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Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Stock Moves -0.17%: What You Should Know

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Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $344.48, demonstrating a -0.17% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.32% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.71%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 0.2%.

The the stock of security software maker has risen by 21.96% in the past month, leading the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 9.33% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.59%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Palo Alto Networks in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on February 20, 2024. In that report, analysts expect Palo Alto Networks to post earnings of $1.30 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 23.81%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $1.97 billion, reflecting a 19.08% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $5.49 per share and revenue of $8.17 billion. These totals would mark changes of +23.65% and +18.58%, respectively, from last year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Palo Alto Networks. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. As of now, Palo Alto Networks holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

From a valuation perspective, Palo Alto Networks is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 62.87. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 31.21.

Also, we should mention that PANW has a PEG ratio of 2.28. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Internet - Software stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.68 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 80, which puts it in the top 32% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.


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