Which is better, ATEN or FOUR?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, A10 Networks, Inc. (ATEN) currently grades higher than FOUR — 75/100 (B grade) vs 48/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — ATEN wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; FOUR wins on Peter Lynch. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy ATEN or FOUR?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both ATEN and FOUR are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is ATEN better than FOUR for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, ATEN currently grades higher — 75/100 vs 48/100, a 27-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between ATEN and FOUR on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). ATEN currently scores 75/100 (B grade); FOUR scores 48/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, ATEN or FOUR?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. ATEN and FOUR are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, ATEN or FOUR?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are ATEN and FOUR both Technology stocks?

Yes — both A10 Networks, Inc. (ATEN) and Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR) operate in the Technology sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this ATEN vs FOUR comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

A10 Networks

Shift4 Payments

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

ATEN

A10 Networks

Market cap

$2.04B

Sector

Technology

FOUR

Shift4 Payments

Market cap

$3.79B

Sector

Technology

Overall winner

A10 Networks ATEN

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATEN	FOUR	Winner
Warren Buffett	75B	48D	ATEN
Benjamin Graham	92A	51D	ATEN
Philip Fisher	58C	50C	ATEN
Peter Lynch	27F	78C	FOUR
Joel Greenblatt	52C	33F	ATEN
Charlie Munger	74C	42D	ATEN
Terry Smith	70B	33F	ATEN

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATEN	FOUR
Market cap	$2.04B	$3.79B
P/E (TTM)	43.9x	30.3x
EV/EBIT	45.2x	22.6x
ROIC (TTM)	8.15%	4.31%
Gross margin	79.5%	35.11%
Net margin	14.9%	2.29%
Revenue CAGR 5y	3.83%	32.22%
EPS CAGR 5y	-17.13%	-
Debt / Equity	1.0x	2.8x
Dividend yield	0.88%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

ATEN leads on

Dividend yield0.88%vs 0.0%+100%
Net margin14.9%vs 2.29%+85%
Debt / Equity1.0xvs 2.8x+64%
Gross margin79.5%vs 35.11%+56%

FOUR leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y32.22%vs 3.83%+88%
EV/EBIT22.6xvs 45.2x+50%
Market cap$3.79Bvs $2.04B+46%
P/E (TTM)30.3xvs 43.9x+31%

More like ATEN

ATEN vs LRCX ATEN vs ADBE ATEN vs AMAT ATEN vs KARO ATEN vs ANET ATEN vs KLAC

More like FOUR

FOUR vs LRCX FOUR vs ADBE FOUR vs AMAT FOUR vs KARO FOUR vs ANET FOUR vs KLAC

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ATEN Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for FOUR

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

A10 Networks

Shift4 Payments

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

ATEN

A10 Networks

Market cap

$2.04B

Sector

Technology

FOUR

Shift4 Payments

Market cap

$3.79B

Sector

Technology

Overall winner

A10 Networks ATEN

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATEN	FOUR	Winner
Warren Buffett	75B	48D	ATEN
Benjamin Graham	92A	51D	ATEN
Philip Fisher	58C	50C	ATEN
Peter Lynch	27F	78C	FOUR
Joel Greenblatt	52C	33F	ATEN
Charlie Munger	74C	42D	ATEN
Terry Smith	70B	33F	ATEN

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATEN	FOUR
Market cap	$2.04B	$3.79B
P/E (TTM)	43.9x	30.3x
EV/EBIT	45.2x	22.6x
ROIC (TTM)	8.15%	4.31%
Gross margin	79.5%	35.11%
Net margin	14.9%	2.29%
Revenue CAGR 5y	3.83%	32.22%
EPS CAGR 5y	-17.13%	-
Debt / Equity	1.0x	2.8x
Dividend yield	0.88%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

ATEN leads on

Dividend yield0.88%vs 0.0%+100%
Net margin14.9%vs 2.29%+85%
Debt / Equity1.0xvs 2.8x+64%
Gross margin79.5%vs 35.11%+56%

FOUR leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y32.22%vs 3.83%+88%
EV/EBIT22.6xvs 45.2x+50%
Market cap$3.79Bvs $2.04B+46%
P/E (TTM)30.3xvs 43.9x+31%

More like ATEN

ATEN vs LRCX ATEN vs ADBE ATEN vs AMAT ATEN vs KARO ATEN vs ANET ATEN vs KLAC

More like FOUR

FOUR vs LRCX FOUR vs ADBE FOUR vs AMAT FOUR vs KARO FOUR vs ANET FOUR vs KLAC

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ATEN Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for FOUR

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.