Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) issued an update on 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 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.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have recently commented on PANW shares. Loop Capital raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Capital One Financial set a $421.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $475.00 price objective (up from $420.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $435.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $370.87.
Read Our Latest Research Report on PANW
Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 5.2%
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 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 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 79,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,477,180. The trade was a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.24, for a total value of $2,094,300.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,490,500. The trade was a 37.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,735 shares of company stock worth $10,814,266. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Revenue rose 34.5% year over year to $3.41 billion, ahead of the $3.35 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted earnings of $1.02 per share topped expectations of $0.98 and increased from $0.95 a year earlier. Palo Alto Networks beats quarterly earnings estimates, acquires AI platform Console
- Positive Sentiment: Management issued above-consensus guidance. Fiscal 2027 revenue is projected at $14.1 billion to $14.2 billion, representing approximately 23%–24% growth and exceeding the $13.8 billion analyst estimate. First-quarter revenue guidance of about $3.3 billion also came in above expectations. Palo Alto Projects Double-Digit Growth as AI Drives Cybersecurity Spending
- Positive Sentiment: AI is supporting long-term demand. CEO Nikesh Arora said roughly $1 trillion of aging cybersecurity infrastructure is not ready for AI-driven attacks, potentially extending the company’s growth runway. Palo Alto also acquired Console, an AI-native platform intended to strengthen agentic security workflows. Palo Alto CEO says $1 trillion of cybersecurity infrastructure isn’t ready for AI
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved. Scotiabank raised its price target to $430 from $320 and assigned a “sector outperform” rating, implying meaningful upside based on the cited reference price. Scotiabank Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Palo Alto Networks Stock
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 147.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,761 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 4,031 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,275 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 66.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11,100.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 560 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.0% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 4,398 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Palo Alto Networks Company Profile
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.
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