ACIW vs GPN vs PYPL Stock Comparison

Aci Worldwide, Global Payments and PayPal Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ACIW Aci Worldwide, Inc.
$55.88 +13.5% 1M +11.7% 1Y
Market cap
$5.65B
P/E
25.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.82B
Div. yield
–
Payment Processing Technology
3 wins
GPN Global Payments Inc
$82.82 -1.4% 1M -5.3% 1Y
Market cap
$22.10B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$10.23B
Div. yield
0.01%
Payment Processing Technology
2 wins
PYPL PayPal Holdings, Inc.
$57.02 +8.6% 1M -18.1% 1Y
Market cap
$48.14B
P/E
9.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$34.13B
Div. yield
–
Payment Processing Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

PayPal Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (PayPal Holdings 6, Aci Worldwide 3, Global Payments 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACIWGPNPYPLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.65B $22.10B $48.14B PYPL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.0x -23.7x 9.8x PYPL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.2x 6.5x 10.3x GPN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +32.5% +5.7% GPN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.4% -9.1% 14.4% PYPL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.8% 2.3% 15.9% PYPL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 4.8x 0.3x PYPL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.7% -5.3% -18.1% ACIW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.6%/yr -12.1%/yr -25.0%/yr ACIW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 34.9% 40.5% 43.7% ACIW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 69/100 50/100 69/100 PYPL

Percentile Scorecard

ACIWGPNPYPL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisACIWGPNPYPL
Valuation 75 #25 of 98 73 #27 of 98 91 #10 of 98
Growth 69 #30 of 94 26 #70 of 94 63 #35 of 94
Profitability 80 #19 of 90 64 #33 of 90 88 #12 of 90
Financial Health 60 #43 of 105 23 #81 of 105 39 #65 of 105
Shareholder Returns 59 #26 of 62 62 #24 of 62 67 #21 of 62
Overall 69 50 69
  • ACIW ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • GPN ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • PYPL ranked among 109 companies in Fintech

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodACIWGPNPYPLSPY
1 month +13.5%-1.4%+8.6% -1.0%
3 months -0.8%+2.3%+1.5% +2.9%
6 months +29.4%+22.2%+13.0% +6.4%
Year to date +16.9%+7.0%-2.3% +11.4%
1 year +11.7%-5.3%-18.1% +13.1%
3 years +168.4%-25.7%+5.1% +79.4%
3 years, per year +39.0%-9.4%+1.7% +21.5%
5 years +80.8%-47.6%-76.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +12.6%-12.1%-25.0% +10.9%
10 years +183.8%+13.6%+29.2% +255.2%
10 years, per year +11.0%+1.3%+2.6% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureACIWGPNPYPLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 34.9%40.5%43.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.6%36.9%48.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.351.011.03 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.34-0.13-0.41 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.2%-60.4%-84.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.1%-12.7%-21.9% -2.5%
52-week high $60.18$94.85$73.02 $779.14
52-week low $38.47$62.47$39.08 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleACIWGPNPYPL
P/E now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 21.5x -23.9xmedian 21.5x 10.2xmedian 21.5x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.2x 2.2xmedian 2.2x 1.4xmedian 2.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.8xmedian 15.7x 10.7xmedian 15.7x 7.4xmedian 15.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 16.4x 26.8xmedian 16.4x 7.5xmedian 16.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 1.9x 0.9xmedian 1.9x 2.5xmedian 1.9x
PEG now vs peer median 0.52median 1.06 0.52median 1.06 0.68median 1.06

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsACIWGPNPYPL
Revenue $1.82B $10.23B $34.13B
Gross profit $893.35M $6.54B –
Operating income $338.68M $1.27B $5.95B
Net income $225.69M -$873.78M $4.90B
Free cash flow $311.41M $822.72M $6.59B
R&D $179.52M – $3.25B
EPS (diluted) $2.22 $-3.46 $5.56
Cash & equivalents $167.40M $5.41B $8.31B
Total debt $822.18M $23.56B $13.40B
Shares (diluted) 101.68M 270.12M 882.00M
Enterprise value $4.93B -$111.04M $6.36B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricACIWGPNPYPL
P/E 25.1x -23.9x 10.2x
P/FCF 18.2x 26.8x 7.5x
P/Operating cash flow 17.1x 13.3x 6.6x
P/S 3.1x 2.2x 1.4x
P/B 3.8x 0.9x 2.5x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 5.1x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA 17.8x 10.7x 7.4x
EV/EBIT 18.6x 31.7x 8.6x
EV/Revenue 3.5x 3.9x 1.5x
EV/FCF 20.3x 48.8x 7.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.1x 24.2x 6.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.52 0.52 0.68

