Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer PANW or CSCO?

In the previous week, Cisco Systems had 43 more articles in the media than Palo Alto Networks. MarketBeat recorded 65 mentions for Cisco Systems and 22 mentions for Palo Alto Networks. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.40 beat Palo Alto Networks' score of 0.66 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Palo Alto Networks	5 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Cisco Systems	56 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer PANW or CSCO?

Palo Alto Networks presently has a consensus target price of $200.85, suggesting a potential upside of 8.91%. Cisco Systems has a consensus target price of $62.72, suggesting a potential upside of 3.50%. Given Palo Alto Networks' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Palo Alto Networks is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Palo Alto Networks	3 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	29 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.64
Cisco Systems	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.76

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of PANW or CSCO?

79.8% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 2.5% of Palo Alto Networks shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, PANW or CSCO?

Cisco Systems has higher revenue and earnings than Palo Alto Networks. Cisco Systems 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
Palo Alto Networks	$8.03B	15.08	$2.58B	$3.84	48.03
Cisco Systems	$53.80B	4.49	$10.32B	$2.33	26.01

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in PANW or CSCO?

Cisco Systems received 224 more outperform votes than Palo Alto Networks when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 78.60% of users gave Palo Alto Networks an outperform vote while only 73.14% of users gave Cisco Systems an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Palo Alto Networks	Outperform Votes 2208 78.60%	Underperform Votes 601 21.40%
Cisco Systems	Outperform Votes 2432 73.14%	Underperform Votes 893 26.86%

Is PANW or CSCO more profitable?

Palo Alto Networks has a net margin of 32.99% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 17.73%. Cisco Systems' return on equity of 25.70% beat Palo Alto Networks' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Palo Alto Networks	32.99%	23.36%	6.07%
Cisco Systems	17.73%	25.70%	9.95%

Which has more risk & volatility, PANW or CSCO?

Palo Alto Networks has a beta of 1.14, suggesting that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cisco Systems has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Palo Alto Networks beats Cisco Systems on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.