Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

NasdaqGS:PANW Stock Report

Market Cap: US$149.0b

Palo Alto Networks Future Growth

Future criteria checks 5/6

Palo Alto Networks is forecast to grow earnings and revenue by 21.3% and 14.6% per annum respectively. EPS is expected to grow by 16.2% per annum. Return on equity is forecast to be 29% in 3 years.

Key information

21.3%

Earnings growth rate

16.23%

EPS growth rate

Software earnings growth19.3%
Revenue growth rate14.6%
Future return on equity28.97%
Analyst coverage

Good

Last updated06 May 2026

Recent future growth updates

Recent updates

Narrative Update • Apr 25

PANW: AI Security Enforcement And CEO Share Buying Will Drive Repricing

The analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has been adjusted slightly higher to $206.14, with analysts pointing to fresh bullish coverage, CEO share purchases, and views that recent AI related cybersecurity volatility and multiple compression have pushed expectations to more conservative levels. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Palo Alto Networks reflects active debate around how to value the business after sector wide volatility tied to AI and cybersecurity headlines.
Seeking Alpha • Apr 25

Palo Alto Networks Still Has Room To Run Despite A Rich Valuation

Summary Palo Alto Networks earns a buy rating as NGS ARR surges 33% YoY to $6.33B and non-GAAP operating margin hits 30.3%. PANW’s premium valuation is justified by robust recurring revenue, strong free cash flow, and successful integration of CyberArk and Chronosphere. Management targets $20B NGS ARR by 2030 and a 40% free cash flow margin by FY28, with ongoing execution on integration and margin expansion. Key risks include integration missteps, distributor concentration, and margin pressure from competition, but sector trends and execution support the bull case. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Narrative Update • Apr 08

PANW: AI Cyber Enforcement Role And China Tensions Will Drive Repricing

The analyst fair value estimate for Palo Alto Networks has edged from about $207.75 to $205.96, with analysts generally citing lower sector multiples after recent cybersecurity and AI related volatility. At the same time, many still point to solid demand drivers and supportive commentary on AI as a long term tailwind for leading security platforms.
Narrative Update • Mar 25

PANW: AI Security Platform And Geopolitical Role Will Drive Future Repricing

Analysts made a slight downward adjustment to the price target for Palo Alto Networks, trimming fair value estimates by about $0.41 to $207.75 as they balanced a wave of reduced targets from multiple firms with ongoing views that the company remains exposed to key cybersecurity and AI related demand drivers. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Palo Alto Networks reflects a split view, with many price targets moving lower while ratings often remain positive.
Narrative Update • Mar 10

PANW: AI Security Consolidation And Geopolitical Positioning Will Drive Future Repricing

The analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has shifted modestly lower to $208, with analysts citing mixed reactions to recent results, a slightly lower profit margin outlook, and a higher assumed future P/E multiple. These factors are partly offset by views that AI driven security demand and broad exposure across key cybersecurity trends continue to support the story.
New Narrative • Mar 06

AI Security And Identity Platforms Will Shape A Moderately Cautious Long Term Outlook

Catalysts About Palo Alto Networks Palo Alto Networks provides cybersecurity platforms that protect networks, cloud environments, identities and endpoints for enterprises around the world. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
Narrative Update • Feb 24

PANW: AI Security Platform Consolidation Will Drive Future Share Repricing

The updated analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has been reduced to $209.61 from $226.65 as analysts trim valuation multiples and fair value assumptions following Q2 earnings, while many still highlight resilient cybersecurity demand and limited disruption from emerging AI developer tools. Analyst Commentary Street research on Palo Alto Networks has turned more cautious on valuation multiples, even as many firms still flag resilient demand for cybersecurity platforms and limited impact from new AI developer tools such as Claude Code Security.
New Narrative • Feb 21

Palo Alto Networks (PANW): Collateral Damage

PANW is down 22% over the past year and 10.9% in the last seven days alone. Most people are calling it a victim of AI disruption.
New Narrative • Feb 20

