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

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) CAO Josh Paul sold 900 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total transaction of $336,312.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 72,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,085,821.12. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock traded up $3.46 on Thursday, hitting $331.94. 6,809,538 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,592,565. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $398.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $270.53 billion, a PE ratio of 650.88, a PEG ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $348.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.11.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 2.67%.The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens set a $400.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $380.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $245.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $434.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Forty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong fiscal fourth-quarter results: Revenue rose 34.5% year over year to $3.41 billion, exceeding the $3.35 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted earnings of $1.02 per share topped expectations of $0.98. Next-generation security annual recurring revenue increased 63% to $9.1 billion, including nearly $1 billion in net new ARR. Palo Alto Networks beats quarterly earnings estimates, acquires AI platform Console
• Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal 2027 revenue of $14.1 billion to $14.2 billion, representing approximately 23% to 24% growth, and provided first-quarter guidance above Wall Street expectations. The company said AI-driven cyber threats are accelerating demand for platform-based security products. Palo Alto Projects Double-Digit Growth as AI Drives Cybersecurity Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: RBC, DA Davidson, Susquehanna, Rosenblatt, BTIG, Citigroup and Argus raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings, with price targets ranging from $404 to $475. Jim Cramer also described PANW favorably following the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: AI expansion through acquisition: Palo Alto Networks acquired Console, an AI-native platform for automating IT help-desk workflows. The deal could strengthen its agentic-security capabilities, although reports indicate the company paid approximately $500 million in cash and stock. Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations and valuation pressured the shares: Despite the earnings beat, investors viewed the results as insufficient for a stock trading at a very elevated earnings multiple. The post-report decline reflected profit-taking and a repricing of PANW’s premium valuation, while cybersecurity peers also weakened. Why Palo Alto Networks Stock Is Nosediving

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.