Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · PANW · FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q2 2026

PANW FY26 Q3: NGS ARR Reaches $8.13B on AI Security and Platformization

Palo Alto Networks delivered a record fiscal Q3 2026, beating consensus on both EPS ($0.85 vs. $0.79 estimated) and revenue ($3.00B vs. $2.94B estimated). Next-generation security ARR reached $8.13 billion, up 60% year over year, while remaining performance obligations grew 36% to $18.4 billion. The results reinforce the thesis that AI-driven security demand and the platformization strategy are compounding: 2,280 platformized customers now generate 120% net retention. Despite a sharp initial sell-off (down 5.6% the next session), the stock subsequently drifted 24% higher, suggesting the market ultimately validated the growth narrative. The analyst consensus price target of $344 implies roughly 8% upside from the current $317.

Reported After market closeNASDAQTechnology $258.62B market cap
100quality score

Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a global leader in providing advanced cybersecurity solutions. The company's core product line includes both hardware and software-based firewalls. It also offers Panorama, a sophisticated security management platform designed for centralized control of these firewall deployments, whether they are physical appliances, virtual instances, or situated in public or private cloud environments. Additionally, the firm provides virtual system upgrades to enhance the capacity of its physical firewall units. Complementing its core products, Palo Alto Networks delivers an extensive range of subscription services. These encompass robust threat prevention, protection against malware and advanced persistent threats, URL filtering, and security for both laptop and mobile devices. Further specialized subscriptions include DNS security, Internet of Things (IoT) security, SaaS security (via API and inline methods), threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.…

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $0.85 Consensus $1
EPS surprise +7.2% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $3.00B Consensus $2.94B
Revenue surprise +2.0% Reported versus consensus

Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
PANW REVENUE earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 2 future estimate-only quarters. Q2 '24 estimate $2B Q2 '24 actual $2B, beat Q3 '24 estimate $2B Q3 '24 actual $2B, beat Q4 '24 estimate $2B Q4 '24 actual $2B, beat Q4 '25 estimate $3B Q4 '25 actual $3B, beat Q1 '26 estimate $2B Q1 '26 actual $2B, beat Q2 '26 estimate $3B Q2 '26 actual $3B, beat Q3 '26 estimate $3B Q3 '26 actual $3B, beat Q4 '26 estimate $3B Q4 '26 actual $3B, beat Q1 '27 estimate $3B Q2 '27 estimate $3B
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy87 ratings
Bullish6473.6%
Neutral2124.1%
Bearish22.3%

1 unmapped firm rating excluded from the percentages.

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$329.63Current
$146.67Low
$319.43Average
$496High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 11, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Argus Research Buy BuyMaintainSep 3, 2026
Susquehanna Positive PositiveMaintainSep 2, 2026
Roth Capital Neutral NeutralMaintainSep 2, 2026
Rosenblatt Buy BuyMaintainSep 2, 2026
RBC Capital Outperform OutperformMaintainSep 2, 2026
Piper Sandler Overweight OverweightMaintainSep 2, 2026
Oppenheimer Outperform OutperformMaintainSep 2, 2026
Needham Buy BuyMaintainSep 2, 2026
Show 80 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $329.63. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
Goldman SachsAnalyst unavailable$390$328.48 +18.3%Sep 2, 2026
Truist FinancialAnalyst unavailable$400$333.75 +21.3%Sep 2, 2026
Deutsche BankAnalyst unavailable$430$333.75 +30.4%Sep 2, 2026
StephensAnalyst unavailable$400$334.11 +21.3%Sep 2, 2026
Northland SecuritiesAnalyst unavailable$360$333.4 +9.2%Sep 2, 2026
D.A. DavidsonAnalyst unavailable$420$331.09 +27.4%Sep 2, 2026
RBC CapitalMatthew Hedberg$475$329.64 +44.1%Sep 2, 2026
Roth CapitalAnalyst unavailable$300$330.46 -9.0%Sep 2, 2026
SusquehannaAnalyst unavailable$415$362.09 +25.9%Sep 2, 2026
Rosenblatt SecuritiesCatherine Trebnick$415$330.8 +25.9%Sep 2, 2026
See 231 more

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Market reaction

event-close to next-session close
Stock move -5.6% Event window
SPY move -0.7% Same window
Abnormal move -4.9% Stock minus SPY
Volume 1.5× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift +24.1% Up to 20 sessions
PANWSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Compared to the prior quarter, NGS ARR growth accelerated from 28% to 60% YoY. Net retention among platformized customers improved from 119% to 120%. The acquisition portfolio expanded with the addition of Portkey, an AI gateway processing trillions of tokens daily, alongside the prior CyberArk, Chronosphere, and Koi deals. Management introduced a new long-term target of 4,000 platformizations by FY2030 and a $20B NGS ARR milestone. Unit 42 launched a frontier AI defense offering with over 1,200 customer engagements, and the company flagged a 3-to-6 month window before autonomous AI hacking threats mature.

Guidance delta

Full-year FY26 guidance was raised across all key metrics: NGS ARR to $8.9-$8.95 billion, revenue to $11.415-$11.425 billion, and adjusted free cash flow margin to 37.5%. The prior quarter had already signaled raised guidance; this marks a further upward revision. Management also announced a transition to total-company guidance reporting and segment-level disclosure starting in FY27.

Key takeaways

  • Record NGS ARR of $8.13B (+60% YoY) and RPO of $18.4B (+36% YoY) exceeded all guidance metrics.
  • EPS of $0.85 beat consensus by 7.2%; revenue of $3.00B beat by 2.0%.
  • Platformization reached 2,280 customers with 120% net retention, tracking toward a 4,000-customer goal by FY2030.
  • AI security products (Prisma AIRS, XSIAM, Idira) are the fastest-growing in company history.
  • Acquisitions of CyberArk, Chronosphere, Koi, and Portkey are integrated and contributing new revenue streams.
  • Full-year FY26 guidance raised: revenue $11.415-$11.425B, NGS ARR $8.9-$8.95B, adjusted FCF margin 37.5%.

Management priorities

  • Scale AI security platforms (Prisma AIRS, XSIAM, Idira) to address autonomous AI threats
  • Complete CyberArk system migration to a unified platform by year-end
  • Roll out the Idira identity platform across AI, endpoint, and cloud workloads
  • Expand Unit 42 frontier AI defense capabilities and customer engagements
  • Transition to total-company guidance and segment-level disclosure starting FY27
  • Achieve 4,000 platformizations by FY2030 and $20B NGS ARR

Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-06-03T00:24:02.523506+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-07-28T11:52:13.997694+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-07-28T11:52:13.994423+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.