Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.930-0.950 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.480. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.6 billion-$2.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.6 billion. Palo Alto Networks also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.800-3.900 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Tigress Financial assumed coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $223.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $248.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial set a $220.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.14.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of PANW traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $199.90. 6,490,998 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,131,737. The company has a market capitalization of $136.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 124.55, a PEG ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.95. Palo Alto Networks has a 52 week low of $144.15 and a 52 week high of $223.61. The company’s 50 day moving average is $209.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.42.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.66% and a net margin of 12.30%.The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-3.900 EPS. Q2 2026 guidance at 0.930-0.950 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.11, for a total transaction of $23,081,119.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 177,954 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,008,788.94. This trade represents a 40.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.19, for a total transaction of $1,020,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 96,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,629,805.65. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,215,830 shares of company stock valued at $249,160,428 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter worth $35,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 127.7% in the second quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 214 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Front Row Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter worth $86,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.