Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $253.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.30% from the stock’s current price.
Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on PANW. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Arete Research upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.71.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on PANW
Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.0%
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks
In related news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Steph & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $275 from $185 and reiterated a buy rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Other analysts also turned more constructive, with Truist, Oppenheimer, Rosenblatt, and Mizuho all lifting targets to the $265-$275 range, suggesting broad confidence ahead of the company’s next earnings report.
- Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment is being supported by signs of strong cybersecurity spending and excitement around AI-enhanced vulnerability discovery, which could help drive demand for Palo Alto’s platform over time. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI should help Palo Alto Networks’ engineers do more work, not less, which underscores the company’s push to use AI as a productivity and product-development tool rather than a cost-cutting story. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: The stock had already surged sharply in recent weeks and is trading near record highs, so while sentiment is strong, investors may also be watching for any pullback or earnings disappointment after such a big run.
About Palo Alto Networks
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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