Topic: How To Invest

Pat: I recently met someone who works for Palo Alto Networks. They had great things to say about the company. I would like your thoughts. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Palo Alto Networks Inc., $154.05, symbol PANW on New York (Shares outstanding: 89.6 million; Market cap: $14.7 billion, www.paloaltonetworks.com), designs and makes firewall security systems to protect computers and mobile devices from online attacks. Instead of imposing blanket bans for entire networks, Palo Alto’s systems analyze traffic and let network administrators control user access to specific websites and applications. Over 34,000 businesses in 140 countries use the company’s products. Palo Alto first sold shares to the public at $42.00 and began trading on New York on July 19, 2012. Thanks to growing demand for cybersecurity products, the company’s revenue jumped 512.4%, from $255.1 million in 2012 to $1.4 billion in 2016 (fiscal years end July 31). Earnings before unusual items soared from $0.15 a share (or a total of $15.3 million) in 2012 to $1.67 a share (or $152.6 million) in 2016. Palo Alto operates in a highly competitive field, so…