PANW vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-24.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$174.41
-0.1% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · Healthcare
$353.52
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
UNH has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
UNH trades at a lower forward P/E
(26.7x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
PANW |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$174.41 |
$353.52 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$174.18 |
$512.60 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-0.1%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$118.9B |
$320.9B |
| Forward P/E |
94.6x
|
26.7x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
52.3x
|
16.1x
|
| Price / Sales |
12.0x
|
0.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
29.2x
|
16.3x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+14.9%
|
+2.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
73.5%
|
18.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
14.4%
|
4.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
15.5%
|
12.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.42%
|
6.13%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a leading global cybersecurity company specializing in AI-driven security platforms with a strong recurring revenue base exceeding 80% of total revenue. The company benefits from a high gross margin of 73.5% and solid profitability with a net margin of 13.0%, supported by accelerating revenue growth of 14.9% and earnings growth of 61.6% in the most recent quarter. Unde…
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a leading healthcare company with two main platforms: UnitedHealthcare, providing health benefits coverage, and Optum, offering information and technology services. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat due to its scale, integrated platforms, and broad market reach serving over 170 million consumers. Despite strong revenue growth of 12% y…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
PANW |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$130.63 |
$384.45 |
| Zone High |
$148.05 |
$435.71 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|