Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Director Aparna Bawa Sells 500 Shares of Stock

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Director Aparna Bawa sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.18, for a total transaction of $188,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,137.66. The trade was a 9.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Aparna Bawa also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, September 14th, Aparna Bawa sold 1,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.61, for a total transaction of $373,610.00.
• On Wednesday, July 1st, Aparna Bawa sold 290 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.74, for a total value of $101,134.60.
• On Monday, June 29th, Aparna Bawa sold 632 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.67, for a total value of $201,399.44.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Aparna Bawa sold 345 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.17, for a total value of $100,108.65.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ PANW traded up $0.56 on Wednesday, hitting $375.65. 5,240,323 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,483,044. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $350.34 and a 200 day moving average of $265.14. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $398.88. The company has a market capitalization of $307.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 736.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 0.91.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. As a group, analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven cybersecurity demand remains a major tailwind. J.P. Morgan identified Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Okta, Zscaler, and Varonis as beneficiaries of increased enterprise AI adoption, which is creating new security and compliance requirements. AI Is Boosting Cybersecurity. CrowdStrike and 4 More Stocks to Buy.
• Positive Sentiment: Cybersecurity spending is holding up better than broader enterprise software spending. Articles highlighted that companies may reduce discretionary technology purchases but are less willing to weaken security defenses because breaches can cause operational disruption, regulatory penalties, and customer losses. Palo Alto’s strategy of consolidating security tools into unified platforms could support demand. The Ultimate Cyber Shield: CrowdStrike Rises Past $235
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for PANW to $2.30 from $2.11. The revised forecast matches the broader consensus and suggests expectations for continued earnings growth, although the bank maintained a Hold rating. Palo Alto Networks analyst estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Cybersecurity stocks remain in favor, but PANW’s relative momentum appears less pronounced. CrowdStrike led a renewed sector rally while Palo Alto Networks showed more limited movement, indicating that investors may currently prefer faster-growing or more strongly momentum-driven peers. CrowdStrike Advances as AI Security Bid Outruns Falling Tech Tape
• Negative Sentiment: Three directors disclosed substantial stock sales. Aparna Bawa sold a combined 1,500 shares for approximately $562,200, while John P. Key sold 2,500 shares worth about $940,075. The transactions reduced their respective holdings by roughly 9% to 20%, potentially creating a modest sentiment overhang, though insider sales do not necessarily indicate concerns about the company’s outlook. Palo Alto Networks insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk. PANW trades well above its long-term moving averages with a very high reported P/E ratio, leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking if growth, margins, or guidance disappoint. Recent commentary also noted that sales are accelerating while margins are contracting.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on PANW. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $350.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $340.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Thirty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $387.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 90.1% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $382,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,115 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $4,472,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. now owns 2,664 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc is a cybersecurity company that provides security products and services to businesses, governments and other organizations worldwide. The company helps customers protect networks, cloud environments, endpoints, applications and connected devices from cyber threats.

Its portfolio includes next-generation firewalls and network security technologies, as well as cloud-delivered security solutions such as Prisma Access and Prisma Cloud. Palo Alto Networks also offers Cortex products for endpoint protection, security operations, threat detection and response, and automation.