Key Factors to Consider Before Investing in Palo Alto Networks (PANW)

By Ken Smith • Monday, December 18 11:59 • Permanent Link

We're taking a closer look at Palo Alto Networks today, as the chatter surrounding the stock has increased notably in the last few weeks. Today, its shares moved -0.3% compared to 1.0% for the S&P 500. Increased investor interest and volatility surrounding the stock are not reason enough to buy in -- you should first perform your own due diligence. Here are some figures that can get you started:

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide.
Palo Alto Networks has moved 104.2% over the last year compared to 23.6% for the S&P 500 -- a difference of 80.5%
PANW has an average analyst rating of buy and is 5.12% away from its mean target price of $291.52 per share
Its trailing 12 month earnings per share (EPS) is $1.78
Palo Alto Networks has a trailing 12 month Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 172.2 while the S&P 500 average is 15.97
Its forward earnings per share (EPS) is $6.39 and its forward P/E ratio is 48.0
PANW has a Price to Earnings Growth (PEG) ratio of 2.48, which shows the company is potentially overvalued when we factor growth into the price to earnings calculus.
The company has a Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 44.29 in contrast to the S&P 500's average ratio of 2.95
Palo Alto Networks is part of the Technology sector, which has an average P/E ratio of 35.0 and an average P/B of 7.92
Palo Alto Networks has on average reported free cash flows of $1.41 Billion over the last four years, during which time they have grown by an an average of 19.0%

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.