AMAT vs PYPL: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-24.
Applied Materials, Inc. · Technology
$474.38
-3.5% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
PayPal Holdings, Inc. · Financial Services
$52.71
+9.1% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B-
QuantHub Verdict
PYPL has more upside to fair value
(+9.1%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AMAT |
PYPL |
| Current Price |
$474.38 |
$52.71 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$457.95 |
$57.50 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-3.5%
|
+9.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$376.6B |
$45.1B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
33.1x
|
6.8x
|
| Price / Sales |
12.2x
|
1.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
67.0x
|
7.2x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+24.8%
|
+4.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
49.4%
|
45.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
30.5%
|
18.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
40.4%
|
24.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.42% |
1.06% |
| FCF Yield |
1.49%
|
13.97%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
Applied Materials is the largest supplier of wafer fabrication equipment, providing deposition, etch, ion implantation, and process-control tools alongside a growing Applied Global Services aftermarket business to semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The business quality is high: TTM gross margin of 49.4%, TTM operating margin of 30.5%, TTM net margin of 30.1%, and ROE of 40.4% reflect a durabl…
PayPal operates a global digital-payments platform spanning branded checkout, Venmo, Braintree merchant processing, credit products and fraud-risk infrastructure across approximately 200 markets. Business quality is medium: its two-sided network, trusted brand, broad merchant distribution and risk capabilities remain meaningful assets, but its highest-value branded-checkout franchise is under com…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AMAT |
PYPL |
| Zone Low |
$343.46 |
$43.12 |
| Zone High |
$389.26 |
$48.88 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|