Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Given New $320.00 Price Target at Argus

Key Points

• Argus raised Palo Alto Networks’ price target to $320 from $222, implying about 17.6% upside from the prior close. The move adds to a broadly bullish analyst backdrop following the company’s earnings report.
• Several other firms also lifted targets or reiterated positive ratings, including Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Mizuho, Oppenheimer, and Goldman Sachs. Overall, PANW carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $306.59.
• Palo Alto Networks recently beat quarterly estimates, reporting $0.85 EPS on $3 billion in revenue, with revenue up 31.1% year over year. The company also gave FY2026 guidance of 3.770-3.790 EPS, while insider and institutional activity remained notable.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by Argus from $222.00 to $320.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Argus' target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.63% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on PANW. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $253.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $306.59.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $272.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 0.86. Palo Alto Networks has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $302.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.72 billion, a PE ratio of 222.99, a P/E/G ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average of $205.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.58.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 72,076 shares of company stock worth $17,930,587. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PANW. First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the first quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Foguth Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter worth approximately $168,000. Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter worth approximately $296,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 2,188 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Fin Capital Inc. raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 2,536 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive, with multiple firms raising price targets after earnings, including targets of $207 to $360 and several firms reiterating positive forecasts for PANW. HSBC adjusts price target on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: FBN Securities upgraded Palo Alto Networks from “outperform” to “strong-buy,” adding to the bullish analyst backdrop. FBN Securities upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note that PANW’s strong AI security narrative and recent earnings beat have kept the long-term story intact, even as the stock has cooled after its sharp rally. Barron's on Palo Alto Networks rally
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity peers, especially CrowdStrike, sold off after earnings, and that weakness spilled over to PANW as investors demanded clearer proof of AI monetization and more room for upside after the rally. CrowdStrike sinks, weighing on Palo Alto Networks
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues PANW’s stock has run too far too fast, suggesting valuation concerns and profit-taking are pressuring shares despite solid fundamentals. Seeking Alpha on Palo Alto Networks valuation

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.

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