Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading Down 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

17 Jan 2026, 23:42 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) shares fell 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $186.55 and last traded at $187.73. 6,211,516 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 3% from the average session volume of 6,039,040 shares. The stock had previously closed at $190.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Monday. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.09.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $130.80 billion, a PE ratio of 118.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $191.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.68.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 11.69% and a return on equity of 17.05%. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. Analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total value of $147,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,502,184.05. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.94, for a total transaction of $26,321,485.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 356,409 shares in the company, valued at $77,675,777.46. This trade represents a 25.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 382,016 shares of company stock worth $76,386,460 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 147.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,761 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 4,031 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,275 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 9.3% during the second quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 7,141 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,461,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 66.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Finally, Canopy Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 31.1% in the second quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 2,194 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

(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.