Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price Down 1.5% – Time to Sell?

26 May 2026, 18:15 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) shares fell 1.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $250.77 and last traded at $256.75. 7,132,904 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 9,486,556 shares. The stock had previously closed at $260.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PANW. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $235.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $216.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.16.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on PANW

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $209.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 141.85, a PEG ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50 day moving average is $185.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.38.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 83,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,076,355. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,415,364,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $3,603,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,101,267 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $12,512,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659,100 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1,665.1% during the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 2,761,909 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $442,788,000 after purchasing an additional 2,605,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 67.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 6,297,833 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,009,669,000 after purchasing an additional 2,528,299 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

About Palo Alto Networks

(Get Free Report)

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.