INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP vs PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC, two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where IBM and PANW diverge most: on debt / equity, IBM reads 2.01 and PANW reads 0.04; on p/e, IBM reads 25.4 and PANW reads 267.1. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What IBM's price implies is a demanding bet versus history and the cohort (whole-company basis). What PANW's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | IBM | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $287.54 | $325.82 |
| Market cap | $273.8B | $261.0B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| P/E | 25.4 | 267.1 |
| P/B | 8.28 | 9.43 |
| P/S | 3.97 | 24.61 |
| EV/EBITDA | 593.4 | 234.3 |
| Revenue growth | +9.6% | +19.4% |
| Gross margin | 56.2% | 67.5% |
| Operating margin | — | -6.1% |
| Net margin | 12.5% | 8.0% |
| Return on equity | 26.1% | 3.0% |
| Return on assets | 5.5% | 1.8% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 2.8% |
| FCF yield | 4.7% | 1.4% |
| Dividend yield | 2.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 2.01 | 0.04 |
| Current ratio | 0.80 | 0.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.10 | 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.