FTNT vs PANW vs GEN Stock Comparison

Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and Gen Digital Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (ZS) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
FTNT Fortinet, Inc.
$129.39 -29.7% 1M +51.8% 1Y
Market cap
$89.93B
P/E
39.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.88B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
4 wins
PANW Palo Alto Networks Inc
$348.04 -14.4% 1M +62.2% 1Y
Market cap
$236.47B
P/E
770.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.48B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
4 wins
GEN Gen Digital Inc.
$30.89 +38.6% 1M +19.4% 1Y
Market cap
$18.23B
P/E
15.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.23B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Palo Alto Networks leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Palo Alto Networks 4, Fortinet 4, Gen Digital 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFTNTPANWGENLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $89.93B $236.47B $18.23B PANW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.4x 770.3x 15.1x GEN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 36.1x 79.6x 10.1x GEN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.2% +24.5% +16.9% PANW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 29.0% 2.7% 23.1% FTNT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 88.9% — 14.4% FTNT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -1.4x — 2.8x FTNT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.8% +62.2% +19.4% PANW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.7%/yr +33.5%/yr +4.5%/yr PANW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 49.4% 50.0% 43.1% GEN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 70/100 49/100 69/100 FTNT

Percentile Scorecard

FTNTPANWGEN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisFTNTPANWGEN
Valuation 61 #49 of 124 42 #73 of 124 82 #23 of 124
Growth 67 #38 of 114 38 #71 of 114 63 #43 of 114
Profitability 100 #1 of 111 74 #30 of 111 96 #6 of 111
Financial Health 57 #56 of 128 37 #81 of 128 14 #110 of 128
Shareholder Returns 67 #25 of 73 54 #34 of 73 90 #8 of 73
Overall 70 49 69
  • FTNT ranked among 136 companies in Infrastructure Software
  • PANW ranked among 136 companies in Infrastructure Software
  • GEN ranked among 136 companies in Infrastructure Software

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodFTNTPANWGENSPY
1 month -29.7%-14.4%+38.6% -1.0%
3 months -21.2%-4.0%+10.5% -0.4%
6 months +43.8%+89.5%+57.9% +4.5%
Year to date +62.9%+88.9%+13.6% +12.4%
1 year +51.8%+62.2%+19.4% +13.6%
3 years +156.3%+185.8%+75.2% +76.4%
3 years, per year +36.9%+42.0%+20.6% +20.8%
5 years +89.6%+322.9%+24.7% +63.7%
5 years, per year +13.7%+33.5%+4.5% +10.4%
10 years +1,993.7%+1,310.8%+31.5% +267.7%
10 years, per year +35.6%+30.3%+2.8% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureFTNTPANWGENSPY
Volatility, 1Y 49.4%50.0%43.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 52.1%47.2%41.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.051.270.77 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.051.240.45 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.3%-36.0%-49.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -33.6%-17.1%-1.7% -1.6%
52-week high $194.75$419.91$31.41 $779.14
52-week low $75.23$141.67$17.89 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleFTNTPANWGEN
P/E now vs peer median 41.6xmedian 41.0x 849.1xmedian 41.0x 15.3xmedian 41.0x
P/S now vs peer median 12.1xmedian 4.4x 24.7xmedian 4.4x 3.5xmedian 4.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 28.9xmedian 28.9x 131.1xmedian 28.9x 9.7xmedian 28.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 23.9x 69.0xmedian 23.9x 10.4xmedian 23.9x
P/B now vs peer median 42.3xmedian 3.1x 10.3xmedian 3.1x 6.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 1.47median 1.36 -58.67median 1.36 -5.62median 1.36

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsFTNTPANWGEN
Revenue $7.88B $11.48B $5.23B
Gross profit $6.29B $8.08B $4.05B
Operating income $2.60B $695.00M $2.19B
Net income $2.28B $307.00M $1.21B
Free cash flow $3.43B $4.11B $1.76B
R&D $857.40M $2.55B $430.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.07 $0.40 $2.00
Cash & equivalents $3.75B $2.51B $589.00M
Total debt $497.10M – $8.12B
Shares (diluted) 742.60M 764.00M 603.00M
Enterprise value $74.19B $221.54B $16.05B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricFTNTPANWGEN
P/E 41.6x 849.1x 15.3x
P/FCF 27.7x 69.0x 10.4x
P/Operating cash flow 25.8x 62.3x 10.3x
P/S 12.1x 24.7x 3.5x
P/B 42.3x 10.3x 6.7x
P/Tangible book 43.8x 13.9x 22.5x
EV/EBITDA 28.9x 131.1x 9.7x
EV/EBIT 34.9x 403.7x 11.8x
EV/Revenue 11.5x 24.4x 4.9x
EV/FCF 26.4x 68.2x 14.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.6x 61.6x 14.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.47 -58.67 -5.62

