Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) CAO Josh Paul Sells 900 Shares

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) CAO Josh Paul sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.77, for a total transaction of $318,393.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 73,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,950,444.58. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 12.8%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $382.85 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $398.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $312.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 313.81, a P/E/G ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.91.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for Palo Alto Networks to $384, modestly above the current trading level, while maintaining its view of the cybersecurity company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Palo Alto Networks Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly constructive: BTIG reaffirmed a “Buy” rating, and other Wall Street commentary continues to characterize PANW as a buy and a cybersecurity stock worth researching. Wall Street Analysts See Palo Alto as a Buy Benchmark Analyst Expects Palo Alto Stock to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on estimates for PANW’s fiscal fourth quarter ended July 2026, including key operating metrics beyond revenue and earnings. The upcoming results could become the next major catalyst. Palo Alto Q4 Performance Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader markets may remain sensitive to next week’s U.S. jobs report and its implications for Federal Reserve policy, which could influence high-growth technology valuations. The Week Ahead: August Jobs Report Takes Center Stage
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares for approximately $318,000. The sale reduced his holdings by 1.21%, a relatively small transaction but a potential short-term sentiment headwind. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG’s $380 price target is slightly below PANW’s current level despite its Buy rating, while the stock’s very high earnings multiple leaves it vulnerable to disappointment if growth or guidance slows. BTIG Reiterates Buy Rating on Palo Alto Networks

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on PANW shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Northland Securities upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Arete Research increased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $433.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $421.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.87.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 125.0% in the second quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 81 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

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.