TSLA vs PANW Stock Comparison

Tesla, Inc. vs Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Data as of Sep 2, 2026· market close· Cross-sector · Consumer Cyclical vs Technology· Coverage 54/66 fields· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 2/10

PANW leads

PANW leads by 1 AIQ points, primarily on Quality, but the lead has narrowed from 22 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors TSLA on target upside.

Fragile: 2 of 6 evidence groups support PANW, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 2 of 6Comparison trend: Weakening
TSLA

Tesla, Inc.

AIQ Score
47/100
AIQ Edge Score
5/10
PANW

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Leads
AIQ Score
48/100
AIQ Edge Score
4/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors PANW over TSLA, 48 versus 47 as of Sep 2, 2026. PANW's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality, while TSLA holds the stronger momentum profile. PANW also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors TSLA. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PANW today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. PANW lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 22 to 1 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Tesla, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, 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.

TSLA advantage
0
PANW advantage
  • Quality30%41 vs 65
    PANW +24
  • Momentum25%82 vs 58
    TSLA +24
  • Risk Resilience15%47 vs 45
    Even
  • Value30%24 vs 24
    Even

2 of 6 evidence groups favor PANW. PANW’s edge is concentrated in quality; TSLA keeps a meaningful momentum edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.

TSLA0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

PANW0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

PANW's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — TSLA and PANW both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

PANW (Palo Alto Networks, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality.

TSLA (Tesla, Inc.): the counter-case, on momentum, 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

PANW

PANW on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.

Growth

TSLA

TSLA on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

Even

The two are level on Value.

Momentum

TSLA

TSLA on the Momentum factor, by 24 points.

Lower downside

TSLA

TSLA carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.

Analyst upside

TSLA

TSLA on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors PANW, analyst targets favor TSLA. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureTSLAPANWNote
Implied upside to target+23.7%+6.5%TSLA has more room
Target dispersion+31%+75.6%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusHoldBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering1232Higher 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

2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PANW. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven47 vs 48
FundamentalsPANWon balancerevenue growth 26.1% vs 15.7%; EPS growth 126.7% vs -147.5%; ROE 4.6% vs 6.3%; gross margin 18.9% vs 71.9%; operating margin 4.2% vs 9.6% — PANW takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationEvenValue 24 vs 24
TechnicalsPANWPrice vs 50-day -1.5% vs -6.4%; vs 200-day -8.1% vs 65.9%
Risk ResilienceEvenRisk Resilience 47 vs 45
Analyst expectationsTSLATarget upside 23.7% vs 6.5%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of TSLA and PANW and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The lead has swung materially session to session. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • 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 PANW.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 Sep 1

PANW lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 22 to 1 points over 30 sessions.

Apr 20TSLA leads above the line · PANW leads belowSep 1
Today
PANW +1
47 vs 48
7 sessions ago
PANW +3
44 vs 47
30 sessions ago
PANW +22
34 vs 56
90 sessions ago
PANW +21
32 vs 53

The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Aug 27 when PANW moved ahead of TSLA.

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.

TSLAConflicted

1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (11.32%)
  • BB Upper Band Breach bearish, volatility, short horizon
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.72%)
PANWConflicted

3 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (49.87%)
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon
  • Uptrend Structure Active bullish, trend, long horizon

PANW 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.

TSLANo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.5%, AIQ 0 points).

PANWNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -10.75%, 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.

  1. 1TSLA closes the Quality gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to PANW's edge.
  2. 2TSLA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3PANW's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 21 points over 30 sessions, and a further 1-point move would eliminate PANW's advantage entirely.

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

PANW leads on balance
MetricTSLAPANW
Revenue growth (YoY)26.1%15.7%
EPS growth (YoY)126.7%-147.5%
Gross margin18.9%71.9%
Operating margin4.2%9.6%
Return on equity4.6%6.3%
Debt to equity0.110.07

Technicals

PANW has the stronger structure
MetricTSLAPANW
RSI (14)6549.4
ADX (14)20.422.7
Price vs 50-day-1.5%-6.4%
Price vs 200-day-8.1%65.9%
Volatility (1M, annualized)41.1%62.7%

Risk

Split
MetricTSLAPANW
Beta2.261.34
Sharpe ratio0.281.71
Sortino ratio0.442.82
Max drawdown-39.1%-36%
Current drawdown-24.9%-3.5%
Annualized volatility47.1%43.9%
Value at risk (95%)-4.5%-4%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, TSLA or PANW?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, PANW is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 48 against TSLA's 47. The edge comes from quality. TSLA is not without a case — it holds the better momentum 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 TSLA or PANW the better buy right now?

PANW carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor PANW over TSLA?

The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. PANW leads Quality by 24 points; TSLA leads Momentum by 24 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, TSLA or PANW?

Analyst price targets imply +23.7% upside for TSLA and +6.5% for PANW, so the Street currently favors TSLA. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors PANW. 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, TSLA or PANW?

Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. 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, TSLA or PANW?

TSLA 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, TSLA or PANW?

TSLA on the Momentum factor, by 24 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, TSLA or PANW?

TSLA is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. TSLA 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 TSLA more profitable than PANW?

PANW leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 18.9% vs 71.9%; operating margin 4.2% vs 9.6%; roe 4.6% vs 6.3%.

Is PANW's lead over TSLA getting stronger or weaker?

PANW lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 22 to 1 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 2026-08-27, when PANW moved ahead of TSLA.

What would change the TSLA vs PANW verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: TSLA closes the Quality gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to PANW's edge; TSLA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; PANW's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 21 points over 30 sessions, and a further 1-point move would eliminate PANW's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about TSLA and PANW?

TSLA: 1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. PANW: 3 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. 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 TSLA is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On PANW it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare TSLA and PANW 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.