GEN vs PANW vs AXON Stock Comparison

Gen Digital, Palo Alto Networks and Axon Enterprise Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GEN Gen Digital Inc.
$24.25 +12.2% 1M -9.6% 1Y
Market cap
$14.53B
P/E
13.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.08B
Div. yield
2.10%
Cybersecurity Software Technology
7 wins
PANW Palo Alto Networks Inc
$401.70 +7.2% 1M +82.4% 1Y
Market cap
$327.39B
P/E
980.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.48B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
3 wins
AXON Axon Enterprise, Inc.
$425.87 -1.0% 1M -43.1% 1Y
Market cap
$34.60B
P/E
172.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.22B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Gen Digital leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Gen Digital 7, Palo Alto Networks 3, Axon Enterprise 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGENPANWAXONLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $14.53B $327.39B $34.60B PANW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.8x 980.0x 172.2x GEN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 7.9x 91.9x 53.6x GEN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.2% +24.5% +34.6% AXON
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.7% 2.7% 6.2% GEN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.4% — 0.4% GEN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.9x — 7.9x GEN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.10% — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -9.6% +82.4% -43.1% PANW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.4%/yr +37.1%/yr +19.5%/yr PANW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.3% 49.6% 61.5% GEN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 50/100 48/100 GEN

Percentile Scorecard

GENPANWAXON

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

AxisGENPANWAXON
Valuation 89 #15 of 124 42 #72 of 124 41 #74 of 124
Growth 61 #45 of 113 38 #71 of 113 58 #48 of 113
Profitability 95 #6 of 109 76 #27 of 109 60 #44 of 109
Financial Health 15 #108 of 127 38 #79 of 127 34 #84 of 127
Shareholder Returns 94 #5 of 65 55 #30 of 65 –
Overall 71 50 48
  • GEN ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software
  • PANW ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software
  • AXON ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodGENPANWAXONSPY
1 month +12.2%+7.2%-1.0% -0.2%
3 months -12.1%+25.9%-22.2% +3.9%
6 months +26.0%+121.9%+4.8% +8.2%
Year to date -10.8%+118.1%-25.0% +12.9%
1 year -9.6%+82.4%-43.1% +12.3%
3 years +46.9%+236.5%+112.1% +87.4%
3 years, per year +13.7%+49.9%+28.5% +23.3%
5 years -6.7%+383.6%+143.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year -1.4%+37.1%+19.5% +10.9%
10 years -2.7%+1,510.7%+1,791.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year -0.3%+32.0%+34.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGENPANWAXONSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.3%49.6%61.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.9%46.9%61.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.841.251.56 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.241.66-0.70 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.7%-36.0%-60.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -22.8%-4.3%-43.9% -1.2%
52-week high $31.41$419.91$759.44 $779.14
52-week low $17.89$141.67$345.94 $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.

MultipleGENPANWAXON
P/E now vs peer median 13.8xmedian 38.6x 980.0xmedian 38.6x 172.2xmedian 38.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 4.4x 28.5xmedian 4.4x 10.7xmedian 4.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 34.5x 151.5xmedian 34.5x 267.8xmedian 34.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.4xmedian 29.4x 79.6xmedian 29.4x 259.7xmedian 29.4x
P/B now vs peer median 5.5xmedian 3.3x 11.9xmedian 3.3x 9.4xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median -2.62median 1.28 -67.72median 1.28 7.51median 1.28

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 monthsGENPANWAXON
Revenue $5.08B $11.48B $3.22B
Gross profit $3.96B $8.08B $1.91B
Operating income $2.12B $695.00M $23.77M
Net income $1.05B $307.00M $199.30M
Free cash flow $1.55B $4.11B $133.19M
R&D $418.00M $2.55B $768.36M
EPS (diluted) $1.75 $0.40 $2.41
Cash & equivalents $564.00M $2.51B $597.70M
Total debt $8.16B – $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 603.00M 764.00M 82.54M
Enterprise value $12.23B $312.46B $29.12B

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
MetricGENPANWAXON
P/E 13.8x 980.0x 172.2x
P/FCF 9.4x 79.6x 259.7x
P/Operating cash flow 9.3x 71.9x 130.2x
P/S 2.9x 28.5x 10.7x
P/B 5.5x 11.9x 9.4x
P/Tangible book 23.8x 16.0x 10.2x
EV/EBITDA 8.5x 151.5x 267.8x
EV/EBIT 10.4x 466.6x 1,500x
EV/Revenue 4.4x 28.3x 11.1x
EV/FCF 14.3x 78.9x 267.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.1x 71.2x 134.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.62 -67.72 7.51

