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Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) vs Regions Financial Corporation (RF): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-11-02, GOOGL is overvalued at $280, with a DCF intrinsic value of $8 and a margin of safety of -3448%. RF is undervalued at $29, with an intrinsic value of $47 and a margin of safety of 39%. Of the two, RF has the wider margin of safety.

GOOGL
Alphabet Inc.
$279.84
VS
RF
Regions Financial Corporation
$28.57

Rewards

GOOGL
  • ★Alphabet Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 60.9% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Alphabet Inc. scores 89/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
RF
  • ★Regions Financial Corporation scores 84/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with reinvestment efficiency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

GOOGL
    RF
    • ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
    • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.24 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
    • ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 8.6% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.

    Key Valuation Metrics

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    GOOGL
    RF
    Valuation
    $-1.16B
    Free Cash Flow
    N/A
    -0.03%
    FCF Yield
    N/A
    14.61
    Trailing P/E
    11.20
    18.49
    Forward P/E
    10.03
    Quality & Moat
    14.30%
    ROIC
    22.83%
    44.29%
    ROE
    12.38%
    60.86%
    Gross Margin
    0.00%
    0.98
    PEG Ratio
    1.52
    Balance Sheet Safety
    Net cash
    Net Debt / Equity
    N/A
    N/A
    Interest Coverage
    N/A
    -0.62
    Net Debt / EBITDA
    N/A
    0.31%
    Dividend Yield
    4.20%
    GOOGL: 3Ties: 1RF: 4
    GOOGLRF

    Historical Fundamentals

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    GOOGL

    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.

    RF

    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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    GOOGL
    $9.18
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Exceptional Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $288.67B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$2.65T
    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
    RF
    $1.03
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $3.24B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$3.35B
    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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    GOOGL
    3447.8% Overvalued
    Price is 3447.8% above estimated fair value
    Current Price: $279.84
    Fair Value: $7.89
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued
    RF
    39.4% Margin of Safety
    Price is 39.4% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $28.57
    Fair Value: $47.17
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued

    Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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    GOOGL

    Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

    RF

    Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

    Economic Moat Score

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    GOOGL
    89/100
    Wide Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. 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.
    RF
    84/100
    Wide Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    Wide moat driven primarily by reinvestment efficiency. Margin Stability 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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    GOOGL
    -2.92
    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.
    RF
    -2.32
    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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    GOOGL
    Insiders 1.6%Institutions 80.8%Retail & Other 17.6%
    No. of Institutional Holders7,451
    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.
    RF
    Insiders 0.3%Institutions 87.4%Retail & Other 12.3%
    No. of Institutional Holders1,466
    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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    GOOGL
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    No open market insider purchases found.
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
    RF
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    JENKINS ROGER W
    Director
    $101,906
    @ $25.48 · 2025-08-13
    JOHNSON JOIA M
    Director
    $48,702
    @ $21.17 · 2025-03-11
    SUQUET JOSE S
    Director
    $57,687
    @ $23.96 · 2025-01-29
    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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    GOOGL
    0
    Sells (3M)
    0
    Sells (12M)
    No open market insider sales found.
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
    RF
    0
    Sells (3M)
    2
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $1.23M
    WILLMAN BRIAN R
    Officer
    $195,750
    @ $27.91 · 2026-05-07
    RITTER WILLIAM D
    Officer
    $1.04M
    @ $28.78 · 2026-01-22
    KEENAN DAVID R
    Officer
    $750,279
    @ $25.01 · 2025-08-06
    WILLMAN BRIAN R
    Officer
    $174,885
    @ $21.37 · 2025-05-08
    SUQUET JOSE S
    Director
    $5,371
    @ $23.98 · 2025-02-03
    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

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    GOOGL
    FearGreed
    😨Fear(23/100)

    "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.
    RF
    FearGreed
    😐Neutral(56/100)

    "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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    GOOGL
    ⚪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 (23)
    RF
    ⚪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 (56)
    View GOOGL Full AnalysisView RF Full Analysis

    Frequently Asked Questions: GOOGL vs RF

    Is Alphabet Inc. or Regions Financial Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

    Based on our discounted cash flow model, RF trades at a 39.4% margin of safety (intrinsic value $47 vs. price $29), compared to GOOGL's -3447.8% margin of safety (intrinsic $8 vs. $280).

    Which stock has a wider economic moat, Alphabet Inc. or Regions Financial Corporation?▼

    GOOGL scores 89/100 (Wide moat), while RF scores 84/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

    Is Regions Financial Corporation in financial distress?▼

    RF's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. GOOGL scores 2.4 (Grey 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, Alphabet Inc. or Regions Financial Corporation?▼

    RF earns 22.8% ROIC versus GOOGL's 14.3%. 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, Alphabet Inc.'s or Regions Financial Corporation's?▼

    RF's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to GOOGL's 88/100 (Very Safe). RF has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.