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

by · The Cerbat Gem

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.960-0.980 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on PANW. Stephens raised their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Capital One Financial raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $168.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, FBN Securities reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.22.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 5.6%

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $280.43 on Thursday. Palo Alto Networks has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $302.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 229.86, a PEG ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $200.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.46.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 7.95%.The firm’s revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. The trade was a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total value of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,037,002.95. The trade was a 21.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 94,760 shares of company stock valued at $21,660,063. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal Q3 results that topped expectations, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.80-$0.81 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion estimated, while sales rose 31.1% year over year.
  • Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year FY2026 guidance and Q4 guidance above Wall Street forecasts, signaling continued demand momentum and stronger profitability ahead.
  • Positive Sentiment: Management said AI-related security demand is accelerating, and CEO Nikesh Arora cited a surge in customer meeting requests as enterprises prepare for AI-driven risks.
  • Positive Sentiment: A wave of analyst price-target hikes followed the report, with firms including Citigroup, Wedbush, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Berenberg, Rosenblatt, RBC, Oppenheimer, Stifel, Mizuho, Stephens, and others lifting targets well above the current share price, reinforcing bullish sentiment.
  • Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains supportive overall, with multiple reports describing the stock as a moderate buy and highlighting the company’s AI-security growth story.
  • Neutral Sentiment: One insider filing showed CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares, but the sale was relatively small compared with his remaining holdings and is unlikely to change the long-term thesis.
  • Negative Sentiment: Despite the strong quarter and upbeat analyst reaction, the stock has paused after a big rally, suggesting investors may be taking profits and focusing on valuation after the recent surge.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 147.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% during 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 raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 11,100.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 6.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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