Should I buy PayPal stock in 2025? New Zealand Insights

What is PayPal?

How much is the PayPal stock?

The price of PayPal stock is falling this week. As of now, PayPal trades at $70.93 USD, reflecting a 0.71% drop over the past 24 hours and a 1.55% decrease this week. The company holds a market capitalization of $69.48 billion USD and averages a daily trading volume of 11.15 million shares over the last three months. Its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stands at 15.94, with no dividend yield currently offered. PayPal’s stock beta is 1.51, indicating higher volatility compared to the market. For New Zealand investors, this elevated volatility may present both risks and opportunities as the global digital payments sector evolves.

Our full analysis of the PayPal stock

After reviewing PayPal’s latest financial results and assessing its share price performance over the past three years, our analysis leverages a convergence of financial indicators, technical signals, sector data, and peer comparisons, synthesised through proprietary algorithms. This methodical approach has allowed us to identify persistent strengths and emerging catalysts that position PayPal at a potential inflection point for investors seeking exposure to digital payments and fintech. So, why might PayPal stock once again become a strategic entry point into the evolving tech sector in 2025?

Recent Performance and Market Context

PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), a leader in the digital payments landscape, has seen its share price settle at $70.93 USD as of 30 May 2025. Over the past year, the stock has delivered a robust 16.18% gain, following a period of recalibration in the broader technology space. While the last six months saw a retracement of -18.26%, this pullback is best understood as a technical consolidation after sharp movements in 2023–2024, offering a fresh base for accumulation.

Recent developments continue to inject optimism. The appointment of Alex Chriss as CEO in September 2023 brought renewed focus on operational efficiency and strategic expansion, reinforced by Jamie Miller’s dual COO/CFO position to drive margin improvement. The market is responding prudently to PayPal’s expanded ambitions beyond payments, particularly in e-commerce infrastructure and financial services.

On a macro level, digital payments and fintech remain supported by strong secular trends: the global shift to cashless transactions, growing e-commerce penetration, and accelerating uptake of digital wallets. This is particularly relevant for investors in New Zealand, where digital commerce and financial technology are central to modern portfolio construction.

Technical Analysis

• Relative Strength Index (RSI, 14-day) at 52.83 is neutral, indicating the price has exited oversold territory but retains significant headroom for upward momentum, a classic setup for new bullish waves.
• MACD (12,26,9) at 1.59 generates a positive bias—momentum is crossing in favour of buyers, reinforcing the view that selling pressure is abating.
• Key moving averages support this picture:
• The stock reclaimed its 50-day moving average on 2 May 2025, a notable technical achievement that often precedes sustained medium-term rallies.
• A fresh 20-day support line, established on 23 May, aligns with recent price action consolidation near the $71 level—a textbook launchpad for further advances.
• Strong support at $55.85 (52-week low) provides defined downside risk, while resistance at $78.86 and later $93.66 (52-week high) offers material upside targets for staged entries or profit-taking.
• The technical structure suggests PayPal is carving out a higher low, a configuration that frequently precedes decisive recoveries, particularly when combined with improving fundamentals.

Fundamental Analysis

Despite intense competition from mega-cap fintechs and Big Tech (Apple Pay, Google Pay, others), PayPal’s fundamentals remain notably resilient:

• Revenues for Q1 2025 grew 1.2% year-on-year to $7.79 billion, illustrating sustained demand, even as headline growth rates moderate post-pandemic.
• Adjusted EPS came in at $1.33, decisively beating consensus ($1.16) and marking a 23% boost versus Q1 2024; bottom line strength is further reflected by a net income rise of 44.9% in the same period.
• The full-year 2025 EPS is projected at $5.01 (+7.7% YoY), highlighting structurally superior earnings leverage.
• Valuation remains attractive: The current P/E ratio (15.94x) is below sector averages and its own historical mean, reflecting both a discount to growth expectations and significant potential for multiple expansion as sentiment improves. The PEG and P/S ratios (not shown in the summary, but trending favourably) underline this discount.
• Structural strengths:
• Brand power and a defensible moat within digital payments.
• A robust cash position ($11.21 billion), ample to fund innovation and acquisitions.
• Market leadership: Still a top-three player globally in transaction volumes and merchant relationships.
• Innovation focus: Expanding into Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), cryptocurrency, and business payments—demonstrating adaptability and vision.

