NET vs PANW Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Cloudflare and Palo Alto Networks by network security edge vs consolidated platform strategy, ARR growth, SASE market competition, gross margin, and which cybersecurity company offers better long-term growth upside.
Use this Cloudflare vs Palo Alto Networks comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
PANW holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. PANW leads on both 1-year return (+60.96%) and forward P/E quality (86.95x vs 165.71x for NET), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for NET (-0.88%) than for PANW (-8.07%).
| Metric | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 51.7 | 66.1 |
| AI rank | #409 | #60 |
| Latest close | $262.15 | $323.79 |
| 1M return | +17.30% | +13.51% |
| 6M return | +51.27% | +79.70% |
| 1Y return | +36.84% | +60.96% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $13.68K (+36.8%) started 2025-07-24 | $15.93K (+59.3%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $22.46K (+124.6%) started 2021-07-26 | $48.69K (+386.9%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $145.64K (+1356.4%) started 2019-09-13 | $147.71K (+1377.1%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $93.05B | $292.32B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 311.90 |
| Forward P/E | 165.71 | 86.95 |
| Price/Sales | 39.96 | 15.00 |
| EV/Revenue | 39.52 | 27.47 |
| Analyst target | $259.84 | $329.74 |
| Target upside | -0.88% | -8.07% |
| Metric | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 33.50% | 31.10% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | 60.50% |
| EPS growth | N/A | +60.50% |
| FCF margin | +32.42% | +33.75% |
| Operating margin | N/A | -2.46% |
| Profit margin | -3.72% | 7.95% |
| ROIC proxy | -5.88% | 4.83% |
| Return on equity | -5.88% | 4.83% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | N/A |
| Beta | 1.67 | 0.91 |
| Debt/equity | 230.86 | 7.70 |
| Current ratio | 1.96 | 0.86 |
| Quick ratio | 1.90 | 0.73 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +36.84% | +59.29% |
| CAGR | +36.87% | +59.51% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.76 | 1.23 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.76% | 36.01% | |
| Max daily drop | 23.62% | 7.42% | |
| Max wkly drop | 23.58% | 16.38% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +124.58% | +386.91% |
| CAGR | +17.59% | +37.28% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.51 | 0.86 | |
| Max drawdown | 82.58% | 36.01% | |
| Max daily drop | 23.62% | 28.44% | |
| Max wkly drop | 39.37% | 28.86% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +1356.39% | +1377.14% |
| CAGR | +47.76% | +30.91% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.85 | 0.78 | |
| Max drawdown | 82.58% | 47.98% | |
| Max daily drop | 23.62% | 28.44% | |
| Max wkly drop | 39.37% | 28.86% |
| Category | NET | PANW |
|---|---|---|
| Company | NET | PANW |
| Sector | N/A | Technology |
| Industry | N/A | Software - Infrastructure |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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