16 companies · median 21 of 36 checks · prices as of 2026-10-23
Computer and machinery stocks.
Sorted by how many checks each one passes. Sort by any column to see who is cheapest, who is growing, or who has the strongest balance sheet - and how that compares with what is normal for the industry.
Ranked by checks passed
16 companies in this sector→The computer and machinery companies we cover are not one trade: Fortinet (FTNT) passes 28 of its 36 checks and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) passes 16, with a median of 21.
→AAPL, CSCO, CAT are 73% of the $7.98T we cover here, so a sector average says more about them than about the rest.
| Save | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FortinetFTNTSells firewalls and network security hardware and software.Report | +4.0% | +112.6% | 0 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 28/36 | |
 AppleAAPLSells iPhones and the software, services and accessories that live around them.Report | -0.1% | +35.0% | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 26/36 | |
 Arista NetworksANETSells high-speed network switches and software to cloud providers and AI data centers.Report | +0.8% | +17.6% | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 24/36 | |
 SandiskSNDKMakes NAND flash memory and solid-state drives for data centers, PCs and phones.Report | -1.8% | +742.5% | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 24/36 | |
 Lam ResearchLRCXMakes the etch and deposition equipment that memory and logic chipmakers depend on.Report | -0.0% | +63.7% | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 23/36 | |
 Western DigitalWDCMakes hard drives for cloud data centers, after spinning off its flash business as Sandisk.Report | -3.0% | +185.8% | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 23/36 | |
 CaterpillarCATMakes construction and mining machinery, engines and power generators.Report | -2.4% | +34.5% | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 22/36 | |
 IBMIBMSells enterprise software, consulting and mainframes, with Red Hat at the center of its cloud push.Report | +0.6% | -9.5% | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 22/36 | |
 CiscoCSCOSells the networking gear that runs corporate networks, plus security and observability software.Report | +1.5% | +53.5% | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 20/36 | |
 HPHPQSells PCs and printers, and the ink and toner that make the printers profitable.Report | -0.4% | +27.8% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 19/36 | |
 Seagate TechnologySTXMakes hard drives, now mostly high-capacity drives for cloud data centers.Report | -1.8% | +194.9% | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 18/36 | |
 Palo Alto NetworksPANWSells firewalls and cloud security software to large organizations.Report | +7.2% | +79.1% | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 17/36 | |
 Dell TechnologiesDELLSells PCs, servers and storage to businesses, now including AI servers built on Nvidia GPUs.Report | +0.8% | +207.2% | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 17/36 | |
 BWX TechnologiesBWXTBuilds the nuclear reactors in US Navy submarines and carriers, plus nuclear fuel and components.Report | -0.1% | -33.1% | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 17/36 | |
 DeereDEMakes tractors, combines and construction equipment, and finances their purchase.Report | +0.4% | +41.3% | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 16/36 | |
 Super Micro ComputerSMCIBuilds servers and racks for AI data centers, mostly around Nvidia GPUs.Report | -2.3% | -37.3% | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16/36 |
The filings behind this table close between 2026-06-27 and 2026-10-02, because these companies do not share a fiscal calendar; prices are the close of 2026-10-23. Each name links to its full report; every score is a count of pass-or-fail checks read from that company's own filings.
Where the sector falls short
median score per axis→Value is where the computer and machinery companies we cover come up short most often, at a median of 1 of 6, while Quality runs at 5.5.
| Value | ●○○○○○ | 1 of 6 |
| Growth | ●●●●●○ | 5 of 6 |
| Quality | ●●●●●● | 6 of 6 |
| Financial health | ●●●●●○ | 5 of 6 |
| Shareholder returns | ●●●●○○ | 4 of 6 |
| Trend | ●○○○○○ | 1 of 6 |
What a normal margin looks like here
sector percentiles · 94 filers→Gross margin clusters among computer and machinery companies, from 30% to 43% across the middle of the field, with a midpoint of 37% measured over 94 filers.
| Metric | Bottom third | Midpoint | Top third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin n=94 | 30.1% | 37.2% | 43.5% |
| Operating margin n=117 | 4.7% | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| Net margin n=126 | 2.3% | 7.0% | 10.8% |
| Return on equity n=111 | 2.5% | 9.1% | 15.6% |
Who grows, and who keeps it
every company in the industry→AAPL, LRCX, ANET, FTNT do both: growing faster than this industry's middle and keeping more of each sale than it does. The industry's middle is 6% growth on a 14% margin. HPQ does neither.
A year of price
not a fact about the business→13 of 16 are up over twelve months and the median move is +47.4% - Sandisk (SNDK) at +742.5% against Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at -37.3%. Price is not a fact about a business, and the Trend chapter of each report says what it is measured on.
Head to head
3 pairsThe table above gives the order. These put two of them in one column each, so you can see where the difference actually is.