PANW vs QCOM: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and QUALCOMM Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-22.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$174.96
+15.2% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
VS
QUALCOMM Incorporated · Technology
$134.47
+77.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
QuantHub Verdict
QCOM has more upside to fair value
(+77.7%).
QCOM trades at a lower forward P/E
(26.8x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
PANW |
QCOM |
| Current Price |
$174.96 |
$134.47 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$201.61 |
$239.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+15.2%
|
+77.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$119.2B |
$143.6B |
| Forward P/E |
94.9x
|
26.8x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
52.4x
|
—
|
| Price / Sales |
12.1x
|
3.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
29.3x
|
11.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+14.9%
|
+8.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
73.5%
|
55.1%
|
| Operating Margin |
14.4%
|
27.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
15.5%
|
21.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
— |
| FCF Yield |
3.41%
|
9.0%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Qualcomm Incorporated is a leading semiconductor company specializing in wireless chipsets and IP licensing, with dominant positions in 5G modems via QCT (87% of revenue) and steady QTL royalties. The business excels through a vast patent moat, diversification into automotive and IoT, and robust growth (revenue +13% YoY to $44B in FY2025), but faces risks from Apple modem shifts and China exposur…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
PANW |
QCOM |
| Zone Low |
$151.21 |
$179.00 |
| Zone High |
$171.37 |
$203.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|