We're upping our Palo Alto price target after strong earnings vanquish AI disruption fears

Palo Alto Networks reported a strong beat-and-raise quarter Tuesday night, putting to rest any lingering doubt that it will be disrupted by artificial intelligence. The stock was volatile in after-hours trading, but considering its blistering rally into earnings, it's not surprising to see this kind of reaction. Revenue for the company's fiscal 2026 third quarter increased 31% year over year to $3 billion, exceeding the Wall Street consensus estimate of $2.94 billion, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased 6% to 85 cents in the quarter, ahead of the 80-cent LSEG consensus estimate. Shares were roughly flat but volatile in after-hours trading. Pal Alto is up about 61% for the year and up 85% since the end of March. Why we own it Cybersecurity is a secular growth market as bad actors are relentless and companies simply cannot afford to not invest in defense. It is a never-ending arms race, made only more important by the proliferation of artificial intelligence. Palo Alto Networks has best-in-class tools and a broad product portfolio that allows it to provide an all-encompassing "platform" solution to cybersecurity. Competitors : CrowdStrike (also a Club stock), Fortinet , Cisco Systems Last buy : Nov. 24, 2025 Initiation : Feb. …