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 2026-09-26.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$374.74
-5.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
QUALCOMM Incorporated · Technology
$201.97
-21.1% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade D
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
PANW has more upside to fair value
(-5.2%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
PANW |
QCOM |
| Current Price |
$374.74 |
$201.97 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$355.11 |
$159.42 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-5.2%
|
-21.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$305.4B |
$212.1B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
569.8x
|
16.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
26.6x
|
4.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
64.0x
|
20.5x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+34.4%
|
-4.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
70.4%
|
54.2%
|
| Operating Margin |
6.1%
|
23.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
1.7%
|
37.3%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
1.79% |
| FCF Yield |
1.56%
|
4.88%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Qualcomm develops foundational wireless technologies and monetizes them through two main engines: QCT, which supplies Snapdragon application processors and modems, and QTL, which licenses a standards-essential patent portfolio covering CDMA2000, WCDMA, LTE and 5G. The licensing arm and the company's entrenched position in premium Android handsets give it a genuinely high-quality business, evidenc…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
PANW |
QCOM |
| Zone Low |
$266.33 |
$119.56 |
| Zone High |
$301.84 |
$135.51 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|