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Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know

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Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $300.57, demonstrating a +1.47% swing from the preceding day's closing price. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.03%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.46%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.19%.

Coming into today, shares of the security software maker had gained 10.11% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector lost 0.68%, while the S&P 500 lost 1.57%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Palo Alto Networks in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on May 20, 2024. In that report, analysts expect Palo Alto Networks to post earnings of $1.25 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 13.64%. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $1.97 billion, indicating a 14.3% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $5.50 per share and a revenue of $8 billion, demonstrating changes of +23.87% and +16.07%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Palo Alto Networks. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.25% upward. Palo Alto Networks currently has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

In terms of valuation, Palo Alto Networks is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 53.9. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 30.53 for its industry.

One should further note that PANW currently holds a PEG ratio of 2.03. 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 1.55 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 69, finds itself in the top 28% echelons 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.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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