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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Software - Infrastructure

Palo Alto Networks vs Palantir Technologies: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Palantir Technologies holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and stability. Palo Alto Networks still has the edge on stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, Palo Alto Networks carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Palantir Technologies's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Palantir Technologies, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The result is anchored in profitability, but growth also reinforces the same direction. Palantir Technologies Inc. leads by 23 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Software - Infrastructure

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. PANW and PLTR share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Palo Alto Networks and Palantir Technologies each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
PANW
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
33
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
PLTR
Palantir Technologies Inc.
56
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: PANW vs PLTR Profitability 20 91 Stability 75 41 Valuation 10 17 Growth 44 76 PANW PLTR
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +71
#2 Stability +34
#3 Growth +32
#4 Valuation +7
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for PANW and PLTR Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer PANWPLTR Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup stays mixed because structure and the price setup do not align cleanly in one direction.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where PANW and PLTR each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY PANW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 19 pct gap PLTR Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 80th
Today PLTR sits in the upper portion of its own 5-year history (80th percentile), while PANW sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, PLTR is at a historically more favourable entry position than PANW. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, Palantir Technologies Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Palo Alto Networks, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Palo Alto Networks, Inc. still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
PANW
20
PLTR
91
Gap+71in favour of PLTR

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 49-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability still leans toward Palo Alto Networks, Inc., so the lead is real without reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability settles the comparison, while pricing and stability keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the PANW vs PLTR comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how PANW and PLTR each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.