AAPL
Apple Inc.
AAPL has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
MLAB
Mesa Laboratories, Inc.
MLAB 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.
MLAB Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy |
MLAB's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is 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.
MLAB PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 12x | $135 | — |
| Current | 118x | $135 | — |
| Cheap | 142x | $163 | +20% |
| Fair | 301x | $346 | +156% |
| Expensive | 570x | $656 | +385% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MLAB 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.
MLAB Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect MLAB'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 earned $8.98 per share over the past year, up 20% from the year before.
MLAB Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $11.01 | +858% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.15 | +$1.46 |
| Q2 2026 | $0.85 | +$0.98 |
| Q1 2026 | $1.21 | +$1.57 |
| Q4 2025 | $0.65 | +$46.97 |
| Q3 2025 | -$0.31 | +$45.31 |
| Q2 2025 | -$0.13 | +$46.35 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.36 | +$46.84 |
| Q4 2024 | -$46.32 | -25833% |
MLAB has the edge over AAPL on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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 MLAB 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 MLAB on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
MLAB Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $62.3M | +2.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $60.1M | +1% |
| Q1 2026 | $63.7M | +2.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $65.1M | +3.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $60.7M | +5% |
| Q2 2025 | $59.5M | +2.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $62.1M | +5.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $62.8M | +18% |
MLAB's revenue has grown year over year for 11 quarters in a row: $62M last quarter, up 2.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | +5.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 12% | +6.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 4.3% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 12% | +3.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.8% | +1.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.2% | -4.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 2.4% | +463 points |
| Q4 2024 | 9.2% | +9.3 points |
MLAB's operating margin was 13% last quarter, up 5.7 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
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.
MLAB Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.7M | -48% |
| Q2 2026 | $14.2M | +1504% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.5M | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $18M | +2.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.1M | +105% |
| Q2 2025 | $884K | -91% |
| Q1 2025 | $11.9M | -3.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $17.6M | +69% |
MLAB 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 the edge over MLAB on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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.
MLAB Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.1% | +3K shares |
| 1 year | +4.1% | +225K shares |
| 3 years | +6.9% | +373K shares |
| 5 years | +7.8% | +416K shares |
| Available history | +32% | +1.4M shares |
MLAB has 6M diluted shares, up 4.1% from a year ago.
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 has the edge over MLAB on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MLAB Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q3 2023 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
MLAB's net debt is about 1.4 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 1.2 years a year ago.
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).
MLAB Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 64.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 72.9 | Neutral |
MLAB's weekly RSI is 65 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 73 (neutral).
AAPL PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | AAPL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 40x | 28x | 42% above |
| PE % | 96 | 35 | 61 pts above |
AAPL has the edge over MLAB on valuation relative to its sector.
MLAB PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MLAB | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 118x | 28x | 322% above |
| PE % | 12 | 35 | 23 pts below |
MLAB is trading at 118x earnings, a 322% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
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 is in an uptrend: it's above all five of its weekly moving averages, and 57% above its 200-week average.
MLAB Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $129.6 | 4.4% above |
| 20 week MA | $118.6 | 14% above |
| 50 week MA | $102.2 | 32% above |
| 100 week MA | $101.9 | 33% above |
| 200 week MA | $112.8 | 20% above |
MLAB has climbed back above all five of its weekly moving averages, and it's now 20% above 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 finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 30% so far in 2026.
MLAB Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $247.3 | $284.8 | +15% |
| 2021 | $284.8 | $328.9 | +15% |
| 2022 | $328.9 | $162.8 | -50% |
| 2023 | $162.8 | $104.8 | -36% |
| 2024 | $104.8 | $133.1 | +27% |
| 2025 | $133.1 | $80.5 | -40% |
| 2026 YTD | $80.5 | $135.2 | +68% |
MLAB has the edge over AAPL on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.