PANW vs SMCI: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and Super Micro Computer, Inc. — 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
Super Micro Computer, Inc. · Technology
$43.26
-4.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
SMCI has more upside to fair value
(-4.2%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
PANW |
SMCI |
| Current Price |
$374.74 |
$43.26 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$355.11 |
$41.44 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-5.2%
|
-4.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$305.4B |
$28.0B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
569.8x
|
8.9x
|
| Price / Sales |
26.6x
|
0.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
64.0x
|
—
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+34.4%
|
+93.2%
|
| Gross Margin |
70.4%
|
10.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
6.1%
|
7.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
1.7%
|
25.1%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
1.56%
|
—
|
| 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…
Super Micro Computer designs and sells modular, open-standard server and storage systems, with a growing franchise in liquid- and air-cooled AI racks such as the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72, sold through direct, distribution and OEM channels to data center, cloud, AI, 5G and edge customers. The business quality is mixed: revenue grew 93.2% year over year and earnings grew 503.7% in the most recent qu…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
PANW |
SMCI |
| Zone Low |
$266.33 |
$31.08 |
| Zone High |
$301.84 |
$35.22 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|