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 2026-05-13.
Apple Inc. · Technology
$294.80
-9.3% upside to fair value
Grade B- High Quality
VS
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$174.41
-0.1% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
PANW has more upside to fair value (-0.1%). AAPL trades at a lower forward P/E (35.4x). These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice. See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric AAPL PANW
Current Price $294.80 $174.41
Fair Value Estimate $267.40 $174.18
Upside to Fair Value -9.3% -0.1%
Market Cap $4,329.8B $118.9B
Forward P/E 35.4x 94.6x
EV / EBITDA 27.3x 52.3x
Price / Sales 9.6x 12.0x
Price / FCF 33.5x 29.2x
Revenue Growth YoY +16.6% +14.9%
Gross Margin 47.9% 73.5%
Operating Margin 32.6% 14.4%
Return on Equity 146.7% 15.5%
Dividend Yield 0.34% 0%
FCF Yield 2.98% 3.42%
Analyst Consensus Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
AAPL — Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is the world's most valuable consumer technology company, anchored by the iPhone franchise and a roughly $100 billion annual Services business that compounds at a low-to-mid teens rate on an installed base of approximately 2.5 billion active devices. Fiscal Q2 2026 results reported on April 30 showed revenue of $111.2 billion (+16.6% YoY) and EPS of $2.02 (+22.4% YoY), driven by a cont…
PANW — Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a leading global cybersecurity company specializing in AI-driven security platforms with a strong recurring revenue base exceeding 80% of total revenue. The company benefits from a high gross margin of 73.5% and solid profitability with a net margin of 13.0%, supported by accelerating revenue growth of 14.9% and earnings growth of 61.6% in the most recent quarter. Unde…
Accumulation Zones
Metric AAPL PANW
Zone Low $200.50 $130.63
Zone High $227.30 $148.05
In Buy Zone? No No
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