AAPL
Apple Inc.
AAPL offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
VRSN
VeriSign, Inc.
VRSN has the edge over AAPL overall, supported by stronger valuation and lower modeled downside.
AAPL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
AAPL's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
VRSN Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
VRSN's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently strong, 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.
VRSN PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 25x | $228 | -27% |
| Forward | 29x | $312 | — |
| Fair | 30x | $282 | -9.6% |
| Current | 34x | $312 | — |
| Expensive | 35x | $326 | +4.3% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRSN 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.
VRSN Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
VRSN 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 earned $8.98 per share over the past year, up 20% from the year before.
VRSN Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.86 | +17% |
| Q3 2026 | $9.30 | +8.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.22 | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.05 | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $8.81 | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.58 | 0% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.38 | +0.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.18 | +0.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.00 | +1.3% |
VRSN earned $9.30 per share over the past year, up 8.4% 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 VRSN 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.
VRSN Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $443M | +5.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $434.6M | +6% |
| Q1 2026 | $428.9M | +6.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $425.3M | +7.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $419.1M | +7.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $409.9M | +5.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $402.3M | +4.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $395.4M | +3.9% |
VRSN's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $443M last quarter, up 5.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 67% | -0.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 68% | -0.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 68% | +1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 67% | +0.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 68% | -1.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 68% | -0.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 67% | 0 points |
| Q4 2024 | 67% | -0.7 points |
VRSN 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.
VRSN Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $260.7M | -14% |
| Q2 2026 | $212.8M | +9.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $265.2M | -7.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $285.1M | +28% |
| Q3 2025 | $303M | +22% |
| Q2 2025 | $194.7M | +29% |
| Q1 2025 | $285.5M | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $222M | +11% |
VRSN 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.
VRSN Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.8% | -700K shares |
| 1 year | -3.4% | -3.2M shares |
| 3 years | -12% | -12.6M shares |
| 5 years | -19% | -21.4M shares |
| Available history | -24% | -28.6M shares |
VRSN has the edge over AAPL on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $193.2M |
| Q2 2026 | $201.4M |
| Q1 2026 | $225.4M |
| Q4 2025 | $254.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $218.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $166.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $241.7M |
| Q4 2024 | $262.3M |
VRSN spent $874M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 1.7% 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).
VRSN Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 1.5x | Healthy |
VRSN 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).
VRSN Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 63.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 78.0 | Neutral |
VRSN's weekly RSI is 64 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 78 (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.
VRSN PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | VRSN | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 34x | 28x | 21% above |
| PE % | 74 | 35 | 39 pts above |
VRSN 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.
VRSN Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $301.3 | 3.7% above |
| 20 week MA | $291.3 | 7.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $270.2 | 16% above |
| 100 week MA | $263.2 | 19% above |
| 200 week MA | $230.6 | 36% above |
VRSN is in an uptrend: it's above all five of its weekly moving averages, and 36% 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 the edge over VRSN on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
VRSN Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $194.1 | $214.6 | +11% |
| 2021 | $214.6 | $249.6 | +16% |
| 2022 | $249.6 | $203.7 | -18% |
| 2023 | $203.7 | $206.0 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $206.0 | $204.0 | -1% |
| 2025 | $204.0 | $246.3 | +21% |
| 2026 YTD | $246.3 | $312.5 | +27% |
VRSN has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's up 27% so far in 2026.