Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Posted by Geri Gentry on May 15th, 2026

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $213.50.

A number of analysts have weighed in on PANW shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. New Street Research lowered their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Argus upgraded Palo Alto Networks to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Palo Alto Networks

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. PTM Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. PTM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

More Palo Alto Networks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $265 from $215 and reiterated a Buy rating, saying AI is compressing attack timelines and should accelerate enterprise demand for automated, identity-based security. Jefferies Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to $265: AI Is Compressing Attack Timelines
Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird also lifted its target on PANW to $265 from $220 and maintained an Outperform rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside. MarketScreener: Baird Adjusts Price Target on Palo Alto Networks
Positive Sentiment: Jefferies highlighted Palo Alto’s identity-security push after CyberArk’s IMPACT26 conference, noting the company’s “Idira” platform as part of a broader strategy to unify identity security and privileged access management across human and non-human identities. Palo Alto advances AI-driven identity strategy with Idira launch, shares gain
Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Zacks and other market observers pointed to identity security as a potential next growth engine for PANW, supporting the investment case but not adding a new catalyst by itself. Can Identity Security Become PANW’s Next Major Growth Engine?

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $238.21 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $239.15. The stock has a market cap of $194.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 131.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.21 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $173.12 and its 200 day moving average is $180.83.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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