Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading 1.2% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 7th, 2026

Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $370.50 and last traded at $363.86. Approximately 4,573,810 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 8,888,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $359.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PANW. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $387.00 target price (up from $320.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a “sector outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target (up from $180.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $333.76.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $296.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 298.25, a P/E/G ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50 day moving average is $316.24 and its 200 day moving average is $227.25.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The company’s revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $5,598,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total value of $1,447,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 145,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,058,590. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 101,239 shares of company stock worth $27,174,360 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth $38,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Palo Alto Networks

(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.