, chargeback resolution, reconciliation and dispute management, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security, and consolidated billing and reporting services. The company also provides an array of enterprise software solutions that streamline business operations of its customers in various vertical markets; and value-added solutions and services, such as point-of-sale software, analytics and customer engagement, payroll and reporting, and human capital management. It markets its products and services through direct sales force, trade associations, agent and enterprise software providers, referral arrangements with value-added resellers, independent sales organizations, payment facilitators, and financial institutions. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Latest Financial Services and PayPal Holdings, Inc., Global Payments Inc. Stock News

As of September 4, 2026, PayPal Holdings, Inc. had a $47.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Financial Services median of $2.4 million. PayPal Holdings, Inc.’s stock is down 5.9% in 2026, up 2.4% in the previous five trading days and down 19.72% in the past year.

Currently, PayPal Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 10.4. PayPal Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $34.1 billion with a 14.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.388 per share for the current fiscal year. PayPal Holdings, Inc. currently has a 1.0% dividend yield.

As of September 4, 2026, Global Payments Inc. had a $24.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 88th percentile of all stocks. Global Payments Inc.’s stock is up 19.6% in 2026, up 0.8% in the previous five trading days and up 6.03% in the past year.

Currently, Global Payments Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 47.8. Global Payments Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $10.2 billion with a -9.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 68.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $13.655 per share for the current fiscal year. Global Payments Inc. currently has a 1.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
PayPal Holdings, Inc.	PYPL	A
Global Payments Inc.	GPN	D

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong. Global Payments Inc. has a Growth Score of 35, which is Weak.

The Growth Grade Winner: PayPal Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Global Payments Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, PayPal Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
PayPal Holdings, Inc.	PYPL	A
Global Payments Inc.	GPN	F

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 81, which is Very Strong. Global Payments Inc. has a Quality Score of 10, which is Very Weak.

The Quality Grade Winner: PayPal Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Global Payments Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, PayPal Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
PayPal Holdings, Inc.	PYPL	C
Global Payments Inc.	GPN	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 52, which is Average. Global Payments Inc. has a Momentum Score of 76, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Global Payments Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Global Payments Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to PayPal Holdings, Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Global Payments Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Momentum and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Global Payments Inc. Stock?

Overall, PayPal Holdings, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 100, Momentum Score of 52 and Quality Score of 81.

Global Payments Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 35, Momentum Score of 76 and Quality Score of 10.

Comparing PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Global Payments Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.