MQ
Marqeta, Inc.
MQ has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PLTR
Palantir Technologies Inc.
PLTR has the edge over MQ overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
MQ Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MQ's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
PLTR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
PLTR's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
MQ PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 15x | $18.03 | — |
| Forward | 39x | $18.03 | — |
| Cheap | 57x | $71.08 | +294% |
| Fair | 153x | $190 | +953% |
| Expensive | 383x | $474 | +2531% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MQ has the edge over PLTR in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
PLTR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 75x | $172 | — |
| Current | 120x | $172 | — |
| Cheap | 165x | $236 | +37% |
| Fair | 251x | $359 | +109% |
| Expensive | 452x | $646 | +277% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PLTR's PE is in its cheap range at 120x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 75x next year's earnings.
MQ Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MQ, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
PLTR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on the outlook, with more favorable valuation expectations.
MQ Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.47 | -62% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.24 | +$1.56 |
| Q2 2026 | $0.11 | +$0.63 |
| Q1 2026 | $0.04 | -90% |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.12 | -160% |
| Q3 2025 | -$0.32 | -500% |
| Q2 2025 | -$0.52 | -$0.44 |
| Q1 2025 | $0.40 | +$1.84 |
| Q4 2024 | $0.20 | +$1.88 |
MQ has returned to profit: it earned $1.24 per share over the past year, after losing money the year before.
PLTR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.30 | +61% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.43 | +240% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.17 | +290% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.89 | +287% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.63 | +232% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.42 | +110% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.30 | +76% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.23 | +92% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.19 | +111% |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MQ Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $176.2M | +7.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $176M | +17% |
| Q1 2026 | $165.8M | +19% |
| Q4 2025 | $172.1M | +27% |
| Q3 2025 | $163.3M | +28% |
| Q2 2025 | $150.4M | +20% |
| Q1 2025 | $139.1M | +18% |
| Q4 2024 | $135.8M | +14% |
MQ's revenue has grown year over year for nine quarters in a row: $176M last quarter, up 7.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.6% | +9.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 2.1% | +8.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 1.3% | +15 points |
| Q4 2025 | -4.8% | +23 points |
| Q3 2025 | -6.3% | +27 points |
| Q2 2025 | -6.1% | -90 points |
| Q1 2025 | -13% | +29 points |
| Q4 2024 | -28% | +20 points |
MQ's operating margin was 3.6% last quarter, up 9.9 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2020.
PLTR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.3B | +96% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +93% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.6B | +85% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.4B | +70% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +63% |
| Q2 2025 | $1B | +48% |
| Q1 2025 | $883.9M | +39% |
| Q4 2024 | $827.5M | +36% |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 47% | +14 points |
| Q2 2026 | 47% | +20 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +26 points |
| Q4 2025 | 41% | +40 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +18 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +11 points |
| Q1 2025 | 20% | +7.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3% | -9.5 points |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
MQ Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $26M | -70% |
| Q2 2026 | $63M | +416% |
| Q1 2026 | -$4.6M | -153% |
| Q4 2025 | $53.5M | +116% |
| Q3 2025 | $86.4M | +1118% |
| Q2 2025 | $12.2M | -51% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.7M | +$9.5M |
| Q4 2024 | $24.7M | +50% |
MQ generated $138M in free cash flow over the past year, up 4.4% from the year before.
PLTR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B | +139% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B | +126% |
| Q1 2026 | $891.8M | +193% |
| Q4 2025 | $764M | +67% |
| Q3 2025 | $500.9M | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $531.6M | +276% |
| Q1 2025 | $304.1M | +140% |
| Q4 2024 | $457.2M | +54% |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MQ Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1% | -1M shares |
| 1 year | -5.7% | -6.4M shares |
| 3 years | -20% | -26.6M shares |
| 5 years | +80% | +47.1M shares |
| Available history | -12% | -15.1M shares |
MQ has the edge over PLTR on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $11.2M |
| Q2 2026 | $54.7M |
| Q1 2026 | $39.2M |
| Q4 2025 | $96.6M |
| Q3 2025 | $19.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $163.9M |
| Q1 2025 | $111.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $16.7M |
MQ spent $202M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 35% from the year before.
PLTR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +5.2M shares |
| 1 year | +0.1% | +2.9M shares |
| 3 years | +11% | +248M shares |
| 5 years | +31% | +610M shares |
| Available history | +184% | +1.7B shares |
PLTR has 2.6B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $18.6M |
| Q1 2025 | $18M |
| Q4 2024 | $18.6M |
| Q3 2024 | $18.9M |
| Q2 2024 | $17.7M |
| Q1 2024 | $9M |
MQ Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -17.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -33.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -138.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -31.8x | Net Cash |
MQ has the edge over PLTR on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
PLTR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -2.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -6.1x | Net Cash |
PLTR has more cash than debt.
MQ Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 71.8 | Neutral |
MQ's weekly RSI is 54 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 72 (neutral).
PLTR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 51.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 47.4 | Neutral |
PLTR's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 47 (neutral).
MQ PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MQ | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 28x | 48% below |
| PE % | 0 | 43 | 43 pts below |
MQ has the edge over PLTR on valuation relative to its sector.
PLTR PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | PLTR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 120x | 28x | 331% above |
| PE % | 1 | 38 | 37 pts below |
PLTR is trading at 120x earnings, a 331% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
MQ Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $18.0 | 0.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $17.1 | 5.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $17.0 | 6.1% above |
| 100 week MA | $18.1 | 0.3% below |
| 200 week MA | $19.8 | 9% below |
MQ has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 9% below its 200-week average.
PLTR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $185.8 | 7.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $167.6 | 2.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $157.1 | 9.2% above |
| 100 week MA | $143.8 | 19% above |
| 200 week MA | $83.3 | 106% above |
PLTR has the edge over MQ on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
MQ Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $126.0 | $69.8 | -45% |
| 2022 | $69.8 | $24.0 | -66% |
| 2023 | $24.0 | $27.9 | +16% |
| 2024 | $27.9 | $14.6 | -48% |
| 2025 | $14.6 | $19.4 | +33% |
| 2026 YTD | $19.4 | $18.0 | -7.3% |
MQ has the edge over PLTR on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
PLTR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.20 | $27.8 | +202% |
| 2021 | $27.8 | $18.9 | -32% |
| 2022 | $18.9 | $6.29 | -67% |
| 2023 | $6.29 | $17.2 | +173% |
| 2024 | $17.2 | $79.1 | +361% |
| 2025 | $79.1 | $188.7 | +139% |
| 2026 YTD | $188.7 | $171.6 | -9.1% |
PLTR's yearly returns have swung widely, from +361% in 2024 to −67% in 2022. It's down 9.1% so far in 2026.