LIVE
SQ
Block, Inc. · Technology
N/A
N/A this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
PYPL
PayPal Holdings, Inc. · Technology
$41.29
-10.76% this month
AI Score
N/Avs39.4
1Y Return
N/Avs-43.28%
Forward P/E
N/Avs7.75x
Target Upside
N/Avs+17.38%
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
SQ
0
PYPL
0
Metrics last refreshed: 6/6/2026
Quick take
SQ vs PYPL: Block vs PayPal — Which Fintech Stock Is Better?: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Block and PayPal are both fintech platforms at an inflection point — Block is trying to monetise Cash App more deeply while managing Bitcoin volatility, while PayPal is defending its checkout dominance and trying to improve Venmo and transaction margins. Both are trading well below peak valuations and are considered turnaround stories by many investors.
Use this SQ vs PYPL comparison to evaluate two large-cap fintech platforms both working through strategic transitions. Block has higher growth potential from Cash App but less earnings visibility; PayPal has a larger payment volume base and potentially better near-term margin improvement runway.
Live analysis · updated 6/6/2026
SQ and PYPL are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly.
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
SQ N/A
PYPL 39.4
1Y Return
SQ N/A
PYPL -43.28%
Fwd P/E
SQ N/A
PYPL 7.75
Target Up.
SQ N/A
PYPL +17.38%
Op. Margin
SQ N/A
PYPL 17.97%
Normalized 1Y performance
SQ
PYPL
Not enough data to chart yet.
Recent returns
SQ
PYPL
Analyst price targets & sentiment
SQ
Price target data unavailable
N/A
PYPL · 38 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.3/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$49.00
analyst high$120.00
analyst mean$52.53
current price$41.29
+17.4% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
SQ may suit investors who:
- →Believe Cash App will successfully expand into broader financial services and compound gross profit per user
- →See Bitcoin exposure as a meaningful optionality component within a fintech thesis
- →Are comfortable with less earnings predictability in exchange for higher growth potential
- →Want exposure to small business commerce tools alongside consumer finance
PYPL may suit investors who:
- →See a valuation recovery opportunity in a dominant payment platform that has been heavily de-rated
- →Believe new management will improve transaction margins and operating efficiency
- →Value Venmo's monetisation potential as a multi-year underappreciated revenue driver
- →Prefer the larger scale and stronger profitability of PayPal's base business
Performance & AI score
| Metric | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | N/A | 39.4 |
| AI rank | N/A | #1169 |
| Latest close | N/A | $41.29 |
| 1M return | N/A | -10.76% |
| 6M return | N/A | -33.11% |
| 1Y return | N/A | -43.28% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | N/A | $5.7K (-43.0%) started 2025-06-05 |
| 5Y ago | N/A | $1.58K (-84.2%) started 2021-06-07 |
| 10Y ago | N/A | $10.84K (+8.4%) started 2016-06-06 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | N/A | $39.47B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 8.40 |
| Forward P/E | N/A | 7.75 |
| Price/Sales | 2.46 | 2.24 |
| EV/Revenue | N/A | 1.24 |
| Analyst target | N/A | $52.53 |
| Target upside | N/A | +17.38% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | N/A | 7.20% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | -6.20% |
| EPS growth | N/A | -6.20% |
| FCF margin | N/A | +12.10% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 17.97% |
| Profit margin | N/A | 15.00% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | 25.12% |
| Return on equity | N/A | 25.12% |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 1.25% |
| Beta | 1.54 | 1.40 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | 58.28 |
| Current ratio | N/A | 1.26 |
| Quick ratio | N/A | 0.22 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
SQ max drawdownN/A
PYPL max drawdown50.04%
SQ max wkly dropN/A
PYPL max wkly drop24.88%
5Y risk snapshot
SQ max drawdownN/A
PYPL max drawdown87.33%
SQ max wkly dropN/A
PYPL max wkly drop31.59%
10Y risk snapshot
SQ max drawdownN/A
PYPL max drawdown87.33%
SQ max wkly dropN/A
PYPL max wkly drop31.59%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | N/A | -43.02% |
| CAGR | N/A | -43.07% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | -1.35 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 50.04% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 20.31% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 24.88% | |
