Buy PayPal Stock At $70?

Core Viewpoint - PayPal's stock has underperformed in 2025, with a year-to-date decline of approximately 17%, contrasting with a 2% rise in the S&P 500, while the company's financial results show mixed performance, focusing on profitability over revenue growth [2][3] Financial Performance - In Q1 2025, PayPal reported earnings of $1.33 per share, exceeding expectations, but revenue was $7.8 billion, reflecting only a 1% year-over-year increase [2] - PayPal's revenues have grown at an average rate of 7.8% over the past three years, compared to a 5.5% increase for the S&P 500 [6] - Quarterly revenues increased by 4.2% to $7.8 billion in the latest quarter from $7.7 billion a year earlier, while the S&P 500 saw a 4.8% increase [6] Valuation Metrics - PayPal's price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is 2.3, compared to 3.0 for the S&P 500, indicating it may be slightly undervalued [4][6] - The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for PayPal stands at 17.8, while the S&P 500's is 26.4, further suggesting a relative undervaluation [6] Profitability - PayPal's operating income over the last four quarters was $5.8 billion, with an operating margin of 18.1%, compared to 13.2% for the S&P 500 [7] - The net income for PayPal was $4.1 billion, resulting in a net income margin of 13.0%, which is higher than the S&P 500's 11.6% [7] Financial Stability - PayPal's debt was $9.9 billion, with a market capitalization of $70 billion, leading to a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.4%, lower than the S&P 500's 19.9% [9] - Cash and cash equivalents account for $11 billion of PayPal's total assets of $81 billion, resulting in a cash-to-assets ratio of 13.3% [9] Downturn Resilience - PayPal shares have experienced a decline of 41.9% from a peak of $308.53 in July 2021 to $71 currently, which is worse than the S&P 500's peak-to-trough decline of 25.4% during the same period [11] - During the COVID-19 pandemic, PayPal shares fell 20.3%, compared to a 33.9% drop for the S&P 500, indicating some resilience [11] Overall Assessment - PayPal's performance across various metrics indicates a strong operational performance and financial standing, leading to the conclusion that the stock is fairly priced and could be a solid buy [12][14]