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACIWGPNPYPL
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 32.5% 5.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.9% 3.3% 6.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.5% 14.8% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 5.7% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 0.1% -33.4% 1.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 34.9% -4.4% 9.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -10.1% -158.6% 4.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 44.8% -44.6% 6.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -7.1% -158.9% 16.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 48.0% -46.2% 15.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.9% -46.4% 23.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 35.3% -9.1% 20.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.0% -66.6% 24.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 37.8% -19.7% 21.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACIWGPNPYPL
Gross margin 49.1% 63.9% –
EBITDA margin 19.4% 36.8% 20.2%
Operating margin 18.6% 12.4% 17.4%
Pretax margin 16.8% 5.5% 17.2%
Net margin 12.4% -9.1% 14.4%
FCF margin 17.1% 8.0% 19.3%
Operating cash flow margin 18.1% 16.2% 21.9%
Return on equity 15.1% -3.5% 24.6%
Return on assets 7.3% -1.3% 6.0%
Return on invested capital 10.8% 2.3% 15.9%
Return on capital employed 14.3% 2.5% 17.9%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.2x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x -1.9x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 4.3% 1.3% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACIWGPNPYPL
Debt / assets 26.6% 37.1% 16.2%
Debt / equity 0.5x 1.0x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 4.8x 0.3x
Debt / FCF 2.6x 28.6x 2.0x
Liabilities / assets 51.6% 62.6% 76.0%
Equity / assets 48.4% 37.4% 24.0%
Interest coverage 6.4x 1.5x –
Current ratio 1.6x 0.8x 1.3x
Quick ratio 2.0x 0.7x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.4x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 4.09 0.60 1.90

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACIWGPNPYPL
Dividend yield – 1.2% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 2.9% 7.1% 12.2%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 8.4% 13.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -28.8% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 30.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 1.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -1.7% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusACIWGPNPYPL
Forward P/E 20.2xFY2026 6.5xFY2026 10.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.77FY2026 $12.82FY2026 $5.55FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +28.2%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026 +4.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.6% +17.9% -3.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.81BFY2026 $12.66BFY2026 $33.55BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.0%FY2026 +35.9%FY2026 +1.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +20.2% +8.5% +5.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACIWGPNPYPL
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 74.2%
Institutions holding 378 792 1,378
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +7.4% +0.8%
Institutions buying 198 374 521
Institutions selling 130 307 671
Buyers to sellers 1.52 1.22 0.78

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ACIWGPNPYPL
ACIW 1.00 0.51 0.43
GPN 0.51 1.00 0.47
PYPL 0.43 0.47 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACIW, GPN and PYPL?

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Aci Worldwide (ACIW) $5.65B, Global Payments (GPN) $22.10B, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) $48.14B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACIW, GPN and PYPL?

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 25.0x, Global Payments (GPN) -23.7x, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 9.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Global Payments (GPN) is cheapest (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 20.2x, Global Payments (GPN) 6.5x, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 10.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Global Payments (GPN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Aci Worldwide (ACIW) +7.0%, Global Payments (GPN) +32.5%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) +5.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) has the highest net margin (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 12.4%, Global Payments (GPN) -9.1%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 14.4%). On return on invested capital, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) leads (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 10.8%, Global Payments (GPN) 2.3%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 15.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Aci Worldwide (ACIW) returned the most: Aci Worldwide (ACIW) +11.7%, Global Payments (GPN) -5.3%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) -18.1%. Over five years, Aci Worldwide (ACIW) compounded fastest (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) +12.6%/yr, Global Payments (GPN) -12.1%/yr, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) -25.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 0.00%, Global Payments (GPN) 0.01%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 0.00%. Aci Worldwide (ACIW) and PayPal Holdings (PYPL) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Aci Worldwide (ACIW) has been the steadiest (Aci Worldwide (ACIW) 34.9%, Global Payments (GPN) 40.5%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 43.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACIW, GPN and PYPL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.