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PYPL vs. WSE: PayPal vs. Wise Stock Comparison

How do PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE) 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

PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE) are both classified in the Transaction & Payment Processing Services sub-industry within the broader Financial Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

PayPal (PYPL) has been public since July 6, 2015 with a meaningfully longer listed history, while Wise (WSE) only listed on May 11, 2026 — long-window metrics on the WSE side should be interpreted with caution.

Company profile comparison for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
Profile ItemPYPLWSE
NamePayPal Holdings, Inc.Wise Group plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryTransaction & Payment Processing ServicesTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization49.21 billion USD10.76 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateJuly 6, 2015May 11, 2026
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PYPL
WSE
GSPC
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE), 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 PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Total Return (1Y)-7.44%--
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)4.14%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-21.48%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PYPL
WSE
GSPC
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE), 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 PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)42.40%44.06%
Beta (5Y)1.281.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)-81.84%-32.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)11.78M1.74M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both PYPL and WSE need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.28--
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.37--

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both PayPal (PYPL) at 23.83% and Wise (WSE) at 27.23% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

WSE

Financial Services industry group

27.23%

Max
44.78%
WSE
27.23%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both PayPal (PYPL) at 13.78% and Wise (WSE) at 19.93% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

WSE

Financial Services industry group

19.93%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
WSE
19.93%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wise (WSE) at 59.77% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of PayPal (PYPL) at 18.41%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

WSE

Financial Services industry group

59.77%

Max
107.33%
WSE
59.77%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
ROE (TTM)23.83%27.23%
ROA (TTM)4.70%2.41%
Net Margin (TTM)13.78%19.93%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.41%59.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both PayPal (PYPL) at 4.32% and Wise (WSE) at 17.14% 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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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both PayPal (PYPL) at 35.59% and Wise (WSE) at -5.78% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.32%17.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.43%30.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)35.59%-5.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)37.30%52.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: PayPal (PYPL) in Financial Services and Wise (WSE) 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: PayPal (PYPL) in Financial Services and Wise (WSE) 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 PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Wise (WSE) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile PayPal (PYPL) reports a yield of 0.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

WSE

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Wise (WSE) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile PayPal (PYPL) reports a payout of 10.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

WSE

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.95%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)10.69%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both PayPal (PYPL) at 11.31 and Wise (WSE) at 23.23 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

WSE

Financial Services industry group

23.23

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
WSE
23.23
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both PayPal (PYPL) at 1.43 and Wise (WSE) at 4.30 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

WSE

Financial Services industry group

4.30

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
WSE
4.30
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): 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 Wise (WSE) at 5.94 carries an above-peer premium to book — WSE is pricier on assets.

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

WSE

Financial Services industry group

5.94

Max
7.79
WSE
5.94
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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PayPal (PYPL) vs. Wise (WSE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for PayPal (PYPL) and Wise (WSE)
MetricPYPLWSE
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.3123.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.434.30
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.555.94
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----