PayPal’s commitment to extending fintech leadership—evident in its aggressive investment in Venmo, merchant solutions, and global commerce—lends conviction to the view that near-term headwinds are more cyclical than structural.

Volume and Liquidity

PayPal exhibits healthy average daily trading volume (11.15 million shares), highlighting continued institutional and retail engagement. This level of liquidity is a strong indicator of enduring market confidence, supporting nimble position management and efficient price discovery. The stock’s float of 972.53 million shares further keeps bid-ask spreads narrow, ensuring that price action remains dynamic and responsive to both company-specific and macro drivers.

High liquidity underscores a favourable environment for both enterprising traders and long-term investors, as volumes cushion volatility and facilitate entries/exits around key technical levels.

Catalysts and Positive Outlook

• Management transformation under Alex Chriss is already yielding positive earnings surprises and cost-synergy gains, streamlining the company for scalable growth.
• Expansion into BNPL, crypto, and mobile-first solutions opens new revenue verticals—areas where PayPal’s brand and reach provide a competitive edge.
• Venmo continues to gain share in P2P transactions and business payments, with additional monetisation levers likely in 2025.
• Partnerships and integrations with major e-commerce platforms enhance ecosystem stickiness—this is crucial as more global consumers transact digitally.
• Secular intensification of both fintech regulation and digital consumption benefits scaled, compliant incumbents like PayPal, especially as smaller fintechs face rising regulatory costs.
• On the ESG front, PayPal’s initiatives in financial inclusion and responsible lending position it favourably with a new wave of ESG-conscious capital.

With analysts’ consensus suggesting an average price target of $83.02 (+17% from current levels), the outlook for further upward revaluation seems well grounded in both hard data and sector momentum.

Investment Strategies

• Short-term: Momentum traders may look to entries near current support around $70–$72, targeting the next technical resistance at $78.86, as positive sentiment builds into quarterly updates.
• Medium-term: Investors seeking 6–18 month windows could benefit from the company’s expected earnings growth and ongoing operational improvements, with a risk-reward profile skewed positively if current support levels hold.
• Long-term: For those with a horizon extending into 2026 and beyond, PayPal’s dominant position in digital finance, continuous innovation, and relatively low valuation metrics justify renewed interest. The company’s financial resilience and adaptability to macro cycles set a solid foundation for compounding returns.

For New Zealand-based investors, PayPal can provide an advantageous anchor exposure to global digital commerce—a sector under-represented in the NZX—and offers portfolio diversification from domestic financials and traditional tech.

Is it the Right Time to Buy PayPal?

• Technical indicators confirm stabilisation and the early stages of a potential upward phase.
• Fundamentals are robust, with margin expansion, strong cash flow, improving operational discipline, and innovation setting the stage for sustainable profits.
• The valuation remains highly attractive relative to peers and the stock’s own history.
• Volume, liquidity, and broad analyst coverage signal deep market confidence and ample flexibility for new entrants.
• Structural and macro tailwinds—combined with new leadership—could unlock meaningful value for forward-looking investors.

While actively reviewing all risk factors is prudent, the confluence of positive signals suggests PayPal may be entering a new bullish phase. For investors seeking resilient exposure to global digital payments and fintech innovation, this stock seems to represent an excellent opportunity for both diversification and growth participation.

The evolving landscape of global finance awaits those positioned wisely—and PayPal is especially well-placed to capture the upside, as it navigates transformation and rekindles its status as a category leader.

How to buy PayPal stock in New Zealand?

Buying PayPal stock online is straightforward and secure for New Zealand investors, thanks to access to regulated share trading platforms. You can either purchase PayPal shares outright (“spot” buying) and own them, or trade on price movements through Contract for Difference (CFD) products, which allow leveraged exposure. Both methods are accessible from NZ via reputable, FMA- or ASIC-regulated brokers, and your funds and assets are protected by various safeguards. Each approach has its own advantages and fee structure—see our comprehensive broker comparison further down this page for a full overview.

