Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Releases Q1 2027 Earnings Guidance

Posted by George Bondi on Sep 1st, 2026

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) updated its first quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.960-0.980 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.450. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.3 billion-$3.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.2 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its FY 2027 guidance to 4.160-4.190 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PANW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $415.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.87.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock traded down $20.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $362.09. The company had a trading volume of 8,713,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,568,425. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.10 billion, a PE ratio of 296.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $346.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Palo Alto Networks has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $398.88.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Aparna Bawa sold 290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.74, for a total value of $101,134.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,244,839.38. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 37,735 shares of company stock valued at $10,814,266. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

Positive Sentiment: Jefferies expects Palo Alto Networks to exceed consensus forecasts for remaining performance obligations, annual recurring revenue and total revenue, with product growth potentially reaching 18% year over year. Palo Alto Networks set to beat fiscal Q4 metrics, guide above consensus
Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target to $430 from $320 and maintained a “sector outperform” rating, implying continued upside based on its outlook for the cybersecurity provider.
Positive Sentiment: Longer term, rising cyber threats and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence support demand for Palo Alto Networks’ AI-enabled security platforms. Top AI-Powered Security Stocks Worth Buying Amid Rising Cyber Threats
Neutral Sentiment: PANW has climbed about 30% since its prior quarterly results, substantially outperforming the broader software sector. That momentum reflects optimism but also sets a high bar for the upcoming report. Big Software Names Bounced Back in August
Negative Sentiment: A broad software-stock selloff is pressuring Palo Alto Networks despite favorable company-specific developments, suggesting investors are focusing on high valuation multiples and macroeconomic risks rather than fundamentals. CrowdStrike Falls Despite Optiv Milestone, Palo Alto Drops
Negative Sentiment: Investors are also contending with higher oil prices, inflation concerns and rising Treasury yields, all of which can weigh on growth-stock valuations. The company’s results and guidance after the close may therefore determine whether the recent rally can continue. Market Open: Inflation and Treasury Yields

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,736,916 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $6,055,031,000 after purchasing an additional 505,924 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 19,375,486 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $3,568,964,000 after buying an additional 2,065,776 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,528,248 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,532,902,000 after buying an additional 36,511 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,193,015 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,140,753,000 after buying an additional 286,052 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,928,031 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $907,743,000 after buying an additional 214,192 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.