COP vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of ConocoPhillips and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-07-08.
ConocoPhillips ยท Energy
$108.44
-21.6% upside to fair value
Grade D
VS
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. ยท Technology
$287.78
+2.9% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
PANW has more upside to fair value (+2.9%). COP trades at a lower forward P/E (18.4x). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric COP PANW
Current Price $108.44 $287.78
Fair Value Estimate $85.04 $296.19
Upside to Fair Value -21.6% +2.9%
Market Cap $132.1B $196.1B
Forward P/E 18.4x 248.9x
EV / EBITDA 6.1x 85.9x
Price / Sales 2.3x 18.5x
Price / FCF 8.6x 45.7x
Revenue Growth YoY -2.5% +31.1%
Gross Margin 29.2% 71.9%
Operating Margin 18.3% 9.6%
Return on Equity 11.3% 6.3%
Dividend Yield 0% 0%
FCF Yield 11.64% 2.19%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
COP โ€” ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is a major player in the Energy sector focused on Oil & Gas Exploration & Production. The company demonstrates medium business quality with a stable competitive position but faces earnings pressure as reflected in a 23.4% decline in earnings and a 2.5% decline in revenue in the most recent quarter year-over-year. Despite a solid ROE of 11.3% and attractive margins (gross margin 29.โ€ฆ
PANW โ€” Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Palo Alto Networks is a leading cybersecurity company specializing in next-generation security platforms with a strong subscription and support revenue base comprising approximately 81% of total revenue. The company benefits from a wide and expanding competitive moat driven by its AI- and platform-driven cybersecurity solutions, led by a seasoned management team. Despite strong revenue growth of โ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric COP PANW
Zone Low $63.78 $222.14
Zone High $72.28 $251.76
In Buy Zone? No No
โ† COP Research    PANW Research โ†’    All Research