Benchmark Increases Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $270.00

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective hoisted by Benchmark from $200.00 to $270.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Benchmark’s price objective points to a potential upside of 7.93% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. New Street Research lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays reissued 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, May 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.28.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $250.15 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $261.41. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 135.92, a PEG ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at $24,103,105. The trade was a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company’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 directly owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. The trade was a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,756 shares of company stock worth $5,076,355. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter worth $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $136,859,000 after buying an additional 384,985 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $277,828,000 after buying an additional 8,344 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% during the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $11,077,000 after acquiring an additional 15,091 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,554,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating on Palo Alto Networks and kept a $285 price target, reinforcing the view that the stock still has upside after its recent rally. Wells Fargo Reiterates Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on PANW from $250 to $320 and maintained an Outperform rating, a sign that analysts see more room for the stock to rise. Evercore Raises PT on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted Palo Alto Networks as well positioned for the next cybersecurity growth cycle, with AI-related threats expected to drive more demand for security platforms like PANW. Palo Alto Is Positioning for the Next Security Supercycle
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention on PANW remains elevated, with Zacks noting the stock is trending among market participants, but the article did not provide a new catalyst. Trending Stock Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity stocks, including PANW, came under pressure after Zscaler issued underwhelming guidance, creating short-term gloom across the group despite longer-term bullish sentiment. Palo Alto and CrowdStrike Stocks Fall on Cybersecurity Gloom
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted PANW recently slipped even as the broader market gained, showing some near-term weakness and profit-taking after its strong run. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains

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.