Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) dropped 3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $239.69 and last traded at $240.13. Approximately 10,883,348 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 14% from the average daily volume of 9,581,682 shares. The stock had previously closed at $247.55.
Key Palo Alto Networks News
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $285 from $235 and kept an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish outlook on the stock. Benzinga
- Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus also lifted its target to $275 and reiterated a buy rating, while BMO and Morgan Stanley recently boosted their targets as well, signaling broader Wall Street confidence in PANW’s growth outlook. MarketScreener
- Positive Sentiment: At Jefferies’ attended Ignite On Tour event, customers showed strong interest in Palo Alto’s AI security products, including Prisma AIRS, XSIAM, Portkey, and Koi Security, suggesting the company’s AI strategy is gaining traction. Proactive Investors
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary also highlighted rising demand for AI security as a potential long-term growth driver, which could support continued multiple expansion if adoption accelerates. Zacks
- Neutral Sentiment: Josh Brown added Palo Alto Networks to his “best stocks in the market” list, which adds to the positive sentiment around cybersecurity names, though it is more of a watchlist/endorsement signal than a direct business catalyst. Invezz
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
PANW has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $235.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.33.
Palo Alto Networks Price Performance
The company has a market cap of $206.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 139.73, a P/E/G ratio of 8.89 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $181.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.77.
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 83,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,418,150.40. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% in the third quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% in the third quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $878,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.
Palo Alto Networks Company Profile
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) is a cybersecurity company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The firm develops a broad suite of security products and services designed to prevent successful cyberattacks and protect enterprise networks, clouds, and endpoints. Built around a platform strategy, its offerings target threat prevention, detection, response and governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
The company’s product portfolio includes next‑generation firewalls as a core on‑premises capability, alongside cloud‑delivered security services and software for securing public and private clouds.
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