COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
APLD vs CTSH
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. APLD scored 30.5, CTSH scored 76.8 — CTSH leads.
Compare another set
APLD
Applied Digital Corporation
30.5
$27.21 · $7.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
46.3
CTSH leads
CTSH
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
76.8
$61.87 · $27.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAPLD+167.5%
- Strongest balance sheetCTSH0.14
- Highest qualityCTSH81 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueCTSH-44%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
APLD
stronger →← stronger
CTSH
13
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
81
100
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
70
22
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
81
CTSH is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
APLD
CTSH
-$2.8bF
FCF
$2.5bB
+167.5%A
Rev
+6.5%C+
1.36C
D/E
0.14B+
12.7xC
P/S
—
1.83C+
PEG
0.97B+
—
P/E
13.3xA
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
APLD
CTSH
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
44% below
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-7%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
+64%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+80%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+106%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
APLD
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
CTSH
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
APLDApplied Digital Corporation
Why now
Information Technology Services · market cap $7.7b. Down 46% from 52-week high of $50.73 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +167% — in hypergrowth territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $74.23 (implying +173% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.8b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Currently unprofitable (margin -30.2%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Down 46% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
CTSHCognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
Why now
Information Technology Services · market cap $27.9b. Down 29% from 52-week high of $87.03 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.97 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $63.94 (implying +3% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 111% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where APLD and CTSH diverge
On the headline score the gap is 46.3 points in favor of CTSH. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityAPLD 12.9 · CTSH 80.6CTSH +67.7
- ValueAPLD 22.0 · CTSH 80.7CTSH +58.7
- GrowthAPLD 100.0 · CTSH 69.6APLD +30.4
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.