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Paypal (PYPL) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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Paypal (PYPL - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $78.54, moving +0.8% from the previous trading session. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.29%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.8%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 10.96%.

Heading into today, shares of the technology platform and digital payments company had gained 5.73% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 2% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.23% in that time.

Paypal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, Paypal is projected to report earnings of $1.19 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 7.21%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $7.39 billion, up 6.85% from the year-ago period.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Paypal. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.29% higher within the past month. Paypal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Paypal's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 16.28. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 40.97, so we one might conclude that Paypal is trading at a discount comparatively.

We can also see that PYPL currently has a PEG ratio of 1.03. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Internet - Software industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.05 as of yesterday's close.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 46, putting it in the top 19% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow PYPL in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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