Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)’s stock price was up 1.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $186.69 and last traded at $186.27. Approximately 5,816,354 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 6,235,194 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Westpark Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Palo Alto Networks from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.09.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $129.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $208.42 and its 200-day moving average is $197.40.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 11.69% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-3.900 EPS. Q2 2026 guidance at 0.930-0.950 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.97, for a total transaction of $153,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 47,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,449,674.85. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.19, for a total transaction of $1,020,950.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 96,135 shares in the company, valued at $19,629,805.65. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,215,130 shares of company stock worth $249,031,488 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 6,400.0% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.