Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $340.00

Key Points

• Benchmark raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $340 from $270 and kept a buy rating, implying about 14.4% upside from the current share price.
• The company beat fiscal Q3 expectations, posting EPS of $0.85 on revenue of $3.0 billion versus estimates of $0.79 and $2.94 billion, with revenue up 31.1% year over year.
• Management lifted FY2026 and Q4 guidance above Wall Street forecasts, and analysts overall remain constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $251.95.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Benchmark from $270.00 to $340.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the network technology company's stock. Benchmark's price target would indicate a potential upside of 14.41% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $268.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $251.95.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 1.1%

PANW opened at $297.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.50 billion, a PE ratio of 164.19, a PEG ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $302.95. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $195.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $184.31.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. Palo Alto Networks's quarterly revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business 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, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 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 purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total transaction of $272,459.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. The trade was a 7.29% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 94,760 shares of company stock worth $21,660,063 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks beat fiscal Q3 estimates, reporting EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion expected, with sales up 31.1% year over year. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised FY2026 and Q4 guidance well above Wall Street forecasts, reinforcing confidence in accelerating demand and stronger profitability ahead. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management said AI-related security concerns are driving more customer engagement, with CEO Nikesh Arora saying meeting requests have surged as enterprises prepare for new AI risks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment also improved, with JPMorgan and Baird raising price targets to $300, which supports the view that the post-earnings rally may have more room if execution holds. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Palo Alto also completed its acquisition of Portkey, an AI gateway provider, which could strengthen its AI-security platform over time, though the near-term financial impact is unclear. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale by the chief accounting officer may create a small overhang, but it appears minor compared with the company’s strong operating results. 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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