Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $255.00

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price target lifted by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $220.00 to $255.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target indicates a potential upside of 7.05% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on PANW. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Friday. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.30.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $238.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $194.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 131.61, a PEG ratio of 8.21 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $173.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.83. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $239.15.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the sale, the director owned 52,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% in the third quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% during the third quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $265 from $220 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling confidence in the company’s upside and helping support the stock. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies also lifted its price target to $265 from $215 and kept a Buy rating, arguing that AI is compressing attack timelines and forcing companies to spend more on advanced cybersecurity. 247WallSt
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Palo Alto’s identity-security expansion, including the CyberArk-related “Idira” platform, as a potential new growth engine that could deepen the company’s platform and improve cross-selling opportunities. Proactive Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and market commentary continue to frame PANW as a leading cybersecurity name, with investors watching whether the recent strength can carry into the next earnings report. Investor’s Business Daily
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC highlighted Palo Alto’s warning that AI-driven cyberattacks could soon become the “new norm,” reinforcing the long-term demand case for security spending rather than signaling a near-term fundamental problem. CNBC

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

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.