Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Benchmark
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyBenchmark assumed coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $200.00 price objective on the network technology company’s stock.
PANW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $223.00 price target (down from $245.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho set a $200.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.95.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on PANW
Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance
Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $163.21 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $223.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $162.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.11. The company has a market capitalization of $133.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.17, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.77.
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction 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 $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 149,552 shares of company stock valued at $27,779,427 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Stance Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 7,340 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,766,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 982,633 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $181,001,000 after purchasing an additional 37,083 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,959 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $4,966,000 after purchasing an additional 4,082 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: An insider reportedly bought about US$10.0m of PANW stock, a sign of confidence from management or insiders that can reassure investors and provide upward support to the share price. Insider Buy Article
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a note highlighting that PANW outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting short‑term buying momentum and attention on the name. That positive market reaction can amplify interest from momentum and quant-driven flows. Zacks Upswing Article
- Neutral Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage of PANW (coverage initiation often brings increased analyst visibility and trading volume). Investors should watch the new rating and price target for directional cues. Coverage Initiation
- Neutral Sentiment: Local law‑firm hiring news (Arman Pahlavan joining Dorsey & Whitney in Palo Alto) is peripheral to PANW fundamentals and unlikely to move the stock materially. Business Wire Article
- Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives disclosed open‑market sales on April 1: EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares at ~$160.42 and CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares at ~$161.40. Insider sales can create near‑term selling pressure or raise governance/rotation questions, even when not unusual for executives. SEC Filing
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pointing out a roughly 12% decline over three months highlights near‑term downside and investor concern, even as some pieces note SASE momentum and enterprise wins that could stabilize revenue longer term. Persistent share‑price weakness can prompt re‑rating risk. Zacks Decline Article
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.