Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifty brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $398.55.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Roth Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $300.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Mizuho set a $415.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, HSBC cut their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John Key sold 2,500 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,760,300. The trade was a 20.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 27,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.60, for a total value of $10,769,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 117,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,110,900. The trade was a 18.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock valued at $20,823,029. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at $25,833,462,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,979,497 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $12,610,748,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493,179 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,681,876 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $7,734,973,000 after purchasing an additional 205,123 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,142,895 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $3,235,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,386,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,778,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,993,802,000 after purchasing an additional 706,003 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 0.3%

PANW opened at $313.84 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $370.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $256.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 615.38, a PEG ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 0.96. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $432.33.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The company had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue 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. Analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats.

The company’s product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Palo Alto Networks serves businesses, government agencies and other organizations around the world.