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFTNTPANWGEN
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.2% 24.5% 16.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 18.5% 11.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 18.6% 19.3% 14.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 16.7% 17.5% 10.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 27.8% -44.1% 30.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 28.9% 21.5% 26.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 21.8% -72.9% 111.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 25.6% -11.3% -4.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 24.9% -74.9% 118.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 28.3% -14.5% -2.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 50.6% 22.5% 34.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.5% 17.9% 22.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 69.2% 18.6% 35.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 18.5% 16.1% 22.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFTNTPANWGEN
Gross margin 79.7% 70.4% 77.4%
EBITDA margin 39.8% 18.6% 51.2%
Operating margin 33.0% 6.1% 41.8%
Pretax margin 35.3% 4.7% 32.3%
Net margin 29.0% 2.7% 23.1%
FCF margin 43.5% 35.8% 33.7%
Operating cash flow margin 46.8% 39.7% 34.0%
Return on equity 120.1% 1.1% 44.7%
Return on assets 20.0% 0.6% 7.7%
Return on invested capital 88.9% – 14.4%
Return on capital employed 41.2% 1.9% 18.0%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.2x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 14.8x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 3.9% 15.5% 4.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFTNTPANWGEN
Debt / assets 4.2% – 52.2%
Debt / equity 0.2x – 3.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -1.4x – 2.8x
Debt / FCF 0.1x – 4.6x
Liabilities / assets 81.2% 43.3% 82.4%
Equity / assets 18.8% 56.7% 17.6%
Interest coverage 175.6x – 4.3x
Current ratio 1.4x 0.9x 0.4x
Quick ratio 1.2x 0.7x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 7.50 8.45 1.52

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFTNTPANWGEN
Dividend yield – – 1.7%
Net buyback yield 1.0% -0.1% 4.2%
Shareholder yield 1.0% -0.1% 5.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusFTNTPANWGEN
Forward P/E 36.1xFY2026 79.6xFY2027 10.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.58FY2026 $4.37FY2027 $3.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +29.7%FY2026 +13.8%FY2027 +19.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +0.8% +16.5% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.38BFY2026 $13.37BFY2027 $5.64BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +23.2%FY2026 +16.5%FY2027 +12.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.2% +12.7% +8.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFTNTPANWGEN
Held by institutions 68.6% 82.1% 89.1%
Institutions holding 1,570 2,918 690
Change in shares held, QoQ +23.7% +6.6% +3.8%
Institutions buying 855 1,549 392
Institutions selling 551 1,127 212
Buyers to sellers 1.55 1.37 1.85

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

FTNTPANWGEN
FTNT 1.00 0.72 0.16
PANW 0.72 1.00 0.32
GEN 0.16 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FTNT, PANW and GEN?

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Fortinet (FTNT) $89.93B, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) $236.47B, Gen Digital (GEN) $18.23B.

Which stock is cheaper, FTNT, PANW and GEN?

Gen Digital (GEN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Fortinet (FTNT) 39.4x, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 770.3x, Gen Digital (GEN) 15.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Gen Digital (GEN) is cheapest (Fortinet (FTNT) 36.1x, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 79.6x, Gen Digital (GEN) 10.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Fortinet (FTNT) +20.2%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +24.5%, Gen Digital (GEN) +16.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Fortinet (FTNT) has the highest net margin (Fortinet (FTNT) 29.0%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 2.7%, Gen Digital (GEN) 23.1%). On return on invested capital, Fortinet (FTNT) leads (Fortinet (FTNT) 88.9%, Gen Digital (GEN) 14.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Palo Alto Networks (PANW) returned the most: Fortinet (FTNT) +51.8%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +62.2%, Gen Digital (GEN) +19.4%. Over five years, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) compounded fastest (Fortinet (FTNT) +13.7%/yr, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +33.5%/yr, Gen Digital (GEN) +4.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Gen Digital (GEN) has been the steadiest (Fortinet (FTNT) 49.4%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 50.0%, Gen Digital (GEN) 43.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FTNT, PANW and GEN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.