AI Security And Platform Consolidation Will Reshape Long-Term Prospects For This Cyber Leader

Catalysts About Palo Alto Networks Palo Alto Networks provides cybersecurity platforms and services that protect enterprise networks, cloud environments, endpoints and identities. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
Narrative Update • Feb 09

PANW: AI Security And Observability Deals Will Shape Future Share Repricing

The analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has been trimmed slightly to reflect a fair value adjustment of about US$1. Analysts are balancing mixed sector sentiment and acquisition-related concerns with ongoing support from firms that emphasize the company’s role in consolidating cybersecurity budgets, as well as its potential benefits from AI and observability exposure.
Narrative Update • Jan 25

PANW: AI Security And Observability M&A Will Drive Future Share Gains

Analysts have made a slight downward adjustment to the Palo Alto Networks fair value estimate, trimming their blended price target by less than US$1. They are balancing enthusiasm around the company’s role in security consolidation and AI driven demand with more cautious views on valuation, acquisitions and long term growth assumptions.
Narrative Update • Jan 09

PANW: AI Security And M&A Integration Will Drive Future Share Gains

Narrative Update: Palo Alto Networks Price Target Shift Analysts have nudged their fair value estimate for Palo Alto Networks to US$227.60 from US$224.53. This reflects slightly adjusted assumptions around discount rate, growth, margins, and future P/E in light of mixed research views that balance concerns on decelerating sales and acquisition pricing with continued interest in the company's role in security, observability, and AI driven opportunities.
Narrative Update • Dec 13

PANW: AI Platform And M&A Expansion Will Drive Long-Term Share Gains

The analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has edged higher by $0 to approximately $225 per share, as analysts balance concerns over decelerating growth and acquisition costs with confidence in the company’s expanding AI driven security platform, strategic M&A, and growing next generation security revenue opportunity. Analyst Commentary Street research on Palo Alto Networks remains divided, with most firms constructive on the company’s long term AI and platform strategy while a minority flag the risk that revenue growth deceleration and rich valuation could cap upside.
Analysis Article • Dec 02

Increases to Palo Alto Networks, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PANW) CEO Compensation Might Cool off for now

Key Insights Palo Alto Networks' Annual General Meeting to take place on 9th of December Total pay for CEO Nikesh Arora...
Narrative Update • Nov 29

PANW: Accelerating AI Security Adoption Will Drive Share Gains Despite Recent Breach

Palo Alto Networks' analyst price target has increased by approximately $5 to $224.53, as analysts cite improved revenue growth, expanding profit margins, and continued momentum in next-generation security and AI-driven opportunities as key drivers for the higher valuation. Analyst Commentary Recent analyst research reflects a mix of optimism and caution surrounding Palo Alto Networks' growth prospects, product execution, and valuation following its latest quarterly results and announced acquisitions.
Narrative Update • Nov 14

PANW: Confidence In AI Security Will Offset Breach Risks And Competitive Pressures

Palo Alto Networks' analyst price target has inched up by approximately $2 to $219.75. This increase reflects broadly improved channel checks, robust sector momentum, and optimism over the company’s strategic position in AI-driven cybersecurity.
Narrative Update • Oct 31

PANW: AI Security Leadership Will Shape Future Outlook Amid New Challenges

Palo Alto Networks' fair value estimate was modestly increased to $217.67, as analysts point to a series of price target hikes and continued momentum following the CyberArk acquisition and strong positioning in the AI-powered security market. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts have raised price targets for Palo Alto Networks multiple times, reflecting confidence in the company's performance and future growth potential.
Narrative Update • Oct 17

AI And Cloud Security Will Redefine The Enterprise Digital Landscape

The analyst price target for Palo Alto Networks has increased by $1.34 to $216.33. Analysts cite continued strong execution, revenue growth, and positive channel dynamics as key drivers for their upward revision.
Narrative Update • Oct 03

