AAPL
Apple Inc.
AAPL offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
CTSH
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
CTSH has the edge over AAPL overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
AAPL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
AAPL's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
CTSH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Strong |
CTSH's profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and cash flow are stable.
AAPL PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 26x | $230 | -35% |
| Fair | 31x | $279 | -21% |
| Expensive | 37x | $328 | -7.5% |
| Forward | 38x | $355 | — |
| Current | 40x | $355 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
AAPL's PE is in its expensive range at 40x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 38x next year's earnings.
CTSH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 10x | $63.75 | — |
| Current | 12x | $63.75 | — |
| Cheap | 14x | $75.47 | +18% |
| Fair | 17x | $92.95 | +46% |
| Expensive | 23x | $128 | +100% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CTSH has the edge over AAPL in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
AAPL Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for AAPL, but weaker profitability.
CTSH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect CTSH's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
AAPL Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.28 | +3.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $8.98 | +20% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.71 | +32% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.26 | +29% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.90 | +25% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.46 | +23% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.59 | +0.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.42 | -0.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.30 | -2% |
AAPL has the edge over CTSH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CTSH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $6.16 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.49 | +27% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.66 | -5.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.61 | -2.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.56 | +1.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.31 | -4.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.92 | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.75 | +14% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.51 | +7.1% |
CTSH earned $5.49 per share over the past year, up 27% from the year before.
AAPL Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $114.5B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $109.4B | +16% |
| Q1 2026 | $111.2B | +17% |
| Q4 2025 | $143.8B | +16% |
| Q3 2025 | $102.5B | +7.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $94B | +9.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $95.4B | +5.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $124.3B | +4% |
AAPL has the edge over CTSH on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 31% | -0.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 33% | +2.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 32% | +1.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 35% | +0.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 32% | +0.5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 30% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 31% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 34% | +0.7 points |
AAPL has the edge over CTSH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CTSH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $5.7B | +4.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.5B | +4.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.4B | +5.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3B | +4.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.4B | +7.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.2B | +8.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.1B | +7.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1B | +6.8% |
CTSH's revenue has grown year over year for nine quarters in a row: $5.7B last quarter, up 4.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | -0.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 16% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 16% | -1.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 16% | +1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 16% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 16% | +1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 17% | +2.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 15% | -0.4 points |
CTSH's operating margin was 15% last quarter, down 0.6 points from the same quarter a year ago.
AAPL Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $25.9B | -2.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $31.9B | +31% |
| Q1 2026 | $26.7B | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $51.6B | +91% |
| Q3 2025 | $26.5B | +11% |
| Q2 2025 | $24.4B | -8.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.9B | +0.9% |
| Q4 2024 | $27B | -28% |
AAPL's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $136B over the past year, up 38% from the year before.
CTSH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $925M | -20% |
| Q2 2026 | $459M | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $198M | -39% |
| Q4 2025 | $781M | -6.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +47% |
| Q2 2025 | $331M | +81% |
| Q1 2025 | $323M | +1919% |
| Q4 2024 | $837M | +27% |
CTSH has the edge over AAPL on cash flow, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
AAPL Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | +5.6M shares |
| 1 year | -1.9% | -284M shares |
| 3 years | -6.9% | -1.1B shares |
| 5 years | -13% | -2.1B shares |
| Available history | -17% | -3.1B shares |
AAPL has 14.7B diluted shares, down 1.9% from a year ago, with $86.4B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $24.3B |
| Q2 2026 | $25.1B |
| Q1 2026 | $12.3B |
| Q4 2025 | $24.7B |
| Q3 2025 | $20.1B |
| Q2 2025 | $21.1B |
| Q1 2025 | $25.9B |
| Q4 2024 | $23.6B |
AAPL spent $86.4B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 4.8% from the year before.
CTSH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -3.4% | -16M shares |
| 1 year | -7.6% | -37M shares |
| 3 years | -11% | -55M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -76M shares |
| Available history | -20% | -110M shares |
CTSH has the edge over AAPL on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $270M |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q1 2026 | $444M |
| Q4 2025 | $338M |
| Q3 2025 | $463M |
| Q2 2025 | $368M |
| Q1 2025 | $209M |
| Q4 2024 | $154M |
CTSH spent $2.2B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 86% from the year before.
AAPL Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.5x | Very low |
AAPL's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
CTSH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
CTSH has the edge over AAPL on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
AAPL Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 68.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 85.0 | Overbought |
AAPL's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 85 (overbought).
CTSH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 57.3 | Neutral |
CTSH's weekly RSI is 55 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 57 (neutral).
AAPL PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | AAPL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 40x | 28x | 42% above |
| PE % | 96 | 35 | 61 pts above |
AAPL is trading at 40x earnings, a 42% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
CTSH PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | CTSH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 28x | 58% below |
| PE % | 3 | 35 | 32 pts below |
CTSH has the edge over AAPL on valuation relative to its sector.
AAPL Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $343.1 | 3.4% above |
| 20 week MA | $329.0 | 7.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $295.6 | 20% above |
| 100 week MA | $262.4 | 35% above |
| 200 week MA | $226.3 | 57% above |
AAPL has the edge over CTSH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CTSH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $63.2 | 1% above |
| 20 week MA | $58.0 | 9.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $62.4 | 2.1% above |
| 100 week MA | $69.0 | 7.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $69.5 | 8.3% below |
CTSH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 8.3% below its 200-week average.
AAPL Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $72.5 | $132.0 | +82% |
| 2021 | $132.0 | $176.3 | +34% |
| 2022 | $176.3 | $131.9 | -25% |
| 2023 | $131.9 | $192.5 | +46% |
| 2024 | $192.5 | $255.6 | +33% |
| 2025 | $255.6 | $273.4 | +7% |
| 2026 YTD | $273.4 | $354.9 | +30% |
AAPL has the edge over CTSH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
CTSH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $62.2 | $81.1 | +30% |
| 2021 | $81.1 | $86.3 | +6.4% |
| 2022 | $86.3 | $56.0 | -35% |
| 2023 | $56.0 | $75.5 | +35% |
| 2024 | $75.5 | $79.2 | +4.9% |
| 2025 | $79.2 | $85.6 | +8% |
| 2026 YTD | $85.6 | $63.8 | -25% |
CTSH has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's down 25% so far in 2026.