Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $320.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $320 from $253 and kept an overweight rating, implying about 7.68% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts also turned more bullish after recent results, with firms like BMO Capital Markets, DA Davidson, Wells Fargo, and Cantor Fitzgerald lifting targets or reiterating positive ratings.
• Palo Alto Networks recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $0.85 on revenue of $3.0 billion, while also raising FY2026 and Q4 guidance above Wall Street expectations.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $253.00 to $320.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the network technology company's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would suggest a potential upside of 7.68% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on PANW. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $270.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Capital One Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $168.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $340.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.02.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of PANW stock opened at $297.18 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $302.95. The stock's 50-day moving average is $195.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.31. The firm has a market cap of $242.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 164.19, a PEG ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The firm's revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. 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 expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This represents a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total transaction of $16,270,119.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at $61,037,002.95. This trade represents a 21.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 94,760 shares of company stock worth $21,660,063. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. grew its position in 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 valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Princeton Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% during the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks delivered a solid earnings beat, reporting EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79 expected on revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion expected, with sales up 31.1% year over year. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management lifted FY2026 and Q4 guidance above Wall Street forecasts, signaling stronger demand and better profitability ahead. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI-related security concerns are driving more customer meetings and broader enterprise interest in Palo Alto’s platform, which supports the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the results, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Needham, DA Davidson, Benchmark, BMO Capital, BTIG, Stephens, Loop Capital, and JPMorgan, reflecting improved confidence in PANW’s outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Loop Capital raised its price target to $290 but kept a “hold” rating, which suggests some upside has already been priced in after the stock’s sharp rally. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A small insider sale by the chief accounting officer may add a bit of headline pressure, though it is modest relative to the company’s recent strength. Article Title

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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