AI And Cloud Security Will Redefine The Enterprise Digital Landscape

Palo Alto Networks' analyst price target was modestly increased to approximately $215. Analysts cited strong top and bottom line performance, accelerating AI-driven security initiatives, and improved profitability forecasts as supporting factors.
Analysis Article • Jun 30

Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)

With a price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 15.1x Palo Alto Networks, Inc. ( NASDAQ:PANW ) may be sending very bearish...
Seeking Alpha • Apr 26

Palo Alto Networks: Lessons I've Learned From Stocks With 50+ P/E

Summary Palo Alto Networks' investors certainly have good reasons to pay an expensive P/E ratio of 55x for its shares. The company's strong free cash flow conversion and scalable business model support high growth with minimal CAPEX. They also make the owners' earnings far higher than PANW's accounting EPS. However, even when based on owners' earnings, PANW's current valuation multiples still have years of growth already priced in. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Mar 25

Palo Alto Networks: Platformization Strategy Is Insufficient To Justify Huge Valuation Multiples (Downgrade)

Summary I'm downgrading Palo Alto Networks to a sell rating, as its valuation premium over peers has stretched even further. Despite growth plateauing in the mid-teens and a decline in pro forma operating margins, the company still trades at double-digit revenue multiples. Meanwhile, large-cap peers like Salesforce and SAP, with similar growth rates trade at single-digit revenue multiples, and much more modest P/E ratios as well. Core firewall products are becoming legacy technology, and the company's platformization strategy (package suite deals with multi-product sales) hasn't led to a significant change in its growth trajectory. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Feb 22

Palo Alto Networks: Share Price And Fundamentals Continue To Diverge

Summary Palo Alto Networks' growth has reaccelerated in recent quarters, supported by improved hardware demand and continued strength from its next-gen portfolio. While growth is likely to improve again in the third quarter, I expect Palo Alto's growth to stabilize in the mid-teens. This growth must also be viewed in light of Palo Alto's platformization strategy and heavy use of incentives to create growth, which is impacting the company's profitability and cash flows. While Palo Alto's distribution capabilities and comprehensive product portfolio should lead to significant success going forward, this likely won't be sufficient to support its current valuation. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Feb 11

Palo Alto Networks: Walking A Tightrope Between Growth And Valuation

Summary Palo Alto Networks has transitioned from a hardware firewall vendor to a leading AI-driven security platform, excelling in cloud-based security, network defense, and endpoint protection. The AI technology enables automated security responses and centralized enterprise risk management, enhancing the firm's cybersecurity capabilities. Despite solid fundamentals, the stock's significant rise over the past five years suggests high expectations, posing downside risk if the strategy falters. While the cybersecurity sector has enormous potential, I foresee a bearish period for Palo Alto Networks given the current risk/reward balance. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Feb 05

Palo Alto: Platformization Strategy Driving Double-Digit Growth

Summary Palo Alto Networks' "Platformization" strategy integrates products into three main platforms, enhancing security, reducing complexity, and cutting costs, driving customer base growth. The company's extensive product portfolio across key cybersecurity submarkets positions it to offer comprehensive solutions, addressing diverse customer needs more effectively than competitors. The Subscription segment, driven by Next-Gen Security products like Prisma and Cortex, is the primary growth driver, with platformized accounts showing higher ARR growth. Despite competitive risks, Palo Alto's integrated solutions and expanding features are expected to grow its addressable market and customer base, supporting our Buy rating. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Jan 13

Palo Alto Networks: An Unsafe Cybersecurity Play (Technical Analysis)

Summary Palo Alto Networks stock has corrected by 13% recently, with technicals indicating further bearish momentum and a rich valuation suggesting it is overvalued. The stock broke out of its uptrend, now in a downtrend with significant resistance levels and limited support, indicating potential for further decline. Moving averages and indicators like MACD, RSI, and stochastics all show bearish signals, reinforcing the negative outlook for the stock. Despite resilient growth rates, the P/S ratio is overly rich, justifying a sell rating for Palo Alto Networks. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Jan 02

