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

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 3.800-3.900 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 3.130. The company issued revenue guidance of $10.5 billion-$10.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $10.5 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 0.930-0.950 EPS.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $199.90. 6,490,998 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,131,737. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $209.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $197.42. The firm has a market cap of $136.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 124.55, a PEG ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.95. Palo Alto Networks has a 52-week low of $144.15 and a 52-week high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.66% and a net margin of 12.30%. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-3.900 EPS. Q2 2026 guidance at 0.930-0.950 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $223.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Twenty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.97, for a total value of $153,979.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 47,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,449,674.85. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 846,408 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.06, for a total transaction of $172,718,016.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 275,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,119,152.78. The trade was a 75.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,215,830 shares of company stock worth $249,160,428. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 21.0% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 5,009 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $467,000. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 15.4% during the third quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,086 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Apexium Financial LP raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 10.0% during the third quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 2,450 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 9.1% in the third quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 2,498 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.