PANW Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
$371.59
Platform & Compounding FCF 85%
Two-stage FCF DCF
Strong · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 260.6% above fair value

You pay $371.59
Bear $65.91
Fair $103.04
Bull $144.90
Bear $65.91 -82.3% 9% stage 1 growth, 11% discount
Fair $103.04 -72.3% 15% stage 1 growth, 11% discount
Bull $144.90 -61.0% 20% stage 1 growth, 11% discount

Adjust Assumptions

15.5%
11.0%
3.0%

Key Value Driver

FCF growth rate (15% base case)

Terminal Value % of EV 43%
Implied Market Multiple 120.1x
Market is pricing in (growth) 33.0% vs 15.5% base

Analyst Consensus (External Reference)

Never blended into the bear/base/bull estimates above.

Average Target (89 analysts) $376.94
Divergence from AlphaVal 73%

Summary

Using a two-stage FCF DCF with 15% growth decelerating over 15 years, discounted at 11%, the base-case intrinsic value is $103.04 per share.

Warnings

Stock-based employee pay equals 114% of profits. This dilutes existing shareholders, so cash flow alone overstates what owners really earn.
Wall Street's average price target is $376.94 (from 89 analysts). Our estimate is 73% below the consensus -- consider that gap carefully.

Key Risks

  • P/E alone misleads — earnings depressed by growth investment
  • Cyclical or commodity businesses may be misclassified as platforms
  • Terminal value dominance suggests sensitivity to long-run assumptions