PANW vs SLB: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and SLB N.V. — 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
SLB N.V. · Energy
$51.92
-20.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C+
QuantHub Verdict
PANW has more upside to fair value
(+15.2%).
SLB trades at a lower forward P/E
(18.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
PANW |
SLB |
| Current Price |
$174.96 |
$51.92 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$201.61 |
$41.43 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+15.2%
|
-20.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$119.2B |
$77.9B |
| Forward P/E |
94.9x
|
18.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
52.4x
|
9.2x
|
| Price / Sales |
12.1x
|
2.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
29.3x
|
16.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+14.9%
|
-1.6%
|
| Gross Margin |
73.5%
|
18.21%
|
| Operating Margin |
14.4%
|
15.28%
|
| Return on Equity |
15.5%
|
12.83%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
2.21% |
| FCF Yield |
3.41%
|
6.21%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Buy
|
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…
SLB is the world's largest oilfield services company with $35.7B in FY2025 revenue, operating across four divisions: Digital and Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company completed the ChampionX acquisition in 2025 and is pursuing a digital transformation and AI-driven strategy. At $51.92, SLB trades at 2.18x P/S (in the fair range of the 5-year di…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
PANW |
SLB |
| Zone Low |
$151.21 |
$34.00 |
| Zone High |
$171.37 |
$39.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|