Apple Inc. vs MICROSOFT CORPORATION. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AAPL and MSFT diverge most: on debt / equity, AAPL reads 0.85 and MSFT reads 0.12; on p/b, AAPL reads 43.60 and MSFT reads 6.92. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AAPL price has a different growth bar priced in than MSFT (+32.1% implied for AAPL vs +15.0% for MSFT); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What AAPL's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What MSFT's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AAPL | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $315.32 | $385.09 |
| Market cap | $4.64T | $2.87T |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Software |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +32.1% | +15.0% |
| P/E | 38.2 | 22.9 |
| P/B | 43.60 | 6.92 |
| P/S | 10.29 | 9.01 |
| EV/EBITDA | 31.1 | 15.8 |
| Revenue growth | +12.4% | +17.9% |
| Gross margin | 49.3% | 67.6% |
| Operating margin | 32.3% | 46.3% |
| Net margin | 27.1% | 36.0% |
| Return on equity | 115.1% | 27.6% |
| Return on assets | 33.0% | 16.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 61.6% | 26.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.85 | 0.12 |
| Current ratio | 1.07 | 1.28 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.61 | 7.32 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.