Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Competitors

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

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in CRWD or PANW?

71.2% of CrowdStrike shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Palo Alto Networks shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of CrowdStrike shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Palo Alto Networks shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, CRWD or PANW?

CrowdStrike has a beta of 1.19, indicating that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Palo Alto Networks has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, CRWD or PANW?

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
CrowdStrike	$3.95B	30.76	-$19.27M	-$1.19	-407.24
Palo Alto Networks	$9.22B	15.31	$1.13B	$1.60	131.90

Does the media favor CRWD or PANW?

In the previous week, CrowdStrike had 12 more articles in the media than Palo Alto Networks. MarketBeat recorded 71 mentions for CrowdStrike and 59 mentions for Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks' average media sentiment score of 1.49 beat CrowdStrike's score of 1.41 indicating that Palo Alto Networks is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
CrowdStrike	57 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Palo Alto Networks	52 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is CRWD or PANW more profitable?

Palo Alto Networks has a net margin of 12.30% compared to CrowdStrike's net margin of -6.84%. Palo Alto Networks' return on equity of 17.66% beat CrowdStrike's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CrowdStrike	-6.84%	-1.53%	-0.61%
Palo Alto Networks	12.30%	17.66%	5.56%

Do analysts rate CRWD or PANW?

CrowdStrike currently has a consensus price target of $487.11, indicating a potential upside of 0.51%. Palo Alto Networks has a consensus price target of $214.64, indicating a potential upside of 1.71%. Given Palo Alto Networks' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Palo Alto Networks is more favorable than CrowdStrike.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CrowdStrike	2 Sell rating(s)	18 Hold rating(s)	28 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.57
Palo Alto Networks	2 Sell rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	30 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.64

Summary

Palo Alto Networks beats CrowdStrike on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.