Apple Inc. vs PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC, two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Apple and Palo Alto Networks both land in the hardware sector, though Palo Alto is really a cybersecurity software-and-appliance company. Its 68% gross margin is software-grade, but heavy spending leaves an 8% net margin and a slightly negative operating margin against Apple's 27% net. The price is the standout, near 266 times earnings to Apple's 36, the market underwriting years of security-spend growth. Apple converts more of its price into free cash, 3% to 1.7%. A mature cash machine next to a growth bet on protecting the cloud.
Comparison updated 2026-06-11.
| Metric | AAPL | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $315.32 | $325.82 |
| Market cap | $4.64T | $261.0B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +32.1% | — |
| P/E | 38.2 | 267.1 |
| P/B | 43.60 | 9.43 |
| P/S | 10.29 | 24.61 |
| EV/EBITDA | 31.1 | 234.3 |
| Revenue growth | +12.4% | +19.4% |
| Gross margin | 49.3% | 67.5% |
| Operating margin | 32.3% | -6.1% |
| Net margin | 27.1% | 8.0% |
| Return on equity | 115.1% | 3.0% |
| Return on assets | 33.0% | 1.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 61.6% | 2.8% |
| FCF yield | 2.8% | 1.4% |
| Dividend yield | 0.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.85 | 0.04 |
| Current ratio | 1.07 | 0.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.61 | 6.28 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
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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.