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Bank of America Corporation (BAC) vs Ralph Lauren Corporation (RL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-09-17, BAC is undervalued at $58, with a DCF intrinsic value of $142 and a margin of safety of 59%. RL is fairly valued at $338, with an intrinsic value of $385 and a margin of safety of 12%. Of the two, BAC has the wider margin of safety.

BAC
Bank of America Corporation
$57.90
VS
RL
Ralph Lauren Corporation
$338.36

Rewards

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 0.90 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
RL
  • ★Ralph Lauren Corporation has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Gross margin of 70.3% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Ralph Lauren Corporation scores 90/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

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.
RL
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $3.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.

Key Valuation Metrics

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BAC
RL
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$880.09M
N/A
FCF Yield
4.37%
13.37
Trailing P/E
21.15
10.94
Forward P/E
16.18
Quality & Moat
4.37%
ROIC
21.21%
11.20%
ROE
37.54%
0.00%
Gross Margin
70.27%
0.90
PEG Ratio
1.83
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Net Debt / Equity
0.39
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.67
2.21%
Dividend Yield
1.18%
BAC: 4Ties: 1RL: 3
BACRL

Historical Fundamentals

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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.

RL

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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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
RL
$6.32
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$1.72B
Δ Market Cap
+$10.85B
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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BAC
59.3% Margin of Safety
Price is 59.3% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $57.90
Fair Value: $142.10
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
RL
12.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 12.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $338.36
Fair Value: $384.90
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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BAC

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

RL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $338?

+9.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +10.3%

The market implies +9.3% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +10.3%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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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.
RL
90/100
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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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.
RL
-2.55
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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BAC
Insiders 7.0%Institutions 71.3%Retail & Other 21.7%
No. of Institutional Holders4,542
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.
RL
Insiders 2.5%Institutions 107.4%
No. of Institutional Holders1,139
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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BAC
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
RL
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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BAC
0
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $20.17M
MENSAH BERNARD AMPONSAH
Officer
$4.41M
@ $46.94 · 2026-03-12
BRONSTEIN SHERI B
Officer
$2.99M
@ $49.91 · 2026-03-05
SCRIVENER THOMAS M
Officer
$2.49M
@ $49.82 · 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
RL
2
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $23.82M
RANFTL ROBERT P
Chief Operating Officer
$1.10M
@ $377.81 · 2026-08-18
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$2.64M
@ $402.77 · 2026-08-10
RANFTL ROBERT P
Chief Operating Officer
$2.34M
@ $359.56 · 2026-06-03
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$405,440
@ $362.00 · 2026-03-04
LOUVET PATRICE
Chief Executive Officer
$16.65M
@ $354.22 · 2026-02-10
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$688,812
@ $366.00 · 2025-12-02
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$740,829
@ $317.00 · 2025-09-04
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$1.56M
@ $295.00 · 2025-08-27
RANFTL ROBERT P
Chief Operating Officer
$3.26M
@ $282.03 · 2025-08-19
LOUVET PATRICE
Chief Executive Officer
$1.81M
@ $240.00 · 2025-05-05
LOUVET PATRICE
Chief Executive Officer
$3.44M
@ $232.50 · 2025-03-24
ALAGOZ HALIDE
Officer
$1.92M
@ $285.00 · 2025-02-18
LOUVET PATRICE
Chief Executive Officer
$5.45M
@ $227.16 · 2024-12-11
LAUREN DAVID R
Officer and Director
$8.32M
@ $221.14 · 2024-11-08
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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BAC
FearGreed
😐Neutral(52/100)

"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.
RL
FearGreed
😨Fear(38/100)

"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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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: Neutral (52)
RL
⚪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 (38)
View BAC Full AnalysisView RL Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: BAC vs RL

Is Bank of America Corporation or Ralph Lauren Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, BAC trades at a 59.3% margin of safety (intrinsic value $142 vs. price $58), compared to RL's 12.1% margin of safety (intrinsic $385 vs. $338).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Bank of America Corporation or Ralph Lauren Corporation?▼

BAC scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while RL scores 90/100 (Wide 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. RL scores 5.9 (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, Bank of America Corporation or Ralph Lauren Corporation?▼

RL earns 21.2% ROIC versus BAC's 4.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Bank of America Corporation's or Ralph Lauren Corporation's?▼

RL's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to BAC's 79/100 (Safe). RL has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

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