Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Upgraded at FBN Securities

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) was upgraded by stock analysts at FBN Securities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $255.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $268.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. New Street Research decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group set a $300.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.22.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 5.6%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $280.43 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $302.95. The company has a market cap of $228.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 229.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $185.46.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.05. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 7.95%.The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was purchased 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 directly owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total value of $16,270,119.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at $61,037,002.95. This trade represents a 21.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 94,760 shares of company stock valued at $21,660,063 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its stake in 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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: Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal Q3 results that topped expectations, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.80-$0.81 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion estimated, while sales rose 31.1% year over year.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year FY2026 guidance and Q4 guidance above Wall Street forecasts, signaling continued demand momentum and stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Management said AI-related security demand is accelerating, and CEO Nikesh Arora cited a surge in customer meeting requests as enterprises prepare for AI-driven risks.
• Positive Sentiment: A wave of analyst price-target hikes followed the report, with firms including Citigroup, Wedbush, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Berenberg, Rosenblatt, RBC, Oppenheimer, Stifel, Mizuho, Stephens, and others lifting targets well above the current share price, reinforcing bullish sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains supportive overall, with multiple reports describing the stock as a moderate buy and highlighting the company’s AI-security growth story.
• Neutral Sentiment: One insider filing showed CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares, but the sale was relatively small compared with his remaining holdings and is unlikely to change the long-term thesis.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the strong quarter and upbeat analyst reaction, the stock has paused after a big rally, suggesting investors may be taking profits and focusing on valuation after the recent surge.

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.