NTCT
NetScout Systems, Inc.
NTCT has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PLTR
Palantir Technologies Inc.
PLTR has the edge over NTCT overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
NTCT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
NTCT's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently strong, and its revenue is stable.
PLTR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
PLTR's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
NTCT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 12x | $32.55 | — |
| Current | 18x | $32.55 | — |
| Cheap | 24x | $42.31 | +30% |
| Fair | 43x | $75.24 | +131% |
| Expensive | 111x | $196 | +501% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NTCT 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.
NTCT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for NTCT, 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 |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for PLTR, with profitability improving.
NTCT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.76 | +57% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.76 | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.64 | +59% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.30 | +$6.42 |
| Q4 2025 | $1.33 | +$7.16 |
| Q3 2025 | $1.25 | +$9.62 |
| Q2 2025 | $1.03 | +$9.24 |
| Q1 2025 | -$5.12 | -$3.05 |
| Q4 2024 | -$5.83 | -$4.15 |
NTCT earned $1.76 per share over the past year, up 41% from 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 NTCT on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NTCT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $222.2M | +1.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $210.4M | +13% |
| Q1 2026 | $203M | -1% |
| Q4 2025 | $250.7M | -0.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $219M | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $186.7M | +7% |
| Q1 2025 | $205M | +0.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $252M | +16% |
NTCT's revenue fell from its 2022 peak and has held roughly level since: $222M last quarter, up 1.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 17% | +2.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 6.9% | +10 points |
| Q1 2026 | 9.7% | 0 points |
| Q4 2025 | 26% | +1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 15% | +7.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | -3.5% | +262 points |
| Q1 2025 | 9.7% | +28 points |
| Q4 2024 | 24% | +86 points |
NTCT's operating margin was 17% last quarter, up 2.1 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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 NTCT on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| 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 NTCT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NTCT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$15.8M | -457% |
| Q2 2026 | $47.3M | -34% |
| Q1 2026 | $150.1M | +7.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $59.3M | +50% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.4M | +$9M |
| Q2 2025 | $71.7M | +93% |
| Q1 2025 | $140.1M | +52% |
| Q4 2024 | $39.6M | +211% |
NTCT usually generates cash, though not every quarter: the latest was −$16M, but it generated $241M over the past year.
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 NTCT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NTCT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.9% | -660K shares |
| 1 year | +1.4% | +1M shares |
| 3 years | +1.6% | +1.1M shares |
| 5 years | -1.5% | -1.2M shares |
| Available history | -1% | -763K shares |
NTCT has 74M diluted shares, up 1.4% from a year ago, despite $106M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $77M |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | $29.2M |
| Q4 2025 | $1,000 |
| Q3 2025 | $16.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $15M |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
NTCT spent $106M buying back its own shares over the past year, about three times what it spent 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 the edge over NTCT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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 |
NTCT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -2.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -3.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -3.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -3.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -2.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -3.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2023 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2023 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
NTCT 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.
NTCT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 38.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.1 | Oversold |
NTCT's weekly RSI is 39 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 18 (oversold).
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).
NTCT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | NTCT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18x | 28x | 34% below |
| PE % | 0 | 35 | 35 pts below |
NTCT 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.
NTCT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $37.7 | 14% below |
| 20 week MA | $38.9 | 16% below |
| 50 week MA | $35.0 | 7% below |
| 100 week MA | $29.2 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $26.6 | 22% above |
NTCT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 22% above 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 NTCT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
NTCT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $24.0 | $27.7 | +15% |
| 2021 | $27.7 | $33.2 | +20% |
| 2022 | $33.2 | $32.6 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | $32.6 | $22.0 | -33% |
| 2024 | $22.0 | $21.7 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | $21.7 | $27.9 | +29% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.9 | $32.6 | +17% |
NTCT 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.