Palo Alto Networks Inc PANW
Stock research in plain language · As of Oct 04, 2026 · updated once a week, after the trading week closes
What the company does
Palo Alto Networks Inc is a mega-cap company in the Technology sector (Software - Infrastructure), with a market value of $329.9B, based in the USA.
It employs about 21,921 people and has been listed since Jul 20, 2012.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. provides cybersecurity solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It offers Prisma Access, a secure access service edge solution; Strata Cloud Manager, a network security management solution; and Prisma AIRS to protect customers' entire AI ecosystem.
Cheap or expensive? relatively expensive
The company is loss-making, so it has no P/E — we compare on price-to-sales instead.
Its price-to-sales (P/S) is 28.7 versus 13.6 for 4 direct peers — relatively expensive.
Revenue is growing 34% a year — the market is paying ahead for that growth. If it slows, the high multiple becomes the risk.
The average analyst price target is 396.92, 2% below the current price (their view, not ours).
The stock sits at 98% of its one-year range (0% = the low, 100% = the high).
The risks
- • The company is loss-making.
- • The share count grew 8% in a year — each share owns a smaller slice of the company.
Strengths
- ✅ Generates free cash flow — profit becomes cash in the bank.
- ✅ More cash than debt.
- ✅ Most analysts rate it buy (42 vs 2).
- ✅ Revenue is growing 34% a year.
What changed this week
Over the past week the stock rose 7.6% (for comparison: S&P 500 -0.2%, sector ETF XLK +1.8%).
It set a new one-year high this week.
This week's news
- Insider trades: Oracle, Alibaba among notable names seekingalpha.com · 2026-10-03
- Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Is a Good Business. But Can Its Growth Justify the Valuation? finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-03
- Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-02
- Dow Jones Futures: Nasdaq Hits High As Nvidia, SpaceX, Bloom Energy Flash Buy Signals. What To Do Now. finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-02
- Catalyst Watch: Microsoft event, FOMC talk, and the finish line for Paramount-Warner Bros. seekingalpha.com · 2026-10-02
- BlackBerry Secure Comms: What Drives the Lower FY27 Outlook? finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-02
A description of facts from the filings and the market — not investment advice or a recommendation. "Cheap" and "expensive" are always relative to the comparison group.