| 5Y | Growth | N/A | -84.16% |
| CAGR | N/A | -30.85% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | -0.77 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 87.33% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 24.59% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 31.59% | |
| 10Y | Growth | N/A | +8.37% |
| CAGR | N/A | +0.81% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 0.10 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 87.33% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 24.59% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 31.59% |
Business comparison
| Category | SQ | PYPL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Block, Inc. | PayPal Holdings, Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Financial Services |
| Industry | N/A | Credit Services |
| Core business | Fintech platform with Square (merchant payments and commerce tools), Cash App (consumer finance and Bitcoin), and TIDAL (music). Serving small businesses and underbanked consumers. | Global digital payments platform spanning PayPal, Venmo, Braintree, and Zettle. Processing over $1 trillion in payment volume annually across consumer and merchant segments. |
| Investor focus | Cash App monetisation and gross profit per user, Square gross payment volume, Bitcoin revenue and margin contribution, and path to consistent GAAP profitability. | Transaction margin dollar growth, Venmo monetisation, Braintree enterprise margins, branded checkout share, and operating expense discipline under a new strategy. |
SQ strengths
- →Cash App has built a large, loyal user base in underbanked consumer segments with growing financial services adoption
- →Square merchant ecosystem creates sticky two-sided network effects between businesses and consumers
- →Bitcoin exposure via Cash App provides speculative upside and a unique fintech differentiation
PYPL strengths
- →One of the largest digital payment platforms globally with strong brand recognition in checkout
- →Venmo has significant latent monetisation potential as financial services adoption grows
- →Scale and merchant network provide durable competitive position in online checkout
Risks to watch — SQ
- →GAAP profitability has been inconsistent and harder to achieve than initially communicated
- →Cash App faces intensifying competition from Venmo (PayPal), Zelle, and bank-owned P2P services
- →Bitcoin revenue is high-volume but very low-margin, distorting gross profit metrics
Risks to watch — PYPL
- →Branded checkout share has been declining as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and shop pay gain traction
- →Braintree unbranded processing is high volume but low margin, weighing on overall take rate
- →Multiple strategic pivots in recent years have created investor uncertainty about long-term direction
Frequently asked questions
Free public comparison
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.
More public stock comparisons
AAPL vs MSFTApple Inc. vs Microsoft Corporation
CEG vs VSTConstellation Energy Corporation vs Vistra Corp.
CRWD vs PANWCrowdStrike Holdings vs Palo Alto Networks
IONQ vs QBTSIonQ vs D-Wave Quantum Inc.
LITE vs COHRLumentum Holdings Inc. vs Coherent Corp.
NVDA vs AMDNVIDIA Corporation vs Advanced Micro Devices
MU vs AMDMicron Technology vs Advanced Micro Devices
COST vs WMTCostco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc.
TSLA vs RIVNTesla vs Rivian Automotive
NVDA vs INTCNVIDIA Corporation vs Intel Corporation
MSFT vs GOOGLMicrosoft Corporation vs Alphabet Inc.
META vs SNAPMeta Platforms vs Snap Inc.
NFLX vs DISNetflix vs The Walt Disney Company
UBER vs LYFTUber Technologies vs Lyft
JPM vs GSJPMorgan Chase & Co. vs The Goldman Sachs Group
V vs MAVisa Inc. vs Mastercard Incorporated
AMZN vs GOOGLAmazon.com vs Alphabet Inc.
XOM vs CVXExxon Mobil Corporation vs Chevron Corporation
ABNB vs BKNGAirbnb vs Booking Holdings
NVO vs LLYNovo Nordisk A/S vs Eli Lilly and Company
NET vs ZSCloudflare vs Zscaler
APP vs TTDAppLovin Corporation vs The Trade Desk
SMCI vs DELLSuper Micro Computer vs Dell Technologies Inc.
RBLX vs URoblox Corporation vs Unity Software Inc.
MELI vs SEMercadoLibre vs Sea Limited
ARM vs QCOMArm Holdings plc vs Qualcomm Incorporated
SPOT vs AAPLSpotify Technology S.A. vs Apple Inc.
DKNG vs MGMDraftKings Inc. vs MGM Resorts International
PLTR vs AIPalantir Technologies Inc. vs C3.ai