Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading 2.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

07 Mar 2026, 13:20 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report)’s share price shot up 2.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $164.70 and last traded at $163.16. 9,110,080 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 11,630,093 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PANW. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.19.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on PANW

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.2%

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $171.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.09. The company has a market cap of $134.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.78.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.650-3.700 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.800 EPS. Equities 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, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.18, for a total value of $940,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 155,119 shares in the company, valued at $29,190,293.42. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at $57,096,383.61. This trade represents a 28.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 139,068 shares of company stock worth $26,600,684 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. 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.