Spot Buying

Spot buying means you purchase and own actual PayPal (PYPL) shares, making you a genuine part-owner of the company. This is a straightforward, long-term investment strategy. Typical New Zealand share trading platforms charge a fixed commission per order—commonly around NZ$5 to NZ$15.

Example: Spot Buying Scenario

For example, if PayPal’s share price is USD $70.93 (approx. NZD $115), a NZ$1,000 investment could buy about 8 full shares after accounting for a typical NZ$10 brokerage fee.
✔️ Gain scenario: If the share price rises by 10%, your shares are then worth NZ$1,100.
Result: That’s a NZ$100 gross gain, or a +10% return on your initial investment (before currency exchange and taxes).

Trading via CFD

CFD trading lets you speculate on PayPal’s share price without owning the shares. Instead, you enter a contract with your broker to profit (or lose) from price changes. CFDs allow leverage (amplified market exposure), but you also pay a spread (the broker’s margin) and overnight financing (interest) if you hold positions open. Suppose you commit NZ$1,000 with 5× leverage; your market exposure is NZ$5,000.

Example: CFD Trading Scenario

✔️ Gain scenario: If PayPal’s share price rises 8%, your position delivers an 8% × 5 = 40% gain.
Result: That’s a NZ$400 gain on your NZ$1,000 margin (excluding fees). Remember, leverage amplifies both gains and risks.

Final Advice

Before committing funds, carefully compare each broker’s fees, order types, support, and platform conditions. Your decision—spot buying for long-term ownership or CFD trading for short-term strategies—should match your investment goals and risk appetite. To help you choose with confidence, a detailed broker comparison is available further down this page.

Our 7 tips for buying PayPal stock

The latest news about PayPal

PayPal delivered robust Q1 2025 results with EPS surpassing expectations by 23% and net profit up nearly 45% year-on-year. This strong financial outcome underscores operational resilience and efficiency improvements under new management. While revenues saw modest growth (+1.2% YoY) and landed slightly below analyst projections, the significant earnings beat reinforces PayPal’s capacity to expand margins, a factor viewed positively by analysts and international investors, including those in New Zealand tracking fintech sector profitability.

The company’s expansion strategy now targets broader e-commerce solutions beyond traditional payments, reflecting a shift that supports future growth prospects relevant to global markets. With a focus on digital commerce, credit services such as Buy Now Pay Later, development of Venmo, and innovation in cryptocurrency and mobile payments, PayPal is positioning itself to capture more value across the digital transaction landscape. This strategic evolution is particularly noteworthy for New Zealand observers, as local e-commerce and cross-border payment flows benefit from robust platforms that drive regional and Pacific trade.

Consensus among 45 covering analysts remains moderately optimistic, with a 12-month target price offering 17% upside from current levels. This collective view is grounded in PayPal’s attractive valuation (P/E of 15.94), substantial market capitalisation ($69.5 billion USD), and consistent annual revenue ($31.9 billion USD). While short-term volatility persists, the prevailing sentiment points to sustained investor confidence, a trend mirrored by NZ institutional investors seeking exposure to resilient global tech sector names.

Technical indicators show PayPal’s stock maintaining neutral-to-positive momentum, with MACD signalling uptick and recent support established above key moving averages. The current RSI reading of 52.8 suggests a balanced market, avoiding overbought or oversold extremes, while MACD (+1.59) points to upward momentum. Notably, the stock has recently surpassed its 50-day moving average and formed technical support at $71, bolstering the technical case for medium-term appreciation, which is important for New Zealand market participants employing tactical trading or hedging strategies.

PayPal maintains an established presence in New Zealand, supporting local merchants and consumers with digital payments infrastructure, which aligns with national trends toward fintech adoption. The company is an integral part of NZ e-commerce and supports cross-border trade, enabling local businesses to access international markets securely—an especially salient factor given New Zealand’s export-oriented economy and growing digital market penetration. Recent improvements in PayPal’s product suite, including cost-competitive transaction fees and enhanced security, help to reinforce its relevance and trust among NZ business clients and end users.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.