PANW vs. PTC: Palo Alto Networks vs. PTC Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC) 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

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC) both belong to the Software industry, though PANW is classified under Systems Software while PTC falls under Application Software.

Company profile comparison for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Profile Item	PANW	PTC
Name	Palo Alto Networks, Inc.	PTC 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	Application Software
Market Capitalization	256.86 billion USD	21.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	July 20, 2012	December 8, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PANW

PTC

GSPC

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) vs. PTC (PTC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Total Return (1Y)	53.99%	11.18%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	39.16%	9.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	30.80%	9.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PANW

PTC

GSPC

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) vs. PTC (PTC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	51.34%	48.48%
Beta (5Y)	1.00	0.90
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.01%	-48.12%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.03M	2.42M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PANW and PTC 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.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.97	0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.49	0.27

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 28.55% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 1.74% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PTC.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

1.74%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
PANW: 1.74%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

28.55%

Max: 53.85%
PTC: 28.55%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 37.80% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 2.67%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

2.67%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
PANW: 2.67%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

37.80%

Max: 41.17%
PTC: 37.80%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 32.87% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 5.40%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

5.40%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
PANW: 5.40%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

32.87%

Max: 46.89%
PTC: 32.87%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
ROE (TTM)	1.74%	28.55%
ROA (TTM)	1.40%	8.86%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.67%	37.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	5.40%	32.87%
Gross Margin (TTM)	70.38%	83.29%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 24.50% and PTC (PTC) at 19.18% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

PTC (PTC) at 96.79% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at -75.00% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	24.50%	19.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	18.54%	12.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-75.00%	96.79%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.50%	32.32%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Palo Alto Networks (PANW) shows current ratio of 0.87 against its industry benchmark, while PTC (PTC) has no reading this period.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.87

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
PANW: 0.87
Min: 0.03

PTC

Software & Services industry group

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03
PTC: --

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) vs. PTC (PTC): PTC does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; PANW is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 0.09 and PTC (PTC) at 0.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

0.09

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
PANW: 0.09
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.53

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
PTC: 0.53
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.87	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.09	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.32	1.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Palo Alto Networks (PANW) nor PTC (PTC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Palo Alto Networks (PANW) nor PTC (PTC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 21.84 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 784.60 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for PANW’s trailing earnings.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

784.60

PANW: 784.60
Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

PTC

Software & Services industry group

21.84

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
PTC: 21.84
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 7.75 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 22.37 clears its benchmark range — PANW looks notably rich on sales.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

22.37

PANW: 22.37
Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

PTC

Software & Services industry group

7.75

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
PTC: 7.75
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PTC (PTC) at 6.22 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Palo Alto Networks (PANW) at 9.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — PANW is pricier on assets.

PANW

Software & Services industry group

9.30

Max: 16.63
PANW: 9.30
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

PTC

Software & Services industry group

6.22

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
PTC: 6.22
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	PANW	PTC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	784.60	21.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	22.37	7.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	9.30	6.22
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.65%	--