HD vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of The Home Depot, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-22.
The Home Depot, Inc. ยท Consumer Cyclical
$337.34
+12.1% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade B
VS
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. ยท Technology
$174.96
+15.2% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
PANW has more upside to fair value (+15.2%). HD trades at a lower forward P/E (23.0x). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric HD PANW
Current Price $337.34 $174.96
Fair Value Estimate $378.00 $201.61
Upside to Fair Value +12.1% +15.2%
Market Cap $336.0B $119.2B
Forward P/E 23.0x 94.9x
EV / EBITDA 18.1x 52.4x
Price / Sales 2.3x 12.1x
Price / FCF 29.7x 29.3x
Revenue Growth YoY +3.2% +14.9%
Gross Margin 33.3% 73.5%
Operating Margin 12.7% 14.4%
Return on Equity 110.5% 15.5%
Dividend Yield 2.44% 0%
FCF Yield 3.37% 3.41%
Analyst Consensus Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
HD โ€” The Home Depot, Inc.
Home Depot remains the world's largest home improvement retailer with 2,350+ stores, dominant 52% market share, and a rapidly growing Pro contractor segment bolstered by the SRS Distribution acquisition. The stock has declined 21% from its $427 high to $337, but now trades at 2.28x P/S, near the 5-year median of 2.31x, and 26.5x P/E which is above the 5-year median of 23.5x. EPS declined 4.6% in โ€ฆ
PANW โ€” 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 vaโ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric HD PANW
Zone Low $285.00 $151.21
Zone High $320.00 $171.37
In Buy Zone? No No
โ† HD Research    PANW Research โ†’    All Research