Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for PANW FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Scotiabank lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Palo Alto Networks to $2.02 from $2.14, while keeping a Sector Outperform rating and a $320 price target. The firm also projected FY2027 EPS of $2.11.
• Palo Alto Networks reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79 expected and revenue of $3 billion versus $2.94 billion estimated. Revenue rose 31.1% year over year, and the company guided FY2026 EPS to 3.770–3.790.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 37 Buy ratings and a consensus Moderate Buy rating, alongside an average price target of $306.59. Institutional ownership is also high at 79.82%.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Scotiabank dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Palo Alto Networks in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, June 5th. Scotiabank analyst P. Colville now expects that the network technology company will post earnings per share of $2.02 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.14. Scotiabank has a "Sector Outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Palo Alto Networks' current full-year earnings is $2.12 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for Palo Alto Networks' FY2027 earnings at $2.11 EPS.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on PANW. Arete Research raised shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Palo Alto Networks from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $306.59.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $260.52 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $209.50 and a 200-day moving average of $187.35. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $302.95. The stock has a market cap of $212.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 213.54, a P/E/G ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,103,105. The trade was a 3.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 72,076 shares of company stock valued at $17,930,587. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,415,364,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $3,603,473,000 after buying an additional 3,101,267 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $12,512,533,000 after buying an additional 2,659,100 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1,665.1% in the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 2,761,909 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $442,788,000 after buying an additional 2,605,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 67.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 6,297,833 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $1,009,669,000 after buying an additional 2,528,299 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks recently hit a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, reinforcing that the company has grown far beyond its legacy firewall roots and continues to scale as a cybersecurity platform. Palo Alto Networks Hits $10B Revenue Run Rate Beats S&P 500 Across All Timeframes
• Positive Sentiment: Cybersecurity remains a favored theme as AI adoption grows, with industry commentary suggesting autonomous AI agents will need security protection, which could expand the long-term market for PANW’s products. Zscaler CEO: AI Will Create ‘Billions of Agents' That Need Cybersecurity Protection
• Neutral Sentiment: Northland Securities reiterated a Market Perform view and maintained a $302 price target, while modeling earnings of $0.45 per share for Q1 2027 and $0.48 for Q2 2027, suggesting steady expectations but no major near-term catalyst from the research note. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. market data
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data showed no meaningful change, so it does not appear to be a driver of the stock’s move today.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent post-earnings trading has been pressured by concerns that rising costs are weighing on margins, which is likely a key reason investors have been trimming the stock. PANW Stock Declines 9% Post Q3 Results: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW is a cybersecurity company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The firm develops a broad suite of security products and services designed to prevent successful cyberattacks and protect enterprise networks, clouds, and endpoints. Built around a platform strategy, its offerings target threat prevention, detection, response and governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The company's product portfolio includes next‑generation firewalls as a core on‑premises capability, alongside cloud‑delivered security services and software for securing public and private clouds.

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