Zscaler faces mounting competitive pressures, lagging Cloudflare in RPO growth and Net Retention, while Palo Alto Networks picks up momentum with its M&A-based strategy. Despite solid revenue and customer growth, ZS's stagnant operating margin and softer forward guidance have weighed on investor sentiment. ZS trades at a forward P/E of 45, compressing to 30 by FY 2028, but market fears over share losses demand outperformance in RPO and retention.









