MA vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-22.
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$521.30
+95.4% 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
MA has more upside to fair value
(+95.4%).
MA trades at a lower forward P/E
(31.2x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
PANW |
| Current Price |
$521.30 |
$174.96 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,018.59 |
$201.61 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+95.4%
|
+15.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$465.2B |
$119.2B |
| Forward P/E |
31.2x
|
94.9x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
23.4x
|
52.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
14.2x
|
12.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.2x
|
29.3x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+17.6%
|
+14.9%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.4%
|
73.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.2%
|
14.4%
|
| Return on Equity |
198.4%
|
15.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.67%
|
3.41%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Mastercard Incorporated operates a leading global payments network and value-added services platform, benefiting from strong secular growth in digital payments and cybersecurity. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat supported by network effects, brand strength, and intangible assets. It has demonstrated robust earnings growth with a 21.5% increase in the most…
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 |
MA |
PANW |
| Zone Low |
$763.94 |
$151.21 |
| Zone High |
$865.80 |
$171.37 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|