ORCL vs. PANW: Oracle vs. Palo Alto Networks Stock Comparison

July 2, 2026

How do Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) are both classified in the Systems Software sub-industry within the broader Software industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Profile Item	ORCL	PANW
Name	Oracle Corporation	Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Systems Software	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	422.13 billion USD	277.93 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 12, 1986	July 20, 2012
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ORCL

PANW

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
Total Return (1Y)	-32.30%	66.64%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ORCL

PANW

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	64.81%	40.33%
Beta (5Y)	1.72	0.91
Avg. Volume (3M)	27.77M	8.32M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ORCL and PANW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 53.38% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 4.83% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ORCL.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

53.38%

ORCL: 53.38%
Max: 53.38%
Q3: 16.53%
Median: 5.38%
Q1: -13.43%
Min: -55.27%

PANW

Software & Services industry group

4.83%

Max: 53.38%
Q3: 16.53%
Median: 5.38%
PANW: 4.83%
Q1: -13.43%
Min: -55.27%

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 25.37% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 7.95%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

25.37%

Max: 44.20%
ORCL: 25.37%
Q3: 14.93%
Median: 3.32%
Q1: -5.99%
Min: -34.99%

PANW

Software & Services industry group

7.95%

Max: 44.20%
Q3: 14.93%
PANW: 7.95%
Median: 3.32%
Q1: -5.99%
Min: -34.99%

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) reports a negative operating margin of -2.47%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Oracle (ORCL) reports 36.20%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

36.20%

Max: 60.45%
ORCL: 36.20%
Q3: 16.49%
Median: 4.46%
Q1: -12.92%
Min: -53.94%

PANW

Software & Services industry group

-2.47%

Max: 60.45%
Q3: 16.49%
Median: 4.46%
PANW: -2.47%
Q1: -12.92%
Min: -53.94%

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
ROE (TTM)	53.38%	4.83%
ROA (TTM)	6.51%	1.77%
Net Margin (TTM)	25.37%	7.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)	36.20%	-2.47%
Gross Margin (TTM)	65.82%	71.96%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth Metrics

Revenue growth metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	17.35%	14.87%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.48%	18.79%

EPS Growth

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth Metrics

EPS growth metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
EPS Growth (YoY)	34.33%	-56.04%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	23.84%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Oracle (ORCL) at 1.12 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 0.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for PANW.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

1.12

Max: 5.55
Q3: 2.88
Median: 1.72
ORCL: 1.12
Q1: 1.07
Min: 0.03

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.86

Max: 5.55
Q3: 2.88
Median: 1.72
Q1: 1.07
PANW: 0.86
Min: 0.03

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 0.08 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Oracle (ORCL) at 3.89 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

3.89

ORCL: 3.89
Max: 2.31
Q3: 1.06
Median: 0.32
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.08

Max: 2.31
Q3: 1.06
Median: 0.32
PANW: 0.08
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.12	0.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	3.89	0.08
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.44	-0.66

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Oracle (ORCL) reports a yield of 1.35%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

1.35%

ORCL: 1.35%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PANW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Oracle (ORCL) reports a payout of 34.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

34.31%

ORCL: 34.31%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PANW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.35%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	34.31%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 25.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 293.98 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for PANW’s trailing earnings.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

25.14

Max: 126.50
Q3: 60.82
Median: 30.49
ORCL: 25.14
Q1: 16.22
Min: 0.41

PANW

Software & Services industry group

293.98

PANW: 293.98
Max: 126.50
Q3: 60.82
Median: 30.49
Q1: 16.22
Min: 0.41

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 6.27 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 26.20 clears its benchmark range — PANW looks notably rich on sales.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

6.27

Max: 18.72
Q3: 8.93
ORCL: 6.27
Median: 4.21
Q1: 2.14
Min: 0.02

PANW

Software & Services industry group

26.20

PANW: 26.20
Max: 18.72
Q3: 8.93
Median: 4.21
Q1: 2.14
Min: 0.02

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Oracle (ORCL) at 11.24 and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 10.02 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

11.24

Max: 18.46
ORCL: 11.24
Q3: 8.62
Median: 4.00
Q1: 1.94
Min: -7.57

PANW

Software & Services industry group

10.02

Max: 18.46
PANW: 10.02
Q3: 8.62
Median: 4.00
Q1: 1.94
Min: -7.57

Oracle (ORCL) vs. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Oracle (ORCL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)
Metric	ORCL	PANW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.14	293.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.27	26.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.24	10.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.81%	1.29%