Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. HPQ scored 50.4, SMCI scored 72.0 — SMCI leads.
Compare another set
HPQ
HP Inc.
Computer Hardware · Quality-Growth
50.4
$30.20 · $27.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
21.6
SMCI leads
SMCI
Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Computer Hardware · Quality-Growth
72
$41.85 · $27.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthSMCI+77.8%
Highest qualityHPQ84 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueHPQ-40%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
HPQ
stronger →← stronger
SMCI
84
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
52
35
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
98
43
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
74
SMCI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
HPQ
SMCI
$3.9bB
FCF
-$7.0bF
+3.2%C+
Rev
+77.8%A
Negative equity
D/E
0.64C+
11.5xA
P/E
—
3.46D
PEG
0.91B+
—
P/S
0.7xA
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
HPQ
SMCI
40% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~-11%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
+76%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+67%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+55%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
HPQ
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
SMCI
Why this score
Durable high returns
Diluting shareholders
The companies
HPQHP Inc.
Computer Hardware · $30.20 · beta 1.19
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $27.2b. 17% off the 52-week high of $36.23. 17 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $29.66 (implying -2% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 158% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Net margin 4.1% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
SMCISuper Micro Computer, Inc.
Computer Hardware · $41.85 · beta 2.01
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $27.5b. Down 26% from 52-week high of $56.60 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +78% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.91 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $42.27 (implying +1% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$7.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Beta 2.01 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
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 HPQ and SMCI diverge
On the headline score the gap is 21.6 points in favor of SMCI. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthHPQ 35.0 · SMCI 98.2SMCI +63.2
QualityHPQ 84.0 · SMCI 51.6HPQ +32.4
ValueHPQ 43.5 · SMCI 73.8SMCI +30.3
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value 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.
Common questions
Is SMCI or HPQ the better stock?
SMCI scores higher: SMCI 72.0, HPQ 50.4 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do SMCI and HPQ differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where SMCI leads by 63 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are SMCI and HPQ scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.