What Made PayPal’s (PYPL, $90.69) Shares Surge More than 24% in 2018?
PayPal Holdings witnessed impressive growth in its user base in 2018, with a reach of 254 million active accounts as reported in its 2018 third quarter earnings.
What enabled this compelling growth?
Paypal's increasing customer base indicates a growing network effect: the more value it has for existing customers, the more new users join in. The more customers use PayPal, the more merchants will feel compelled to accept this as a mode of payment; as more merchants accept this as a mode of payment, the more customers will use this, and in this way the cycle goes on. This rising network effect is evident in the company's third quarter earnings report, in which the average account that had used PayPal is 36.5 times over the last year, a 9.5% year-over-year increase.
This rapid growth in PayPal’s users and sales reflect the company’s unique positioning in digital payments. For example, Apple also has digital wallet called Apple Pay. But if someone wants to direct funds to a friend’s account, that person must also be an Apple user. These limiting factors, also found in Samsung Pay, Alphabet’s Google Pay and Amazon.com’s Amazon Pay, are eliminated by PayPal helped it increase its customer base.
Paypal's third quarter earnings report saw its revenue grow to $3.68 billion, a 14% year-over-year increase, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) rose to $0.58, a 26% year-over-year increase. PayPal is now set to finish the year with adjusted EPS in a range of $2.38 to $2.40, which would give it an adjusted P/E ratio of 38.1.
PYPL sees its Stochastic Oscillator recovers from oversold territory
On October 22, 2025, the Stochastic Oscillator for PYPL moved out of oversold territory and this could be a bullish sign for the stock. Traders may want to buy the stock or buy call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 57 instances where the indicator left the oversold zone. In of the 57 cases the stock moved higher in the following days. This puts the odds of a move higher at over .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
PYPL moved above its 50-day moving average on October 23, 2025 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where PYPL advanced for three days, in of 306 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 224 cases where PYPL Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for PYPL moved out of overbought territory on October 10, 2025. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 32 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 32 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on October 16, 2025. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on PYPL as a result. In of 92 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for PYPL turned negative on October 15, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 49 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 49 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
The 10-day moving average for PYPL crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on October 23, 2025. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In of 14 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where PYPL declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
PYPL broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 06, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. PYPL’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (3.299) is normal, around the industry mean (13.148). P/E Ratio (14.940) is within average values for comparable stocks, (36.079). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.734) is also within normal values, averaging (1.409). PYPL has a moderately low Dividend Yield (0.000) as compared to the industry average of (0.038). P/S Ratio (2.167) is also within normal values, averaging (130.574).
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. PYPL’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 71, placing this stock worse than average.
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General Information
a provider of digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants
Industry SavingsBanks
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