PLTR vs ZS Stock Comparison
Palantir Technologies Inc. vs Zscaler, Inc.
PLTR leads
PLTR leads by 13 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Momentum. Wall Street currently favors ZS on target upside.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support PLTR, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Palantir Technologies Inc.
Zscaler, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors PLTR over ZS, 62 versus 49 as of Sep 2, 2026. PLTR's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and momentum, while ZS holds the stronger value profile. PLTR also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors ZS. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PLTR today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. PLTR lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 13 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Palantir Technologies Inc. and Zscaler, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality30%97 vs 48PLTR +49
- Value30%24 vs 35ZS +11
- Momentum25%72 vs 66PLTR +6
- Risk Resilience15%52 vs 49Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor PLTR. PLTR’s edge is concentrated in quality and momentum; ZS keeps a meaningful value edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
PLTR's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — PLTR and ZS both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
PLTR (Palantir Technologies Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and momentum.
ZS (Zscaler, Inc.): the counter-case, on value, valuation, analyst expectations.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
PLTRPLTR on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
ZSZS on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
ZSZS on the peer-relative Value factor, by 11 points.
Momentum
PLTRPLTR on the Momentum factor, by 6 points.
Lower downside
ZSZS carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.
Analyst upside
ZSZS on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors PLTR, analyst targets favor ZS. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | PLTR | ZS | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +4% | +9.8% | ZS has more room |
| Target dispersion | +77% | +45.1% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 12 | 24 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PLTR. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | PLTR | 62 vs 49 |
| Fundamentals | PLTRon balance | revenue growth 18.6% vs 4.3%; EPS growth 22.2% vs 57.1%; ROE 37.5% vs -3.7%; gross margin 84.8% vs 76.7%; operating margin 42.8% vs -4.7% — PLTR takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | ZS | Value 24 vs 35 |
| Technicals | PLTR | Price vs 50-day 16.2% vs 9.3%; vs 200-day 23% vs 6% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 52 vs 49 |
| Analyst expectations | ZS | Target upside 4% vs 9.8% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of PLTR and ZS and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is wide at 13 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on PLTR.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 – Sep 1PLTR lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 13 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- PLTR +13
- 62 vs 49
- 7 sessions ago
- PLTR +13
- 62 vs 49
- 30 sessions ago
- PLTR +14
- 67 vs 53
- 90 sessions ago
- PLTR +5
- 48 vs 43
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on May 19 when PLTR moved ahead of ZS.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (4.45%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (4.00%)
0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (11.49%)
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (4.65%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
PLTR leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -6.39%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -3.77%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1ZS closes the Quality gap — currently 49 points behind, the largest single contributor to PLTR's edge.
- 2ZS's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3PLTR's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
PLTR leads on balance| Metric | PLTR | ZS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 18.6% | 4.3% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 22.2% | 57.1% |
| Gross margin | 84.8% | 76.7% |
| Operating margin | 42.8% | -4.7% |
| Return on equity | 37.5% | -3.7% |
| Debt to equity | 0.02 | 0.79 |
Technicals
PLTR has the stronger structure| Metric | PLTR | ZS |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 61.2 | 56.5 |
| ADX (14) | 34.9 | 27.4 |
| Price vs 50-day | 16.2% | 9.3% |
| Price vs 200-day | 23% | 6% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 114% | 60.2% |
Risk
Split| Metric | PLTR | ZS |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.93 | 0.99 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.5 | -0.36 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.84 | -0.4 |
| Max drawdown | -48.2% | -64.9% |
| Current drawdown | -10% | -44% |
| Annualized volatility | 60% | 62.7% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -6.1% | -5.7% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, PLTR or ZS?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, PLTR is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 62 against ZS's 49. The edge comes from quality and momentum. ZS is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is PLTR or ZS the better buy right now?
PLTR carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor PLTR over ZS?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. PLTR leads Quality by 49 points; ZS leads Value by 11 points; PLTR leads Momentum by 6 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, PLTR or ZS?
Analyst price targets imply +4% upside for PLTR and +9.8% for ZS, so the Street currently favors ZS. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors PLTR. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, PLTR or ZS?
ZS is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. ZS on the peer-relative Value factor, by 11 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, PLTR or ZS?
ZS on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, PLTR or ZS?
PLTR on the Momentum factor, by 6 points. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, PLTR or ZS?
ZS is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. ZS carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is PLTR more profitable than ZS?
PLTR leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 84.8% vs 76.7%; operating margin 42.8% vs -4.7%; roe 37.5% vs -3.7%.
Is PLTR's lead over ZS getting stronger or weaker?
PLTR lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 13 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-01. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-05-19, when PLTR moved ahead of ZS.
What would change the PLTR vs ZS verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: ZS closes the Quality gap — currently 49 points behind, the largest single contributor to PLTR's edge; ZS's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; PLTR's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about PLTR and ZS?
PLTR: 2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. ZS: 0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on PLTR is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On ZS it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare PLTR and ZS with others
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.