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGENPANWAXON
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.2% 24.5% 34.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 18.5% 33.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 17.4% 19.3% 32.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 17.5% 32.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 29.2% -44.1% 1,682%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.5% 21.5% -40.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 76.4% -72.9% -38.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -7.3% -11.3% 26.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 82.5% -74.9% -39.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -5.3% -14.5% 22.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.9% 22.5% -3.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.9% 17.9% 18.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 14.8% 18.6% -24.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.8% 16.1% 6.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGENPANWAXON
Gross margin 78.0% 70.4% 59.4%
EBITDA margin 51.4% 18.6% 4.1%
Operating margin 41.7% 6.1% 0.7%
Pretax margin 30.2% 4.7% 5.7%
Net margin 20.7% 2.7% 6.2%
FCF margin 30.5% 35.8% 4.1%
Operating cash flow margin 30.9% 39.7% 8.3%
Return on equity 40.0% 1.1% 5.5%
Return on assets 6.7% 0.6% 2.7%
Return on invested capital 13.4% – 0.4%
Return on capital employed 16.4% 1.9% 0.4%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.2x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 14.8x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 4.4% 15.5% 19.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGENPANWAXON
Debt / assets 52.1% – 23.1%
Debt / equity 3.1x – 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.9x – 7.9x
Debt / FCF 5.3x – 13.0x
Liabilities / assets 83.0% 43.3% 50.9%
Equity / assets 17.0% 56.7% 49.1%
Interest coverage 3.9x – 0.2x
Current ratio 0.5x 0.9x 2.1x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.7x 1.6x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 1.36 9.70 6.36

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGENPANWAXON
Dividend yield 2.1% – –
Net buyback yield 4.1% -0.1% –
Shareholder yield 6.2% -0.1% –
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.

ConsensusGENPANWAXON
Forward P/E 7.9xFY2026 91.9xFY2027 53.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.07FY2026 $4.37FY2027 $7.95FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.9%FY2026 +13.8%FY2027 +16.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% +16.5% +29.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.64BFY2026 $13.37BFY2027 $3.57BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +12.7%FY2026 +16.5%FY2027 +28.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.2% +12.7% +41.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGENPANWAXON
Held by institutions 89.1% 82.1% 88.7%
Institutions holding 688 2,914 1,118
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.8% +6.6% +8.0%
Institutions buying 391 1,547 667
Institutions selling 211 1,125 324
Buyers to sellers 1.85 1.38 2.06

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.

GENPANWAXON
GEN 1.00 0.40 0.36
PANW 0.40 1.00 0.33
AXON 0.36 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GEN, PANW and AXON?

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Gen Digital (GEN) $14.53B, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) $327.39B, Axon Enterprise (AXON) $34.60B.

Which stock is cheaper, GEN, PANW and AXON?

Gen Digital (GEN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Gen Digital (GEN) 13.8x, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 980.0x, Axon Enterprise (AXON) 172.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Gen Digital (GEN) is cheapest (Gen Digital (GEN) 7.9x, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 91.9x, Axon Enterprise (AXON) 53.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Axon Enterprise (AXON) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Gen Digital (GEN) +20.2%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +24.5%, Axon Enterprise (AXON) +34.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Gen Digital (GEN) has the highest net margin (Gen Digital (GEN) 20.7%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 2.7%, Axon Enterprise (AXON) 6.2%). On return on invested capital, Gen Digital (GEN) leads (Gen Digital (GEN) 13.4%, Axon Enterprise (AXON) 0.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Palo Alto Networks (PANW) returned the most: Gen Digital (GEN) -9.6%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +82.4%, Axon Enterprise (AXON) -43.1%. Over five years, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) compounded fastest (Gen Digital (GEN) -1.4%/yr, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +37.1%/yr, Axon Enterprise (AXON) +19.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Gen Digital (GEN) 2.10%. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and Axon Enterprise (AXON) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Gen Digital (GEN) has been the steadiest (Gen Digital (GEN) 40.3%, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 49.6%, Axon Enterprise (AXON) 61.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Gen Digital (GEN) leads on 7. 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.