Compare Stocks › MS vs PANW
Morgan Stanley (MS) vs Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW)
MS
Morgan Stanley
$158.55
VS
PANW
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
$169.74
Rewards
MS
- ★Gross margin of 87.1% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $6.65 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★PEG ratio of 0.75 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
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
MS
- ⚠High leverage (4.56x debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
- ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.29 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
- ⚠7 insider sales totaling $25.2M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
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
Learn more →MS
PANW
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$2.80B
N/A
FCF Yield
2.03%
15.53
Trailing P/E
94.30
12.89
Forward P/E
42.73
Quality & Moat
3.43%
ROIC
12.23%
14.42%
ROE
12.07%
87.06%
Gross Margin
73.50%
0.75
PEG Ratio
1.56
Balance Sheet Safety
4.56
Debt / Equity
0.05
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
-2.81
2.52%
Dividend Yield
N/A
MS: 5Ties: 1PANW: 2
MSPANW
Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →MS
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
Learn more →MS
$6.65
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$20.84B
Δ Market Cap
+$138.59B
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
> $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
> $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
Learn more →MS
45.5% Margin of Safety
Price is 45.5% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $158.55
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $290.92
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
PANW
390.8% Overvalued
Price is 390.8% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $169.74
Strongly undervalued
Strongly overvalued
Fair Value: $34.59
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →MS
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
Learn more →MS
32/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None
No durable moat detected, though revenue predictability 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 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
Learn more →MS
-2.09
Possible 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
Learn more →MS
Insiders 24.0%Institutions 62.7%Retail & Other 13.3%
No. of Institutional Holders3,181
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 Holders3,388
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
Learn more →MS
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $5,630
PETERSON DOUGLAS L
Director
$5,630
@ $156.39 · 2025-10-17
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
Learn more →MS
7
Sells (3M)
16
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $62.45M
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$6.02M
@ $182.61 · 2026-01-30
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$3.97M
@ $184.00 · 2026-01-20
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$1.44M
@ $183.45 · 2026-01-20
YESHAYA SHARON
Chief Financial Officer
$2.94M
@ $185.77 · 2026-01-20
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$1.55M
@ $182.08 · 2026-01-20
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$3.69M
@ $184.55 · 2026-01-20
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$5.57M
@ $183.62 · 2026-01-20
PICK EDWARD N.
Chief Executive Officer
$16.43M
@ $164.34 · 2025-10-31
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.69M
@ $141.12 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.09M
@ $141.13 · 2025-07-17
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$2.81M
@ $140.30 · 2025-07-17
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.53M
@ $140.62 · 2025-07-17
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$3.70M
@ $127.37 · 2025-05-12
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$95,459
@ $119.32 · 2025-05-02
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.80M
@ $120.00 · 2025-05-02
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.12M
@ $111.65 · 2025-04-15
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$1.15M
@ $138.06 · 2025-01-22
GROSSMAN ERIC F
Officer
$1.78M
@ $136.20 · 2025-01-21
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$5.00M
@ $136.61 · 2025-01-21
AKRAM RAJA
Chief Financial Officer
$2.38M
@ $136.01 · 2025-01-21
PIZZI MICHAEL A
Officer
$2.52M
@ $136.92 · 2025-01-21
SAPERSTEIN ANDREW MICHAEL
President
$4.20M
@ $136.43 · 2025-01-21
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$368,375
@ $105.25 · 2024-07-26
AKRAM RAJA
Officer
$797,764
@ $106.37 · 2024-07-18
SIMKOWITZ DANIEL A
President
$4.26M
@ $106.54 · 2024-07-17
HERZ ROBERT H
Director
$106,621
@ $106.62 · 2024-07-17
CRAWLEY MANDELL L.
Officer
$692,663
@ $99.61 · 2024-05-14
GORMAN JAMES P
Officer and Director
$9.02M
@ $90.21 · 2024-04-18
SMITH CHARLES AUBREY III
Officer
$1.01M
@ $90.09 · 2024-04-17
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
Learn more →MS
😐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.
PANW
😐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
Learn more →MS
⚪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)
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)