Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Competitors

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) and CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Is PANW or CRWD more profitable?

Palo Alto Networks has a net margin of 13.95% compared to CrowdStrike's net margin of -4.17%. Palo Alto Networks' return on equity of 19.48% beat CrowdStrike's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Palo Alto Networks	13.95%	19.48%	5.77%
CrowdStrike	-4.17%	0.43%	0.17%

Does the media refer more to PANW or CRWD?

In the previous week, CrowdStrike had 21 more articles in the media than Palo Alto Networks. MarketBeat recorded 73 mentions for CrowdStrike and 52 mentions for Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks' average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat CrowdStrike's score of 1.16 indicating that Palo Alto Networks is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Palo Alto Networks	45 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
CrowdStrike	55 Very Positive mention(s)	9 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of PANW or CRWD?

79.8% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.2% of CrowdStrike shares are held by institutional investors. 2.5% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.3% of CrowdStrike shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has higher earnings & valuation, PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks has higher revenue and earnings than CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Palo Alto Networks, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Palo Alto Networks	$8.03B	16.74	$2.58B	$1.75	115.14
CrowdStrike	$3.95B	32.39	-$19.27M	-$0.69	-744.59

Do analysts recommend PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus target price of $208.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.23%. CrowdStrike has a consensus target price of $453.88, suggesting a potential downside of 11.66%. Given Palo Alto Networks' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Palo Alto Networks is more favorable than CrowdStrike.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Palo Alto Networks	2 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	27 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60
CrowdStrike	2 Sell rating(s)	15 Hold rating(s)	28 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.58

Which has more risk and volatility, PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CrowdStrike has a beta of 1.16, suggesting that its share price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Palo Alto Networks beats CrowdStrike on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.