Palo Alto Networks: Firming Revenue Trends, But Watch Out For Huge Valuation (Rating Upgrade)

Summary Upgrading Palo Alto Networks to a neutral rating after the company's re-acceleration in revenue growth. In the long term, however, Palo Alto Networks will likely become a legacy tech vendor, as its growth pace is outstripped by rivals like Zscaler. The stock is priced for perfection at a ~32x forward P/E. I'm setting a price target of $142 for Palo Alto Networks, based on 22x P/E and ~25x FCF. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha

Earnings and Revenue Growth Forecasts

NasdaqGS:PANW - Analysts future estimates and past financials data (USD Millions)
DateRevenueEarningsFree Cash FlowCash from OpAvg. No. Analysts
7/31/202815,3622,5405,9836,28131
7/31/202713,5521,9805,0525,35548
7/31/202611,2921,5374,1294,45650
1/31/20269,8941,2823,5663,974N/A
10/31/20259,5571,1173,6913,977N/A
7/31/20259,2221,1343,4703,716N/A
4/30/20258,8751,2383,0013,208N/A
1/31/20258,5701,2552,9323,109N/A
10/31/20248,2882,7343,0783,242N/A
7/31/20248,0282,5783,1013,258N/A
4/30/20247,7912,4483,0123,159N/A
1/31/20247,5272,2772,9223,062N/A
10/31/20237,2076142,9233,067N/A
7/31/20236,8934402,6312,778N/A
4/30/20236,4902152,7392,887N/A
1/31/20236,156342,6892,845N/A
10/31/20225,818-1432,4352,633N/A
7/31/20225,502-2671,7921,985N/A
4/30/20225,170-3901,6061,787N/A
1/31/20224,858-4611,5061,675N/A
10/31/20214,558-5101,4361,557N/A
7/31/20214,256-4991,3871,503N/A
4/30/20213,987-4381,3911,511N/A
1/31/20213,783-3681,2231,403N/A
10/31/20203,583-3001,1491,345N/A
7/31/20203,408-2678211,036N/A
4/30/20203,264-229698934N/A
1/31/20203,121-1748901,060N/A
10/31/20193,016-103N/A1,029N/A
7/31/20192,900-82N/A1,056N/A
4/30/20192,752-54N/A1,102N/A
1/31/20192,593-74N/A1,047N/A
10/31/20182,428-97N/A1,016N/A
7/31/20182,274-122N/A1,038N/A
4/30/20182,124-167N/A1,000N/A
1/31/20181,988-188N/A969N/A
10/31/20171,865-223N/A939N/A
7/31/20171,755-203N/A869N/A
4/30/20171,653-210N/A816N/A
1/31/20171,567-213N/A775N/A
10/31/20161,479-210N/A715N/A
7/31/20161,379-193N/A659N/A
4/30/20161,262-207N/A583N/A
1/31/20161,150-189N/A500N/A
10/31/20151,033-175N/A422N/A
7/31/2015928-131N/A353N/A

Analyst Future Growth Forecasts

Earnings vs Savings Rate: PANW's forecast earnings growth (21.3% per year) is above the savings rate (3.5%).

Earnings vs Market: PANW's earnings (21.3% per year) are forecast to grow faster than the US market (16.6% per year).

High Growth Earnings: PANW's earnings are expected to grow significantly over the next 3 years.

Revenue vs Market: PANW's revenue (14.6% per year) is forecast to grow faster than the US market (11.5% per year).

High Growth Revenue: PANW's revenue (14.6% per year) is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Earnings per Share Growth Forecasts

Future Return on Equity

Future ROE: PANW's Return on Equity is forecast to be high in 3 years time (29%)

Discover growth companies

7D

1Y

7D

1Y

7D

1Y

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/05/07 15:55
End of Day Share Price 2026/05/07 00:00
Earnings2026/01/31
Annual Earnings2025/07/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is covered by 80 analysts. 50 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Adam ShepherdArete Research Services LLP
Ellie BagshawArete Research Services LLP
Joseph BonnerArgus Research Company