Compare StocksAXP vs PANW

American Express Company (AXP) vs Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW)

AXP
American Express Company
$294.93
VS
PANW
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
$169.74

Rewards

AXP
  • Gross margin of 63.5% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $6.18 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
PANW
  • Gross margin of 73.5% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 24.6% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $19.59 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

AXP
  • Altman Z-Score of 0.93 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • 7 insider sales totaling $36.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
  • Free cash flow has declined at a 5.9% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
PANW
  • Share count has increased by 12% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
  • Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 2 out of 3 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
  • FCF yield of 2.0% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.

Key Valuation Metrics

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AXP
PANW
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$2.80B
N/A
FCF Yield
2.03%
19.19
Trailing P/E
94.30
14.64
Forward P/E
42.73
Quality & Moat
9.49%
ROIC
12.23%
31.97%
ROE
12.07%
63.47%
Gross Margin
73.50%
1.16
PEG Ratio
1.56
Balance Sheet Safety
1.91
Debt / Equity
0.05
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
-2.81
1.29%
Dividend Yield
N/A
AXP: 4Ties: 1PANW: 3
AXPPANW

Historical Fundamentals

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AXP

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

PANW

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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AXP
$6.18
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$23.29B
Δ Market Cap
+$144.01B
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
PANW
$19.59
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.15B
Δ Market Cap
+$81.33B
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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AXP
38.6% Margin of Safety
Price is 38.6% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $294.93
Fair Value: $480.21
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
PANW
390.8% Overvalued
Price is 390.8% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $169.74
Fair Value: $34.59
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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AXP

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

PANW

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $170?

+32.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +19.6%

The market implies +32.3% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +19.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability 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.
PANW
49/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with reinvestment efficiency as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency 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.

