Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Competitors

CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, risk, media sentiment, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in CRWD or PANW?

71.2% of CrowdStrike shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of CrowdStrike shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer CRWD or PANW?

CrowdStrike currently has a consensus price target of $461.17, indicating a potential upside of 3.25%. Palo Alto Networks has a consensus price target of $209.61, indicating a potential upside of 21.25%. Given Palo Alto Networks' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Palo Alto Networks is more favorable than CrowdStrike.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CrowdStrike	1 Sell rating(s)	19 Hold rating(s)	26 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.54
Palo Alto Networks	2 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	26 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.59

Which has higher earnings & valuation, CRWD or PANW?

Palo Alto Networks has higher revenue and earnings than CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Palo Alto Networks, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CrowdStrike	$3.95B	28.16	-$19.27M	-$0.69	-647.33
Palo Alto Networks	$8.87B	12.99	$2.58B	$1.75	98.79

Is CRWD or PANW more profitable?

Palo Alto Networks has a net margin of 13.95% compared to CrowdStrike's net margin of -4.17%. Palo Alto Networks' return on equity of 19.48% beat CrowdStrike's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CrowdStrike	-4.17%	0.43%	0.17%
Palo Alto Networks	13.95%	19.48%	5.77%

Which has more risk & volatility, CRWD or PANW?

CrowdStrike has a beta of 1.13, meaning that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Palo Alto Networks has a beta of 0.95, meaning that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to CRWD or PANW?

In the previous week, Palo Alto Networks had 35 more articles in the media than CrowdStrike. MarketBeat recorded 73 mentions for Palo Alto Networks and 38 mentions for CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike's average media sentiment score of 1.48 beat Palo Alto Networks' score of 1.11 indicating that CrowdStrike is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
CrowdStrike	31 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Palo Alto Networks	53 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Palo Alto Networks beats CrowdStrike on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.