Stock Analysis on Net
Stock Analysis on Net

Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)

Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data

The cash flow statement provides information about a company cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period, showing how these cash flows link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company balance sheet.

The cash flow statement consists of three parts: cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities, and cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities.

Palo Alto Networks Inc., consolidated cash flow statement (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
3 months ended: Apr 30, 2026 Jan 31, 2026 Oct 31, 2025 Jul 31, 2025 Apr 30, 2025 Jan 31, 2025 Oct 31, 2024 Jul 31, 2024 Apr 30, 2024 Jan 31, 2024 Oct 31, 2023 Jul 31, 2023 Apr 30, 2023 Jan 31, 2023 Oct 31, 2022 Jul 31, 2022 Apr 30, 2022 Jan 31, 2022 Oct 31, 2021 Jul 31, 2021 Apr 30, 2021 Jan 31, 2021 Oct 31, 2020 Jul 31, 2020 Apr 30, 2020 Jan 31, 2020 Oct 31, 2019
Net income (loss) (177) 432 334 254 262 267 351 358 279 1,747 194 228 108 84 20 3 (73) (94) (104) (119) (145) (142) (92) (59) (75) (74) (60)
Share-based compensation for equity-based awards 643 301 370 354 326 320 294 269 264 272 271 254 271 283 266 240 247 265 259 230 233 226 206 174 166 168 150
Deferred income taxes 24 5 9 92 (125) (179) (137) (215) (127) (1,691) 7 3 3
Depreciation and amortization 334 91 89 84 88 88 84 76 74 69 64 69 72 70 71 73 71 70 69 69 69 65 58 61 53 48 44
Gain related to facility exit (3)
Amortization of deferred contract costs 149 135 126 137 119 115 110 121 110 109 106 116 101 99 97 101 89 86 86 90 74 69 66 83 61 55 56
Amortization of debt issuance costs 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 36 36 35 35 27 16 16 16
Change in fair value of convertible senior notes and capped calls 38
Change in fair value of contingent consideration liability (110) 3 (13) (156) 4 10 6
Reduction of operating lease right-of-use assets 19 17 18 17 16 16 16 15 15 14 12 13 12 13 12 17 12 12 13 12 12 11 10 13 13 11 10
Amortization of investment premiums, net of accretion of purchase discounts (1) (45) (7) (6) (9) (11) (15) (14) (16) (16) (15) (18) (20) (16) 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 (2) (1) (3)
Unrealized foreign currency exchange (gains) losses, net 9
Repayments of convertible senior notes attributable to debt discount
Accounts receivable, net (423) (758) 1,622 (1,014) (454) (363) 1,486 (903) 181 (482) 1,050 (1,020) (165) (40) 904 (902) (288) (140) 428 (474) (97) 16 382 (368) (110) (41) 84
Financing receivables, net 172 50 125 89 113 (21) 11 (453) (369) (44) (407) (246) (74) (12)
Deferred contract costs (204) (124) (82) (227) (135) (115) (79) (204) (126) (96) (63) (181) (98) (93) (60) (202) (106) (87) (64) (206) (94) (82) (59)
Prepaid expenses and other assets (2) (12) (33) 21 (21) 93 (4) (181) 1 (8) 54 (101) (91) (50) (29) (42) (26) (73) (164) (36) (62) (38) (201) (67) (82) (59)
Accounts payable 10 42 (2) (12) 85 (63) 97 6 (68) 48 37 (37) 2 (1) 18 (8) 22 38 (15) 27 (6) (18) 10 (6) (15) (3)
Accrued compensation 5 163 (210) 100 15 137 (200) 169 (67) 119 (217) 204 (51) 124 (192) 96 35 79 (180) 178 (9) 71 (135) 147 (10) 49 (110)
Accrued and other liabilities (12) 76 (53) 113 34 95 (94) 157 28 234 (34) 4 35 (86) (28) (17) 20 (27) (23) 36 (7) (37) (20) 7 (15) (7) (25)
Deferred revenue 397 178 (522) 1,175 311 169 (417) 1,313 349 372 146 1,207 535 374 186 1,135 410 291 134 649 213 198 137 440 146 182 126
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions (57) (385) 845 245 (53) (69) 800 (98) (71) 186 893 (257) (117) 158 767 86 38 137 260 5 (4) 98 250 35 (62) 87 13
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities 1,048 122 1,437 767 367 290 1,159 155 250 (1,057) 1,332 186 324 610 1,217 520 463 576 693 445 423 507 627 393 245 381 285
Net cash provided by operating activities 871 554 1,771 1,021 629 557 1,510 513 529 690 1,526 414 432 695 1,237 524 390 483 589 326 278 365 535 334 170 307 225
Purchases of investments (496) (524) (1,401) (875) (1,089) (1,072) (660) (1,065) (475) (1,157) (855) (999) (742) (1,607) (2,113) (975) (241) (616) (439) (465) (382) (283) (830) (885) (12) (9) (274)
Proceeds from sales of investments 583 2,786 30 367 185 354 291 455 70 127 305 91 375 15 485 160 7 246 36 94 37 3 310 1
Proceeds from maturities of investments 215 1,135 474 386 455 385 369 488 556 350 458 1,308 505 651 348 402 315 177 225 395 311 336 198 246 451 623 632
Business acquisitions, net of cash and restricted cash acquired (1,985) (2,576) (2) (555) 1 (500) (611) (19) (186) (20) (17) (147) (405) (225) (388) (129) (66)
Purchases of property, equipment, and other assets (83) (170) (84) (86) (68) (47) (44) (47) (37) (35) (37) (37) (31) (38) (40) (39) (38) (81) (35) (27) (27) (32) (30) (32) (86) (49) (47)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities (1,766) 651 (983) (762) (518) (381) (544) (169) 113 (1,326) (129) 363 88 (1,165) (1,320) (472) 43 (274) (230) (2) (208) (384) (886) (668) 275 436 245
Repayments of convertible senior notes (383) (151) (112) (319) (200) (662) (126) (46) (1,692) (1) (1)
Proceeds from capped calls related to convertible senior notes 10
Payments for debt issuance costs
Proceeds from borrowings on convertible senior notes, net 1,979
Proceeds from issuance of warrants 203
Purchase of note hedges (371)
Repurchases of common stock (1,000) (500) (67) (250) (23) (342) (550) (328) (350) (500) (1,000) (198)
Proceeds from sales of shares through employee equity incentive plans 126 8 130 10 203 37 121 24 116 58 86 60 130 1 68 78 59 58 45 47 1 36
Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards (16) (108) (1) (1) (5) (156) (21) (4) (3) (4) (16) (3) (2) (2) (14) (11) (11) (9) (20) (7) (6) (6) (10) (6) (5) (7) (5)
Payments of contingent consideration liability (19) (14) (121)
Payment of deferred consideration related to prior year business acquisition (1)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (899) (114) 8 (374) 47 (232) (220) (179) (1,049) (73) (42) (1,635) 128 (251) 31 (353) 66 (559) 39 (336) (299) (5) (465) 1,806 (959) (6) (167)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 2
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (1,792) 1,091 796 (116) 158 (56) 746 165 (407) (708) 1,355 (858) 648 (721) (52) (302) 499 (350) 398 (12) (228) (25) (816) 1,472 (515) 737 303

Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-10-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-04-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-10-31).


A significant transition in profitability is observed over the analyzed period. The company moved from consistent quarterly net losses between 2019 and early 2022 to a period of sustained positive net income. A notable anomaly occurred in January 2024, where net income peaked at 1,747 million, though this was largely offset by a corresponding negative adjustment in deferred income taxes of 1,691 million, indicating a non-cash accounting impact rather than an operational surge.

Operating Cash Flow Dynamics
Net cash provided by operating activities demonstrates a long-term upward trajectory, generally remaining positive even during periods of net losses. This divergence is primarily driven by substantial non-cash add-backs, most notably share-based compensation, which grew from 150 million in late 2019 to a peak of 643 million by April 2026. Additionally, deferred revenue exhibits high volatility with significant quarterly spikes, such as the 1,313 million recorded in July 2024, suggesting a business model reliant on large, upfront contract payments.
Investment and Acquisition Strategy
Investing activities are characterized by aggressive capital deployment. There is a consistent pattern of purchasing investments, frequently exceeding 1 billion per quarter in later periods. Business acquisitions represent significant cash outflows, with a marked escalation in spending toward the end of the period, including a 2,576 million expenditure in January 2026. These outflows are partially mitigated by proceeds from the maturity and sale of investments.
Financing and Capital Management
Financing activities reveal a strategic focus on debt management and shareholder returns. Substantial repayments of convertible senior notes are evident, particularly a 1,692 million repayment in July 2023. Common stock repurchases have been executed sporadically but in large volumes, with 1,000 million outflows occurring in both April 2020 and April 2026. The company has utilized employee equity incentive plans to generate modest, consistent cash inflows throughout the period.

The overall liquidity position reflects a cycle of high operating cash generation used to fund aggressive inorganic growth and debt reduction. While net income has become more stable, the reliance on share-based compensation to bolster operating cash flow remains a prominent feature of the financial structure. The volatility in the net increase or decrease of cash is largely attributable to the timing of large-scale acquisitions and the settlement of convertible debt.

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