MSFT vs PANW
as of Friday's close
- MSFTKeepsales growth, past year18%
Microsoft's sales grew 18% over the past year, but it trades at 28 times its past year's earnings, above the 25 it typically traded at from April to July.
- PANWBuy morein the past month−19%
Palo Alto Networks fell 19% over the past month, far more than other software stocks (down 7.5%), but its sales grew 24% over the past year.
Percent return
- MSFT+4.95%
- PANW+57.37%
Nov 13, 2025 to Nov 13, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: MSFT $3.94T, PANW $257B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: MSFT +18%, PANW +25%. PANW is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: MSFT $26, PANW $75. MSFT is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: MSFT 47¢, PANW 7¢. MSFT is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: MSFT −$69.4B, PANW +$504M. PANW is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: MSFT +4.9%, PANW +57%. PANW is ahead. S&P 500 +13%.
- How much the price swings: MSFT 37%, PANW 59%. MSFT is ahead.
| Measure | MSFTMicrosoft | PANWPalo Alto Networks |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $524.31 | $322.10 |
| Friday | Best in this row: +0.25% | −0.17% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: −3.60% | −18.84% |
| 3 months | Best in this row: +5.72% | −18.66% |
| This year | +9.01% | Best in this row: +74.94% |
| 1 year | +4.95% | Best in this row: +57.37% |
| 5 years | +62.11% | Best in this row: +275.29% |
| From 52-week high | −5.7% | −23.3% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | Best in this row: 37% | 59% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $3.94T | $257B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 27.7× | 612.4× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 25.6× | 75.1× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | Best in this row: 1.02× | 5.88× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 11.4× | 22.3× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | 65.7× | Best in this row: 62.3× |
| Company value vs operating profit | Best in this row: 19.5× | 164.0× |
| Price vs earnings, against its own past (0 = cheapest) | Highest | Highest |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +17.9% | Best in this row: +24.5% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | +16.1% | Best in this row: +18.5% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | Best in this row: +29.6% | −33.0% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | Best in this row: +20.0% | +16.1% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 67.7% | Best in this row: 70.4% |
| Kept as operating profit | Best in this row: 47.1% | 7.0% |
| Kept as final profit | Best in this row: 41.2% | 2.7% |
| Kept as spare cash | 17.3% | Best in this row: 35.8% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | Best in this row: 34.2% | 1.7% |
| Profit on all money put in | Best in this row: 25.4% | 1.7% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$69.4B | Best in this row: $504M |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 0.28× | Best in this row: 0.09× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 1.22× | 0.87× |
| Dividend yield | 0.74% | – |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | 20% | – |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Keep | Buy more |
| Why | Microsoft's sales grew 18% over the past year, but it trades at 28 times its past year's earnings, above the 25 it typically traded at from April to July. | Palo Alto Networks fell 19% over the past month, far more than other software stocks (down 7.5%), but its sales grew 24% over the past year. |
| Where the price sits | Buy range | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | Best in this row: 78 | 47 |
| Our value score | Best in this row: 77 | 19 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 82 | 42 |
| Our quality score | Best in this row: 94 | 54 |
| Our price trend score | 63 | Best in this row: 71 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Next earnings | – | Nov 18AMCin 3 days |
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | +20.6% | Best in this row: +28.5% |
| Average analyst target | $632.48 | $414.03 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 91% | 76% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: +1 | −2 |
| Analysts covering | 38 | 39 |
PANW: our only Buy more, with faster sales growth
Our pick of these: Palo Alto Networks
Sales growth +24.5% vs +17.9%
MSFT +17.9%, PANW +24.5%.+28.5% to the average analyst target, vs +20.6%
MSFT +20.6%, PANW +28.5%.1-year return +57.4% vs +4.9%, S&P 500 +13.5%
MSFT +4.9%, PANW +57.4%.Where it loses: MSFT has a lower P/E per point of growth, 1.43 vs 3.06
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Prices as of Friday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.