AAPL
Apple Inc.
AAPL has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PAYC
Paycom Software, Inc.
PAYC 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.
PAYC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy |
PAYC's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
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.
PAYC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 17x | $249 | — |
| Cheap | 21x | $216 | -13% |
| Current | 24x | $249 | — |
| Fair | 57x | $591 | +138% |
| Expensive | 127x | $1,325 | +433% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PAYC 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.
PAYC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
PAYC has the edge over AAPL on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and profitability expectations.
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 PAYC on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
PAYC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $14.94 | +43% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.43 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.40 | +27% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.64 | +23% |
| Q4 2025 | $8.08 | -9.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.06 | -2.8% |
| Q2 2025 | $7.41 | -11% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.03 | -14% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.92 | +52% |
PAYC earned $10.43 per share over the past year, up 29% 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 PAYC 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's operating margin was 31% last quarter, down 0.5 points from the same quarter a year ago.
PAYC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $543.8M | +10% |
| Q2 2026 | $531.2M | +9.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $571.9M | +7.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $544.3M | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $493.3M | +9.2% |
| Q2 2025 | $483.6M | +11% |
| Q1 2025 | $530.5M | +6.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $493.9M | +14% |
PAYC's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $544M last quarter, up 10% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 36% | +13 points |
| Q2 2026 | 32% | +8.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 37% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 29% | -1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 23% | -0.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 23% | +1.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 35% | -22 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +5.5 points |
PAYC has the edge over AAPL on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
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.
PAYC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $163.8M | +105% |
| Q2 2026 | $190.1M | +213% |
| Q1 2026 | $182.6M | +26% |
| Q4 2025 | $122.6M | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $79.8M | +79% |
| Q2 2025 | $60.8M | -30% |
| Q1 2025 | $144.8M | +43% |
| Q4 2024 | $109M | +41% |
PAYC has the edge over AAPL on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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.
PAYC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -3.1% | -1.4M shares |
| 1 year | -21% | -11.9M shares |
| 3 years | -23% | -13.5M shares |
| 5 years | -24% | -13.7M shares |
| Available history | -24% | -13.9M shares |
PAYC has the edge over AAPL on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2M |
| Q2 2026 | $335.4M |
| Q1 2026 | $1.1B |
| Q4 2025 | $106.6M |
| Q4 2024 | $1,000 |
| Q3 2024 | $42M |
| Q4 2023 | $211.6M |
| Q4 2022 | — |
PAYC spent $1.5B buying back its own shares over the past year.
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 PAYC on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
PAYC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
PAYC's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA), after holding more cash than debt 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).
PAYC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 63.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 73.3 | Neutral |
PAYC's weekly RSI is 64 (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 is trading at 40x earnings, a 42% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
PAYC PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | PAYC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 28x | 14% below |
| PE % | 20 | 35 | 15 pts below |
PAYC 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 is in an uptrend: it's above all five of its weekly moving averages, and 57% above its 200-week average.
PAYC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $243.8 | 2.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $213.2 | 17% above |
| 50 week MA | $167.3 | 49% above |
| 100 week MA | $191.7 | 30% above |
| 200 week MA | $209.8 | 19% above |
PAYC has climbed back above all five of its weekly moving averages, and it's now 19% 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.
PAYC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $268.9 | $462.1 | +72% |
| 2021 | $462.1 | $423.8 | -8.3% |
| 2022 | $423.8 | $305.2 | -28% |
| 2023 | $305.2 | $206.7 | -32% |
| 2024 | $206.7 | $206.7 | 0% |
| 2025 | $206.7 | $160.4 | -22% |
| 2026 YTD | $160.4 | $248.8 | +55% |
PAYC has the edge over AAPL on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.