Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Competitors

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) and CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) 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 analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, community ranking, earnings, profitability, risk, media sentiment and valuation.

Does the media prefer PANW or CRWD?

In the previous week, CrowdStrike had 14 more articles in the media than Palo Alto Networks. MarketBeat recorded 52 mentions for CrowdStrike and 38 mentions for Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks' average media sentiment score of 0.69 beat CrowdStrike's score of 0.66 indicating that Palo Alto Networks is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Palo Alto Networks	15 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
CrowdStrike	20 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	19 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community favor PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks received 1687 more outperform votes than CrowdStrike when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 78.67% of users gave Palo Alto Networks an outperform vote while only 67.67% of users gave CrowdStrike an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Palo Alto Networks	Outperform Votes 2135 78.67%	Underperform Votes 579 21.33%
CrowdStrike	Outperform Votes 448 67.67%	Underperform Votes 214 32.33%

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of PANW or CRWD?

79.8% of Palo Alto Networks shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.2% of CrowdStrike shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Palo Alto Networks shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of CrowdStrike shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts recommend PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus price target of $322.78, indicating a potential upside of 9.45%. CrowdStrike has a consensus price target of $373.95, indicating a potential upside of 19.22%. Given CrowdStrike's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe CrowdStrike is more favorable than Palo Alto Networks.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Palo Alto Networks	0 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	29 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.76
CrowdStrike	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	37 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.97

Which has more risk & volatility, PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks has a beta of 1.18, suggesting that its share price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CrowdStrike has a beta of 1.08, suggesting that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is PANW or CRWD more profitable?

Palo Alto Networks has a net margin of 31.42% compared to CrowdStrike's net margin of 2.92%. Palo Alto Networks' return on equity of 32.74% beat CrowdStrike's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Palo Alto Networks	31.42%	32.74%	6.37%
CrowdStrike	2.92%	6.09%	2.08%

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, PANW or CRWD?

Palo Alto Networks has higher revenue and earnings than CrowdStrike. Palo Alto Networks is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CrowdStrike, 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	$6.89B	13.85	$439.70M	$6.88	42.86
CrowdStrike	$3.06B	24.83	$89.33M	$0.36	871.33

Summary

Palo Alto Networks beats CrowdStrike on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.