Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - InfrastructureSnapshot 2026-10-30
$365.87-3.86%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - InfrastructureSnapshot 2026-10-30
Research Workspace
Put PANW beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Systems Software: fringe margins under pressure (2q confirmed)
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — EPS guidance of $3.77 to $3.79 for FY 2026: Diluted EPS: $-0.35 per share.
View ThesisRevenue growth is accelerating — up about 25% over the past year.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack quality for its industry.
View QualityManagement screens weak on guidance credibility, market reaction to earnings.
View ManagementExpectations look high — the market is pricing in about 52% growth a year, above the roughly 22% analysts expect, leaving little room for error.
View ValuationThis stock is volatile — it swings about 2% on a typical day and fell roughly 36% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskPalo Alto Networks must sustain AI-driven growth to support its sales multiple. Revenue growth accelerated to 34% in fourth-quarter fiscal 2026, with an earnings beat. It trades at 26× sales versus 4× for peers and 25× historically. The market expects more growth than our forecast, leaving expectations full. Its fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.77 to $3.79 faces reported diluted EPS of -$0.35. Our model puts next-quarter miss probability near 17%. Peer multiples imply a price about 52% below where it trades. The thesis is on watch; this read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. PANW is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 56 analysts currently covering PANW (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 32 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for PANW in the last 4 months.
Continue this research
Compare PANW with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PANW Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 9 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-30. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Systems Software — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Our valuation methods disagree too much on this name right now. Rather than print a number we don't believe, we're holding it back until they converge.
Compare the value case
Put PANW next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Achieve 22% to 23% revenue growth for fiscal year 2026
AI-driven demand supports revenue growth objective.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $365.87
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $365.87.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Around the middle on quality vs scored peers
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Advances: Achieve 22% to 23% revenue growth for fiscal year 2026
AI guidance supports revenue growth objectives.
Advances: Achieve non-GAAP operating margin of approximately 29.5% to 30% in fiscal year…
AI defense supports operating margin objective.
Analyst downgrade may impact investor sentiment and valuation.
Advances: Integrate CyberArk acquisition to expand identity security platform
Supports integration of CyberArk for identity security expansion.
Advances: Achieve 22% to 23% revenue growth for fiscal year 2026
Earnings call confirms revenue growth trajectory.
Advances: Integrate CyberArk acquisition to expand identity security platform
Acquisition enhances identity security platform integration.
Threatens: Achieve 22% to 23% revenue growth for fiscal year 2026
Earnings reset indicates potential revenue growth issues.
