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Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE) vs Bank of America Corporation (BAC): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-11-01, ARE is fairly valued at $40, with a DCF intrinsic value of $40 and a margin of safety of -0%. BAC is undervalued at $50, with an intrinsic value of $180 and a margin of safety of 72%. Of the two, BAC has the wider margin of safety.

ARE
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
$40.20
VS
BAC
Bank of America Corporation
$50.01

Rewards

ARE
  • ★Gross margin of 67.7% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★FCF yield of 18.4% is historically attractive — the business generates significant cash relative to its price.
BAC
  • ★Bank of America Corporation scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★PEG ratio of 0.91 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.

Risks

ARE
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 3.24 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠Net debt/EBITDA of 7.5x indicates heavy leverage — it would take over 4 years of EBITDA to pay off net debt.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.43 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
BAC
  • ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.22 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

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ARE
BAC
Valuation
$1.29B
Free Cash Flow
N/A
18.42%
FCF Yield
N/A
N/A
Trailing P/E
11.94
-42.77
Forward P/E
9.64
Quality & Moat
1.00%
ROIC
3.80%
-6.25%
ROE
10.73%
67.68%
Gross Margin
0.00%
3.24
PEG Ratio
0.91
Balance Sheet Safety
0.69
Net Debt / Equity
N/A
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
7.50
Net Debt / EBITDA
N/A
7.16%
Dividend Yield
2.56%
ARE: 3Ties: 1BAC: 3
AREBAC

Historical Fundamentals

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ARE

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.

BAC

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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ARE
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-3.66B
Δ Market Cap
$-16.53B
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
BAC
$2.37
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$55.63B
Δ Market Cap
+$131.83B
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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ARE
0.0% Overvalued
Price is 0.0% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $40.20
Fair Value: $40.19
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
BAC
72.2% Margin of Safety
Price is 72.2% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $50.01
Fair Value: $180.08
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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ARE

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $40?

+4.1%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market roughly matching historical growth — reasonable.

BAC

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

Economic Moat Score

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ARE
50/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with margin stability as the key competitive advantage. Improving reinvestment efficiency would strengthen the moat.

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.
BAC
100/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

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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ARE
-2.80
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.
BAC
-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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ARE
Insiders 1.4%Institutions 99.8%
No. of Institutional Holders869
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.
BAC
Insiders 7.1%Institutions 71.9%Retail & Other 21.0%
No. of Institutional Holders4,517
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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ARE
2
Buys (3M)
8
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.19M
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$248,400
@ $49.68 · 2026-09-11
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$231,400
@ $46.28 · 2026-08-17
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$347,558
@ $46.34 · 2026-05-06
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$320,416
@ $42.72 · 2026-05-05
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$410,200
@ $41.02 · 2026-05-04
THOMAS GREGORY CALVIN
Chief Technology Officer
$143,500
@ $41.00 · 2026-04-30
MARCUS JOEL S
Officer and Director
$1.35M
@ $53.92 · 2026-02-12
MCGRATH SHEILA K.
Director
$141,360
@ $45.60 · 2025-12-10
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
BAC
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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ARE
2
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $1.90M
FUKUZAKI-CARLSON KRISTINA
Officer
$849,073
@ $50.51 · 2026-09-11
GAVINET ANDRES
Officer
$509,300
@ $50.93 · 2026-08-31
BINDA MARC E.
Chief Financial Officer
$108,000
@ $54.00 · 2026-06-09
KUHN HALLIE E.
Officer
$25,835
@ $48.20 · 2026-04-17
GOSSETT BRET E.
Officer
$251,792
@ $53.55 · 2026-02-27
ALSBROOK MADELEINE THORP
Officer
$160,879
@ $46.15 · 2025-12-16
ALSBROOK MADELEINE THORP
Officer
$446,202
@ $102.34 · 2024-12-16
MOGLIA PETER M
Chief Executive Officer
$1.02M
@ $102.26 · 2024-12-16
RYAN DANIEL J
Officer
$1.03M
@ $103.31 · 2024-12-11
GAVINET ANDRES
Officer
$2.09M
@ $104.29 · 2024-12-11
KASS HUNTER
President
$530,650
@ $106.13 · 2024-12-09
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
BAC
0
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $20.17M
MENSAH BERNARD AMPONSAH
Officer
$4.41M
@ $46.94 · 2026-03-12
SCRIVENER THOMAS M
Officer
$2.49M
@ $49.82 · 2026-03-05
BRONSTEIN SHERI B
Officer
$2.99M
@ $49.91 · 2026-03-05
ATHANASIA DEAN C
President
$6.86M
@ $50.21 · 2026-03-03
BORTHWICK ALASTAIR M.
Chief Financial Officer
$3.42M
@ $50.24 · 2026-02-27
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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ARE
FearGreed
😨Fear(28/100)

"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.
BAC
FearGreed
😨Fear(39/100)

"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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ARE
⚪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 (28)
BAC
⚪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 (39)
View ARE Full AnalysisView BAC Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: ARE vs BAC

Is Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, BAC trades at a 72.2% margin of safety (intrinsic value $180 vs. price $50), compared to ARE's -0.0% margin of safety (intrinsic $40 vs. $40).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation?▼

BAC scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while ARE scores 50/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Bank of America Corporation in financial distress?▼

BAC's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. ARE scores 0.4 (Distress 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, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation?▼

BAC earns 3.8% ROIC versus ARE's 1.0%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.'s or Bank of America Corporation's?▼

BAC's dividend earns a safety score of 79/100 (Safe), compared to ARE's 59/100 (Borderline). BAC has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

ARE vs BAC: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io