AAPL vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Apple Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-22.
Apple Inc. · Technology
$270.23
+68.0% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
VS
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$174.96
+15.2% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
AAPL has more upside to fair value (+68.0%). AAPL trades at a lower forward P/E (33.8x). These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice. See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric AAPL PANW
Current Price $270.23 $174.96
Fair Value Estimate $454.10 $201.61
Upside to Fair Value +68.0% +15.2%
Market Cap $3,971.8B $119.2B
Forward P/E 33.8x 94.9x
EV / EBITDA 26.3x 52.4x
Price / Sales 9.1x 12.1x
Price / FCF 32.2x 29.3x
Revenue Growth YoY +15.7% +14.9%
Gross Margin 47.3% 73.5%
Operating Margin 32.4% 14.4%
Return on Equity 159.9% 15.5%
Dividend Yield 0% 0%
FCF Yield 3.1% 3.41%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
AAPL — Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is a leading technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software, and services. The business quality is high due to its durable competitive moats including brand strength, network effects, and switching costs, supported by consistent earnings growth and strong operational execution under CEO Tim Cook. The company reported robust revenue growth of 15.7% and earnings growth…
PANW — Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Palo Alto Networks is a leading cybersecurity company specializing in AI-driven cloud security platforms, subscription services, and hardware products. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by its platform transformation under CEO Nikesh Arora, with over 50% of revenue from high-margin subscription services growing at 25.6% year-over-year in fiscal 2024. Despite a premium va…
Accumulation Zones
Metric AAPL PANW
Zone Low $340.58 $151.21
Zone High $385.99 $171.37
In Buy Zone? Yes No
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