Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Updates Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Palo Alto Networks raised its Q4 2026 guidance, forecasting EPS of 0.960–0.980 versus the consensus estimate of 0.530. It also guided revenue to $3.3 billion–$3.4 billion, roughly in line with expectations.
• The company also updated FY 2026 EPS guidance to 3.770–3.790, signaling stronger full-year profitability outlook.
• Despite the upbeat guidance and a recent earnings beat, PANW shares fell 1.1% in Tuesday trading, even as the stock has been trading near its 52-week high.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.960-0.980 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.530. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.3 billion-$3.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.3 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.770-3.790 EPS.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 1.1%

PANW traded down $3.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $297.06. The company had a trading volume of 13,667,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,217,452. The business has a 50-day moving average of $195.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.31. The company has a market cap of $242.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 164.12, a P/E/G ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $302.95.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PANW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Berenberg Bank set a $290.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $238.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,103,105. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks beat analyst estimates with fiscal Q3 EPS of $0.85 versus $0.81 expected, and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion anticipated, which supports the stock’s move higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s latest results add credibility to the company’s position as a leading cybersecurity platform, with strong profitability metrics including a 12.96% net margin and 17.60% return on equity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several pre-earnings reports and analyst notes were bullish, including price-target hikes from JPMorgan and Baird to $300, signaling confidence that the stock can sustain its premium valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News flow around AI-driven cybersecurity demand and Palo Alto’s acquisition of Portkey have reinforced the investment case that the company can benefit as enterprises spend more on securing AI infrastructure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary has highlighted cybersecurity as a strong theme into earnings, but this backdrop is more of a supportive industry trend than a direct company-specific catalyst. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. PGIM Custom Harvest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. PGIM Custom Harvest LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. GWN Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. GWN Securities Inc. now owns 1,224 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 2,237 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

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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