Q1 Earnings Estimate for PANW Issued By Northland Securities

Key Points

• Northland Securities raised its Q1 2027 EPS estimate for Palo Alto Networks to $0.52 from $0.45, while forecasting $2.30 in FY2027 EPS and $2.96 in FY2028.
• Palo Alto Networks recently beat quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.02 versus $0.98 expected and revenue of $3.41 billion, up 34.5% year over year.
• Wall Street remains broadly optimistic, with 40 Buy ratings, nine Holds, a “Moderate Buy” consensus, and an average price target of $385.67; however, the stock’s elevated valuation and recent insider selling remain risks.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) - Analysts at Northland Securities lifted their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for Palo Alto Networks in a report issued on Wednesday, September 2nd. Northland Securities analyst N. Chokshi now forecasts that the network technology company will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.45. The consensus estimate for Palo Alto Networks' current full-year earnings is $2.30 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for Palo Alto Networks' Q2 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.96 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. FBN Securities reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Mizuho set a $415.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Truist Financial set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $114.00 to $207.00 in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $245.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Forty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $385.67.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $333.26 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $398.88. The company has a market cap of $271.61 billion, a PE ratio of 653.46, a PEG ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.91. The company's 50-day moving average is $350.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $255.44.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh Paul sold 900 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total transaction of $336,312.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 72,484 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,085,821.12. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Helle Thorning-Schmidt sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.85, for a total transaction of $242,795.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,045,721.30. This trade represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,635 shares of company stock valued at $11,150,578. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical and earnings support: A bullish hammer chart pattern suggests potential near-term support after the recent pullback. Rising earnings estimates and the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter beat—$1.02 in adjusted EPS versus $0.98 expected, with revenue up 34.5% to $3.41 billion—also support the possibility of a rebound. Palo Alto Could Find a Support Soon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: DA Davidson raised its price target to $420, while Susquehanna and BTIG lifted targets to $415 and $404, respectively. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating, adding to a generally bullish Wall Street view. DA Davidson Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term AI opportunity: Analysts and commentary continue to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ expanding cybersecurity platform and products designed to protect enterprises from AI-related threats. The company’s strong growth profile has helped sustain investor interest despite recent volatility. Palo Alto Networks AI Cybersecurity Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector pressure is limiting momentum: Zscaler’s softer fiscal 2027 growth outlook overshadowed its earnings beat and weighed on cybersecurity peers. Palo Alto Networks has been more resilient than some competitors, but sector-wide concerns remain. Zscaler Growth Guidance Pressures Cybersecurity Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: AI acquisition: Palo Alto Networks reportedly paid about $500 million in cash and stock for Console, an AI help-desk automation startup. The deal could broaden its AI capabilities, although integration and valuation risks may limit its immediate stock impact. Palo Alto Networks Console Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and insider sale: PANW’s very high valuation leaves little room for disappointment, while Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul’s sale of 900 shares worth approximately $336,000 adds a minor cautionary signal. However, the sale reduced his holdings by only 1.23%, limiting its significance.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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