Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Given New $240.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective hoisted by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.95% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on PANW. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Westpark Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Twenty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.52.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ PANW traded up $0.44 on Friday, hitting $205.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,752,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,124,287. The company’s 50-day moving average is $208.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.90. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $144.15 and a one year high of $223.61. The stock has a market cap of $140.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 127.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.95.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 18th. The network technology company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.66% and a net margin of 12.30%.The business had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Q1 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.94, for a total transaction of $26,321,485.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 356,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,675,777.46. The trade was a 25.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.97, for a total value of $153,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 47,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,449,674.85. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,215,830 shares of company stock valued at $249,160,428. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,269,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $13,290,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,253,589 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,174,029 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $3,093,262,000 after buying an additional 169,055 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,235,406 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,234,650,000 after buying an additional 2,134,735 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 6,902,048 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,177,765,000 after acquiring an additional 950,765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,906,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,202,776,000 after acquiring an additional 611,375 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.