Head to head · SEC data as of September 11, 2026
Palo Alto Networks
62
Quality score · out of 100
Fortinet
93
Quality score · out of 100
Fortinet comes in ahead: a quality score of 93 versus 62 for Palo Alto Networks. Fortinet wins on net margin (28.2% vs 2.7%), gross margin (80.2% vs 70.4%) and ROE (136.7% vs 1.1%). Palo Alto Networks answers with less debt (-1.62× vs -0.94×).
| Metric | Palo Alto Networks | Fortinet |
|---|---|---|
| Quality score (0-100) | 62 | 93 |
| Net margin | 2.7% | 28.2% |
| Gross margin | 70.4% | 80.2% |
| ROE | 1.1% | 136.7% |
| Net debt/EBITDA | -1.62× | -0.94× |
| FCF margin | 35.8% | 41.4% |
| Revenue growth (annualized) | 22% | 21.4% |
| Earnings growth (annualized) | -14.5% | 33.4% |
TTM metrics with official SEC data, refreshed daily. Bold green marks the winner of each metric. A dash means the metric doesn't apply or isn't reliable.
Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks is one of the world's cybersecurity leaders. It protects companies from cyberattacks with firewalls, cloud security and AI-based tools. It increasingly sells by subscription, giving it recurring revenue.
Fortinet. Fortinet sells network security: its FortiGate firewalls protect the perimeter of hundreds of thousands of companies, with the twist that it designs its own chips to do it faster and cheaper than rivals.
Open your account in minutes with regulated brokers and buy U.S. and European stocks from small amounts. No paperwork.
The serious investor's standard
Open free account →Anyone who wants low commissions and access to almost any market in the world.
Popular in the U.S.
Open free account →Anyone investing in the U.S. who wants a powerful, commission-free stock app.
Investing carries risk of loss.
What this comparison doesn't tell you
The score measures business quality, not whether the stock is cheap or expensive: the better company can be the worse investment if you overpay. For the valuation verdict, enter each one's current price in the analyzer:
Who has the stronger fundamentals today, Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet?
By the StockSemáforo model (profitability, growth and financial strength, built on official SEC data), Fortinet scores higher: 93 versus 62 out of 100. The score is recomputed nightly with the latest filings.
Does that make Fortinet the better investment?
No. The score measures business quality, not valuation: an excellent company can trade at an excessive price and be a poor investment at that price. To find out whether it's cheap or expensive, enter its current quote in the StockSemáforo analyzer.
Other comparisons
Microsoft vs Apple · Microsoft vs Google · Apple vs Google · Meta vs Google · Oracle vs IBM · See all comparisons →
Who's behind the methodology and model · how the score is computed
Data: official SEC filings (EDGAR) · Recomputed on September 11, 2026
Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Report it and we'll review it.