Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - InfrastructureSnapshot 2026-11-04
$348.04-0.62%
Close 2026-11-04 · 1-day change
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - InfrastructureSnapshot 2026-11-04
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 45% 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 35% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskPalo Alto Networks' AI security engine has to keep compounding to justify the price. Revenue growth is accelerating, with the latest quarter up 34% year over year. The company beat its earnings estimate by 100% in the fourth quarter. It trades at 24 times sales versus a 3.6 times peer median. The market is pricing in more growth than we forecast. The primary pillar is under pressure from weak EPS guidance. Peer multiples imply a price about 45% below where it trades. The thesis is on watch, and this read is provisional.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-11-04. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Trailing returns as of 2026-11-04. 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 Nov 2026).
Based on 32 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for PANW in the last 4 months.
Current $348.04
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $348.04.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
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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 2026-11-04. 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 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.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Systems Software — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put PANW next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Expand AI security and agentic capabilities
CEO warning validates AI security demand and strategic urgency.
Advances: Scale platformization and Next-Generation Security
Survey flags strengthening cybersecurity demand, supporting platform growth, though not PANW-specific.
Advances: Expand AI security and agentic capabilities
Analyst cites intensifying AI-driven cyber demand and raises target, supporting AI security opportunity.
Advances: Grow revenue and Next-Generation Security ARR
Reported demand strength ahead of earnings supports revenue and next-generation security growth.
Advances: Expand AI security and agentic capabilities
Argues AI development creates new security demand, supporting PANW's AI security objective.
Headline cites new AI guidance and capital moves, potentially supporting growth and cash objectives.
Advances: Expand AI security and agentic capabilities
AI-defense demand supports security opportunity, though cited operating margin tempers significance.
Analyst downgrade may impact investor sentiment and valuation.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.