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Compare Stocks › AAPL vs AOS

Apple Inc. (AAPL) vs A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS)

AAPL
Apple Inc.
$280.25
VS
AOS
A. O. Smith Corporation
$60.35

Rewards

AAPL
  • ★Apple Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Apple Inc. scores 96/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
AOS
  • ★A. O. Smith Corporation has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★A. O. Smith Corporation scores 95/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 19.4% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.

Risks

AAPL
  • ⚠FCF yield of 2.5% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $24.6M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
AOS
  • ⚠FCF yield of 5.9% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.

Key Valuation Metrics

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AAPL
AOS
Valuation
$101.09B
Free Cash Flow
$495.61M
2.46%
FCF Yield
5.94%
33.93
Trailing P/E
16.09
29.30
Forward P/E
14.31
Quality & Moat
60.20%
ROIC
20.33%
105.18%
ROE
29.09%
47.86%
Gross Margin
38.76%
1.56
PEG Ratio
1.27
Balance Sheet Safety
0.80
Debt / Equity
0.35
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
0.10
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.57
0.39%
Dividend Yield
2.35%
AAPL: 5Ties: 1AOS: 6
AAPLAOS

Historical Fundamentals

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AAPL

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

AOS

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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AAPL
$7.57
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$257.06B
Δ Market Cap
+$1.94T
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
AOS
$0.57
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Mediocre Allocator
Σ Retained
$1.07B
Δ Market Cap
+$612.2M
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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AAPL
58.6% Overvalued
Price is 58.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $280.25
Fair Value: $176.66
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
AOS
42.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 42.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $60.35
Fair Value: $104.17
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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AAPL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $280?

+16.0%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +17.4%

The market implies +16.0% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +17.4%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

AOS

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $60?

+4.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +6.1%

The market implies +4.8% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +6.1%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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AAPL
96/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
AOS
95/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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AAPL
-2.29
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
AOS
-2.50
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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AAPL
Insiders 1.6%Institutions 65.3%Retail & Other 33.0%
No. of Institutional Holders7,540
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
AOS
Insiders 0.5%Institutions 99.9%
No. of Institutional Holders893
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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AAPL
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
AOS
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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AAPL
3
Sells (3M)
11
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $112.79M
PAREKH KEVAN
Chief Financial Officer
$421,850
@ $275.00 · 2026-04-23
O'BRIEN DEIRDRE
Officer
$7.66M
@ $255.35 · 2026-04-02
COOK TIMOTHY D
Chief Executive Officer
$16.51M
@ $254.23 · 2026-04-02
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$1.02M
@ $271.23 · 2025-11-07
PAREKH KEVAN
Chief Financial Officer
$1.04M
@ $247.39 · 2025-10-16
O'BRIEN DEIRDRE
Officer
$11.07M
@ $257.39 · 2025-10-02
ADAMS KATHERINE L
General Counsel
$12.10M
@ $256.79 · 2025-10-02
COOK TIMOTHY D
Chief Executive Officer
$33.38M
@ $256.81 · 2025-10-02
LEVINSON ARTHUR D
Director
$20.89M
@ $232.07 · 2025-08-28
O'BRIEN DEIRDRE
Officer
$7.77M
@ $223.20 · 2025-08-08
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$933,955
@ $208.19 · 2025-05-12
PAREKH KEVAN
Chief Financial Officer
$941,420
@ $206.00 · 2025-04-23
COOK TIMOTHY D
Chief Executive Officer
$24.18M
@ $223.65 · 2025-04-02
ADAMS KATHERINE L
General Counsel
$8.68M
@ $223.67 · 2025-04-02
WILLIAMS JEFFREY E
Chief Operating Officer
$7.95M
@ $224.01 · 2025-04-02
LEVINSON ARTHUR D
Director
$343,147
@ $226.35 · 2025-02-03
LEVINSON ARTHUR D
Director
$45.46M
@ $227.32 · 2024-11-19
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$945,233
@ $228.87 · 2024-11-18
MAESTRI LUCA
Chief Financial Officer
$13.43M
@ $226.52 · 2024-10-04
O'BRIEN DEIRDRE
Officer
$13.84M
@ $226.87 · 2024-10-02
ADAMS KATHERINE L
General Counsel
$13.80M
@ $226.20 · 2024-10-02
WILLIAMS JEFFREY E
Chief Operating Officer
$13.55M
@ $226.86 · 2024-10-02
COOK TIMOTHY D
Chief Executive Officer
$50.28M
@ $224.46 · 2024-10-02
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$1.96M
@ $225.00 · 2024-08-15
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$1.12M
@ $216.50 · 2024-08-09
ADAMS KATHERINE L
General Counsel
$20.64M
@ $206.44 · 2024-08-05
LEVINSON ARTHUR D
Director
$14.37M
@ $191.58 · 2024-05-30
KONDO CHRISTOPHER
Officer
$951,785
@ $190.40 · 2024-05-15
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
AOS
2
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.11M
SCHUH DARRELL W
Officer
$82,126
@ $74.39 · 2026-03-04
SCHUH DARRELL W
Officer
$28,439
@ $79.88 · 2026-02-13
STERN JAMES F
General Counsel
$1.24M
@ $71.24 · 2025-08-07
WHEELER KEVIN J.
Officer and Director
$1.58M
@ $71.26 · 2025-07-30
SMITH MARK D
Director
$171,264
@ $71.36 · 2025-07-29
KARGE DOUGLAS SAMUEL
Officer
$27,507
@ $65.65 · 2025-02-07
HEIDEMAN ROBERT JAMES
Chief Technology Officer
$67,357
@ $65.65 · 2025-02-07
CARVER SAMUEL M
Officer
$1.19M
@ $81.00 · 2024-08-07
BROWN RONALD DALE
Director
$311,071
@ $85.67 · 2024-07-30
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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AAPL
FearGreed
😏Greed(71/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
AOS
FearGreed
😨Fear(26/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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AAPL
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (71)
AOS
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (26)
View AAPL Full AnalysisView AOS Full Analysis
AAPL vs AOS: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io