WinstonWınston
Back
Palo Alto Networks logo

Palo Alto Networks

PANW.NE
59
Software - Infrastructure · Technology
Price
C$41.93
+0.94 (+2.29%)
Market Cap
C$335.78B
Exchange
CBOE CA
Winston Score
59
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Apr 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Exceptional
Valuation
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+40.9% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 5.78B (2021) → 8.15B (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Palo Alto Networks makes cybersecurity software and tools that protect businesses from hackers and online threats. Its main products include firewalls, cloud security platforms, and AI-powered threat detection tools sold under brands like Prisma and Cortex. It serves large enterprises, government agencies, and healthcare organizations — essentially any big organization that needs to defend its computer networks and data.

The company earns most of its revenue through subscriptions and support contracts, which create recurring income that grows as customers add more services over time. Palo Alto Networks operates globally, with the United States as its largest market, and reported a market cap above $300 billion, making it one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity companies in the world. Its main competitive advantage is its "platformization" strategy — pushing customers to consolidate multiple security tools onto its single platform rather than buying from many vendors — though the risk is that larger tech companies like Microsoft continue expanding their own competing security offerings.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+32.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

EPS Growth

-129.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$2.0B/ year

Rising (+10% vs prior year)

21.5% of revenue

In line with sector average (15%)

Investing heavily in future products and technology

Insider Activity

91.4%ownership

Insiders own a meaningful stake in the company

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$7.8B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue accelerating

Palo Alto Networks grew revenue 32% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
67.6%
Premium pricing power — 67.6% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
-9.8%
Losing money on operations — -9.8%
Return on the money invested
ROCE
3.2%
Weak — 3.2% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+20.3%
Fast-growing sales (+20.3% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+202.6%
Earnings growing fast (+202.6% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
497%
Turns 497% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
35.5%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (35.5%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.05
Conservative — low debt load (0.05)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
9171.11x
Comfortably covers interest (9171.1x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
300.7x
Expensive — P/E 300.7

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+103.5
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (300.7 → 197.2)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.
Start free trial