Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Updates Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.960-0.980 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.530. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.3 billion-$3.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.3 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.770-3.790 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PANW. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.23.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of PANW stock traded down $3.42 on Tuesday, reaching $297.06. 13,667,928 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,217,452. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.40 billion, a PE ratio of 164.12, a P/E/G ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $302.95.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 400 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.95, for a total transaction of $94,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,604,295.20. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This trade represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks beat analyst estimates with fiscal Q3 EPS of $0.85 versus $0.81 expected, and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion anticipated, which supports the stock’s move higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s latest results add credibility to the company’s position as a leading cybersecurity platform, with strong profitability metrics including a 12.96% net margin and 17.60% return on equity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several pre-earnings reports and analyst notes were bullish, including price-target hikes from JPMorgan and Baird to $300, signaling confidence that the stock can sustain its premium valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News flow around AI-driven cybersecurity demand and Palo Alto’s acquisition of Portkey have reinforced the investment case that the company can benefit as enterprises spend more on securing AI infrastructure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary has highlighted cybersecurity as a strong theme into earnings, but this backdrop is more of a supportive industry trend than a direct company-specific catalyst. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted 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 lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 66.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11,100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 560 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 4,398 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently 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.