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NDAQ vs. PYPL: Nasdaq vs. PayPal Stock Comparison

How do Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but NDAQ is classified in Capital Markets while PYPL is classified in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
Profile ItemNDAQPYPL
NameNasdaq, Inc. Common StockPayPal Holdings, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryFinancial Exchanges & DataTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization59.88 billion USD49.21 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateJuly 1, 2002July 6, 2015
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NDAQ
PYPL
GSPC
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Total Return (1Y)26.55%-7.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)30.18%4.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)10.68%-21.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NDAQ
PYPL
GSPC
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.74%42.40%
Beta (5Y)0.941.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.57%-81.84%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.13M11.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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NDAQ and PYPL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.77-0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.09-0.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

PayPal (PYPL) at 23.83% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 17.33% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PYPL.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

17.33%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NDAQ
17.33%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

23.83%

Max
44.78%
PYPL
23.83%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 36.06% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of PayPal (PYPL) at 13.78%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

36.06%

Max
62.84%
NDAQ
36.06%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

13.78%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
PYPL
13.78%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 50.57% and PayPal (PYPL) at 18.41% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

50.57%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NDAQ
50.57%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

18.41%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
PYPL
18.41%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
ROE (TTM)17.33%23.83%
ROA (TTM)6.10%4.70%
Net Margin (TTM)36.06%13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)50.57%18.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 11.65% and PayPal (PYPL) at 4.32% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 60.10% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while PayPal (PYPL) at 35.59% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for NDAQ.

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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.65%4.32%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.89%6.43%
EPS Growth (YoY)60.10%35.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.99%37.30%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Nasdaq (NDAQ) in Financial Services and PayPal (PYPL) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Nasdaq (NDAQ) in Financial Services and PayPal (PYPL) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 1.09% and PayPal (PYPL) at 0.95% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

1.09%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
NDAQ
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

0.95%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
PYPL
0.95%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 31.69% and PayPal (PYPL) at 10.69% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

31.69%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
NDAQ
31.69%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

10.69%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
PYPL
10.69%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.09%0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)31.69%10.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PayPal (PYPL) at 11.31 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 29.27 sits in the richer quartile — NDAQ needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

29.27

Max
45.85
NDAQ
29.27
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

11.31

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
PYPL
11.31
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PayPal (PYPL) at 1.43 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 10.36 clears its benchmark range — NDAQ looks notably rich on sales.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

10.36

NDAQ
10.36
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

1.43

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
PYPL
1.43
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PayPal (PYPL) at 2.55 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 4.99 carries an above-peer premium to book — NDAQ is pricier on assets.

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

4.99

Max
7.79
NDAQ
4.99
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

PYPL

Financial Services industry group

2.55

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
PYPL
2.55
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Nasdaq (NDAQ) vs. PayPal (PYPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Nasdaq (NDAQ) and PayPal (PYPL)
MetricNDAQPYPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)29.2711.31
P/S Ratio (TTM)10.361.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.992.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----