NKE vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of NIKE, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-26.
NIKE, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$35.78
+9.9% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
VS
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$374.74
-5.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
NKE has more upside to fair value
(+9.9%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
NKE |
PANW |
| Current Price |
$35.78 |
$374.74 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$39.33 |
$355.11 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+9.9%
|
-5.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$53.0B |
$305.4B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
12.0x
|
569.8x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.1x
|
26.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
24.3x
|
64.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
-1.1%
|
+34.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
42.9%
|
70.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
8.2%
|
6.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
22.0%
|
1.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
4.58% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
4.12%
|
1.56%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
NIKE designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and equipment through the Nike, Jordan and Converse brands, supported by global athlete marketing, valuable intellectual property and a broad wholesale and owned-digital network. Business quality is medium: its brand moat and 22.0% ROE remain meaningful, but the moat is narrowing amid intense competition, weak direct sales and uneve…
Palo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity leader built around next-generation firewalls, the Panorama management platform, and a broad subscription portfolio spanning threat prevention, cloud security, secure access, and security analytics, sold to medium and large enterprises, service providers, and governments through direct and channel distribution. The business quality is genuinely high on…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
NKE |
PANW |
| Zone Low |
$29.50 |
$266.33 |
| Zone High |
$33.43 |
$301.84 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|