Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Palo Alto Networks updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance, projecting earnings per share of 3.750-3.850, higher than the consensus estimate of 3.671, and revenue guidance of $10.5 billion, exceeding the consensus of $10.4 billion.
• Shares of Palo Alto Networks saw a decrease, trading down $0.92 to $176.17, with a trading volume significantly above its average, during a recent trading session.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Palo Alto Networks, with price targets ranging from $177.00 to $235.00, reflecting positive sentiment despite recent insider share sales.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.750-3.850 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.671. The company issued revenue guidance of $10.5 billion-$10.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $10.4 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 0.880-0.900 EPS.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PANW traded down $0.92 during trading on Monday, reaching $176.17. The company had a trading volume of 14,152,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,231,758. Palo Alto Networks has a 52 week low of $144.15 and a 52 week high of $210.39. The business's 50 day moving average price is $192.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.41. The stock has a market cap of $117.47 billion, a PE ratio of 100.67, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The network technology company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Palo Alto Networks's revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $223.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Friday. UBS Group set a $185.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $235.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Northland Securities cut their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $210.00 to $177.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, TD Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and twenty-six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $217.79.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director Aparna Bawa sold 526 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.00, for a total value of $99,940.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,640,080. This trade represents a 5.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nir Zuk sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.80, for a total transaction of $17,280,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,143,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $543,199,564.80. This represents a 3.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 669,248 shares of company stock worth $126,423,337. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 3,275 shares during the period. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 84.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,258 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $394,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.

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