Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Director John Key Sells 2,500 Shares

Posted by on Sep 17th, 2026

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) Director John Key sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.03, for a total transaction of $940,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,300. The trade was a 20.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW opened at $375.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $307.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 736.58, a PEG ratio of 10.82 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $398.88. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $351.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $266.73.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $410.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $345.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Scotiabank downgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “sector outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, August 31st. Thirty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $387.60.

View Our Latest Analysis on PANW

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

  • Positive Sentiment: AI adoption is increasing demand for cybersecurity platforms as companies seek protection against automated attacks, evolving malware and other AI-related risks. J.P. Morgan identified Palo Alto Networks among the cybersecurity companies positioned to benefit from this trend. AI Is Boosting Cybersecurity. CrowdStrike and 4 More Stocks to Buy.
  • Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate for PANW to $2.30 from $2.11, matching the current consensus forecast. The upgrade to earnings expectations supports the case for improving fundamentals, although the bank retained a “Hold” rating. Scotiabank earnings estimate report
  • Neutral Sentiment: Cybersecurity stocks have attracted investor interest as security spending remains more resilient than broader enterprise software spending. However, much of the sector’s AI-driven growth outlook may already be reflected in valuations, making continued execution important for PANW.
  • Negative Sentiment: Directors disclosed several stock sales: Aparna Bawa sold 1,500 shares across September 14–15 for approximately $562,200, while John P. Key sold 2,500 shares for about $940,075. The transactions reduced their respective holdings by roughly 9% to 20%, potentially creating a modest sentiment overhang. Palo Alto Networks insider filings
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights a trade-off for PANW: sales are accelerating as agentic AI expands security needs, but margins are contracting. With the stock trading at a very high earnings multiple, weaker profitability or slower growth could increase valuation risk. The Proliferation of Agentic AI Has Been Great News for Palo Alto Stock Investors

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 410,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $65,796,000 after acquiring an additional 53,485 shares during the period. Aviva PLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 568,804 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $104,774,000 after acquiring an additional 29,230 shares during the period. B&D White Capital Company LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 1st quarter worth approximately $353,000. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,159,000. Finally, Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,342 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,453,000 after purchasing an additional 4,659 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Palo Alto Networks

(Get Free Report)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc is a cybersecurity company that provides security products and services to businesses, governments and other organizations worldwide. The company helps customers protect networks, cloud environments, endpoints, applications and connected devices from cyber threats.

Its portfolio includes next-generation firewalls and network security technologies, as well as cloud-delivered security solutions such as Prisma Access and Prisma Cloud. Palo Alto Networks also offers Cortex products for endpoint protection, security operations, threat detection and response, and automation.

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