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Adobe Inc. (ADBE) vs Apollo Global Management, Inc. (APO): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-09-17, ADBE is undervalued at $249, with a DCF intrinsic value of $569 and a margin of safety of 56%. APO is undervalued at $128, with an intrinsic value of $306 and a margin of safety of 58%. Of the two, APO has the wider margin of safety.

ADBE
Adobe Inc.
$248.90
VS
APO
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
$127.74

Rewards

ADBE
  • ★Adobe Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 89.3% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Adobe Inc. scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
APO
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 24.1% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $5.94 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
  • ★PEG ratio of 0.48 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.

Risks

ADBE
    APO
    • ⚠Trailing P/E of 45.5x is 130% above the historical average of 19.7x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
    • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.09 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

    Key Valuation Metrics

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    ADBE
    APO
    Valuation
    $9.13B
    Free Cash Flow
    N/A
    9.23%
    FCF Yield
    N/A
    13.90
    Trailing P/E
    45.46
    8.99
    Forward P/E
    11.90
    Quality & Moat
    38.56%
    ROIC
    7.41%
    61.90%
    ROE
    11.41%
    89.25%
    Gross Margin
    36.14%
    0.64
    PEG Ratio
    0.48
    Balance Sheet Safety
    0.10
    Net Debt / Equity
    Net cash
    N/A
    Interest Coverage
    N/A
    0.12
    Net Debt / EBITDA
    N/A
    0.00%
    Dividend Yield
    1.81%
    ADBE: 5Ties: 1APO: 3
    ADBEAPO

    Historical Fundamentals

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    ADBE

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    APO

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    $1 Retained Earnings Test

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    ADBE
    $-0.60
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Market Cap Declined
    Σ Retained
    $18.12B
    Δ Market Cap
    $-10.93B
    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
    APO
    $4.94
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Exceptional Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $9.60B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$47.44B
    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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    ADBE
    56.3% Margin of Safety
    Price is 56.3% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $248.90
    Fair Value: $568.95
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued
    APO
    58.3% Margin of Safety
    Price is 58.3% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $127.74
    Fair Value: $306.05
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued

    Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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    ADBE

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $249?

    +1.7%
    Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
    Standard FCF implies -0.6%

    The market implies +1.7% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

    Standard FCF implies a more demanding -0.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

    APO

    Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

    Economic Moat Score

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    ADBE
    100/100
    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.
    APO
    34/100
    No Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    No durable moat detected, though roic consistency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

    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.

    Forensic Accounting

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    ADBE
    -2.85
    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.
    APO
    -2.31
    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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    ADBE
    Insiders 0.2%Institutions 87.2%Retail & Other 12.6%
    No. of Institutional Holders2,963
    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.
    APO
    Insiders 26.3%Institutions 68.0%Retail & Other 5.7%
    No. of Institutional Holders1,593
    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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    ADBE
    1
    Buys (3M)
    1
    Buys (12M)
    Total value (12M): $1.95M
    RICKS DAVID A
    Director
    $1.95M
    @ $194.51 · 2026-06-25
    DURN DANIEL JAMES
    Chief Financial Officer
    $507,758
    @ $390.58 · 2025-03-20
    RICKS DAVID A
    Director
    $998,946
    @ $443.98 · 2025-01-28
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
    APO
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    RICHARDS PAULINE D E
    Director
    $78,071
    @ $141.95 · 2025-05-12
    LB 2018 GST TRUST
    Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
    $67.70M
    @ $111.39 · 2025-04-04
    BELARDI JAMES RICHARD
    Officer and Director
    $281.00
    @ $281.00 · 2025-02-28
    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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    ADBE
    1
    Sells (3M)
    5
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $1.16M
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $109,961
    @ $264.33 · 2026-07-29
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $185,915
    @ $246.25 · 2026-04-30
    DURN DANIEL JAMES
    Chief Financial Officer
    $331,355
    @ $248.02 · 2026-04-20
    DURN DANIEL JAMES
    Chief Financial Officer
    $485,323
    @ $294.85 · 2026-01-27
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $50,344
    @ $337.88 · 2025-10-31
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $175,828
    @ $380.58 · 2025-05-02
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $145,567
    @ $435.83 · 2025-01-28
    BELSKY SCOTT K
    Officer
    $2.05M
    @ $431.61 · 2025-01-27
    BANSE AMY L
    Director
    $333,300
    @ $550.00 · 2024-12-06
    FORUSZ JILLIAN
    Officer
    $327,987
    @ $485.19 · 2024-10-29
    BELSKY SCOTT K
    Officer
    $232,525
    @ $483.42 · 2024-10-25
    BELSKY SCOTT K
    Officer
    $1.14M
    @ $511.48 · 2024-10-16
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
    APO
    1
    Sells (3M)
    5
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $9.75M
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $422,535
    @ $140.84 · 2026-08-14
    ZITO JOHN P.
    Officer
    $6.36M
    @ $130.66 · 2026-05-27
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $942,514
    @ $134.64 · 2026-05-14
    CHATTERJEE WHITNEY A
    Officer
    $1.24M
    @ $146.03 · 2025-12-10
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $788,434
    @ $131.41 · 2025-12-01
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $2.25M
    @ $145.11 · 2025-08-12
    CHATTERJEE WHITNEY A
    Officer
    $657,149
    @ $146.03 · 2025-08-06
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $530,272
    @ $132.57 · 2025-05-06
    BLACK LEON D
    Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
    $67.70M
    @ $111.39 · 2025-04-04
    BLACK LEON D
    Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
    $71.00M
    @ $142.00 · 2025-03-19
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $791,378
    @ $158.28 · 2025-02-13
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $1.74M
    @ $173.66 · 2024-12-10
    TANGUY LOUIS-JACQUES
    Officer
    $441,250
    @ $176.50 · 2024-12-10
    KELLY MARTIN B
    Chief Financial Officer
    $863,050
    @ $172.61 · 2024-12-03
    CHATTERJEE WHITNEY A
    Officer
    $1.07M
    @ $173.36 · 2024-12-03
    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

    Learn more →
    ADBE
    FearGreed
    😨Fear(32/100)

    "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.
    APO
    FearGreed
    😐Neutral(48/100)

    "Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

    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

    Learn more →
    ADBE
    ⚪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 (32)
    APO
    ⚪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: Neutral (48)
    View ADBE Full AnalysisView APO Full Analysis

    Frequently Asked Questions: ADBE vs APO

    Is Adobe Inc. or Apollo Global Management, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

    Based on our discounted cash flow model, APO trades at a 58.3% margin of safety (intrinsic value $306 vs. price $128), compared to ADBE's 56.3% margin of safety (intrinsic $569 vs. $249).

    Which stock has a wider economic moat, Adobe Inc. or Apollo Global Management, Inc.?▼

    ADBE scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while APO scores 34/100 (None moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

    Is Apollo Global Management, Inc. in financial distress?▼

    APO's Altman Z-Score of 0.1 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. ADBE scores 8.8 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

    Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Adobe Inc. or Apollo Global Management, Inc.?▼

    ADBE earns 38.6% ROIC versus APO's 7.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.