Forensic Accounting

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AXP
-2.51
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.
PANW
-2.59
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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AXP
Insiders 22.2%Institutions 64.8%Retail & Other 12.9%
No. of Institutional Holders3,749
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.
PANW
Insiders 0.8%Institutions 74.4%Retail & Other 24.8%
No. of Institutional Holders3,389
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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AXP
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $4,054
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4,054
@ $176.26 · 2025-04-09
ANGELAKIS MICHAEL J
Director
$998,593
@ $269.89 · 2025-03-07
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
PANW
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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AXP
7
Sells (3M)
20
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $152.65M
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$909,661
@ $300.02 · 2026-03-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $340.67 · 2026-02-19
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.82M
@ $346.73 · 2026-02-12
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$5.35M
@ $356.58 · 2026-02-09
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$4.60M
@ $360.99 · 2026-02-09
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$9.60M
@ $350.01 · 2026-02-05
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$8.35M
@ $356.91 · 2026-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$538,902
@ $384.93 · 2025-12-12
RUTLEDGE ELIZABETH
Officer
$18.01M
@ $360.21 · 2025-10-31
TABISH DOUGLAS J
Officer
$894,359
@ $355.61 · 2025-10-23
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$1.75M
@ $350.73 · 2025-10-22
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$37.03M
@ $329.86 · 2025-09-04
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$2.83M
@ $325.88 · 2025-09-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$7.67M
@ $326.37 · 2025-09-02
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$23.37M
@ $296.90 · 2025-08-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$15.47M
@ $309.50 · 2025-07-29
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$1.71M
@ $310.77 · 2025-07-29
MARQUEZ RAFAEL
Officer
$3.56M
@ $296.93 · 2025-05-20
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.60M
@ $275.50 · 2025-05-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$799,009
@ $264.66 · 2025-04-29
MARRS ANNA
President
$6.32M
@ $287.88 · 2025-03-04
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$897,590
@ $296.43 · 2025-02-26
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$2.29M
@ $309.96 · 2025-02-11
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$16.24M
@ $319.45 · 2025-02-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$3.53M
@ $317.01 · 2025-02-05
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$3.03M
@ $319.17 · 2025-02-05
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$7.25M
@ $318.69 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $313.94 · 2025-01-28
LE CAILLEC CHRISTOPHE
Chief Financial Officer
$1.82M
@ $303.48 · 2024-11-27
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$48.90M
@ $286.57 · 2024-11-07
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$374,010
@ $287.70 · 2024-11-07
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$3.55M
@ $270.98 · 2024-10-29
WILLIAMS ANRE D.
Officer
$21.05M
@ $270.26 · 2024-10-22
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$666,213
@ $240.68 · 2024-05-22
SKYLER JENNIFER
Officer
$3.58M
@ $241.73 · 2024-05-10
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$729,770
@ $232.41 · 2024-05-06
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$829,501
@ $230.93 · 2024-05-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$27.27M
@ $232.44 · 2024-05-02
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$9.28M
@ $238.63 · 2024-04-23
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
PANW
6
Sells (3M)
35
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $619.48M
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$251,430
@ $147.90 · 2026-03-02
KLARICH LEE
Chief Technology Officer
$23.07M
@ $191.03 · 2026-01-08
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$167,068
@ $184.81 · 2026-01-02
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$147,848
@ $184.81 · 2026-01-02
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$1.17M
@ $188.07 · 2025-12-26
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$940,910
@ $188.18 · 2025-12-23
KLARICH LEE
Chief Technology Officer
$23.18M
@ $191.91 · 2025-12-03
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$132,573
@ $189.39 · 2025-12-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$153,979
@ $219.97 · 2025-11-03
KLARICH LEE
Chief Technology Officer
$26.32M
@ $217.94 · 2025-11-03
KLARICH LEE
Chief Technology Officer
$25.59M
@ $211.92 · 2025-10-06
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$141,512
@ $202.16 · 2025-10-01
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$172.72M
@ $204.06 · 2025-09-23
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$1.02M
@ $204.19 · 2025-09-23
KLARICH LEE
Chief Technology Officer
$23.08M
@ $191.11 · 2025-09-03
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$131,334
@ $187.62 · 2025-09-02
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$128,940
@ $184.20 · 2025-08-21
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$20.72M
@ $171.58 · 2025-08-04
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$17.28M
@ $172.80 · 2025-08-01
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$24.26M
@ $200.86 · 2025-07-07
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$19.87M
@ $198.66 · 2025-07-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$122,400
@ $204.00 · 2025-07-01
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$1.01M
@ $201.85 · 2025-06-23
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$160,840
@ $201.05 · 2025-06-20
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$23.57M
@ $195.14 · 2025-06-04
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$19.34M
@ $193.36 · 2025-06-02
BAWA APARNA
Director
$99,940
@ $190.00 · 2025-05-30
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$500,198
@ $186.15 · 2025-05-23
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$22.86M
@ $189.27 · 2025-05-05
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$18.78M
@ $187.80 · 2025-05-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$75,564
@ $188.91 · 2025-05-01
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$18.25M
@ $151.13 · 2025-04-07
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$750,000
@ $150.00 · 2025-04-07
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$133.33M
@ $169.11 · 2025-04-03
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$151,668
@ $168.52 · 2025-04-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$129,850
@ $185.50 · 2025-03-20
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$12.70M
@ $181.56 · 2025-03-05
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$132.77M
@ $184.80 · 2025-03-04
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$18.79M
@ $188.56 · 2025-03-03
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$493,370
@ $205.49 · 2025-02-19
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$143.81M
@ $182.40 · 2025-02-04
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$126,854
@ $181.22 · 2025-02-03
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$18.19M
@ $182.45 · 2025-02-03
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$143.09M
@ $181.50 · 2025-01-06
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$21.56M
@ $179.70 · 2025-01-06
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$258,300
@ $184.50 · 2025-01-02
MCCARTHY MARY PAT
Director
$2.40M
@ $400.16 · 2024-12-12
ESCHENBACH CARL M
Director
$3.65M
@ $405.38 · 2024-12-04
BAWA APARNA
Director
$100,004
@ $400.02 · 2024-12-04
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$78,048
@ $390.24 · 2024-12-02
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$23.36M
@ $389.41 · 2024-12-02
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$975,600
@ $390.24 · 2024-12-02
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$65.08M
@ $387.39 · 2024-11-25
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$506,288
@ $387.96 · 2024-11-25
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$21.64M
@ $360.65 · 2024-11-04
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$71,806
@ $359.03 · 2024-11-01
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$30.02M
@ $367.99 · 2024-10-10
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$20.39M
@ $339.81 · 2024-10-04
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$11.97M
@ $332.50 · 2024-10-01
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$22.87M
@ $342.98 · 2024-09-04
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$20.70M
@ $344.98 · 2024-09-04
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$12.93M
@ $359.17 · 2024-09-03
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$71,814
@ $359.07 · 2024-09-03
GOLECHHA DIPAK
Chief Financial Officer
$897,675
@ $359.07 · 2024-09-03
MCCARTHY MARY PAT
Director
$3.48M
@ $348.49 · 2024-08-27
KEY JOHN PHILLIP
Director
$1.05M
@ $349.68 · 2024-08-23
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$59.94M
@ $367.36 · 2024-08-20
MCCARTHY MARY PAT
Director
$341,441
@ $341.44 · 2024-08-19
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$22.09M
@ $333.79 · 2024-08-13
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$166,529
@ $333.06 · 2024-08-09
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$17.76M
@ $295.93 · 2024-08-05
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$11.44M
@ $317.77 · 2024-08-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$64,682
@ $323.41 · 2024-08-01
KLARICH LEE
Officer
$42.16M
@ $335.00 · 2024-07-08
ARORA NIKESH
Chief Executive Officer
$22.44M
@ $336.54 · 2024-07-01
ZUK NIR
Chief Technology Officer
$12.21M
@ $339.16 · 2024-07-01
JENKINS WILLIAM D JR
President
$500,202
@ $339.12 · 2024-07-01
PAUL JOSHUA D.
Officer
$67,600
@ $338.00 · 2024-07-01
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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AXP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(42/100)

"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.
PANW
FearGreed
😐Neutral(53/100)

"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

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AXP
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 (42)
PANW
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 (53)
View AXP Full AnalysisView PANW Full Analysis