PANW FY2026 EPS Estimate Reduced by Northland Securities

Key Points

• Northland Securities trimmed its FY2026 EPS estimate for Palo Alto Networks to $1.97 from $2.07, while keeping a Market Perform rating and $302 price target.
• Palo Alto Networks recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion, up 31.1% year over year.
• The stock has drawn mixed analyst views: the broader consensus remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $306.59, even as some firms raised targets and others turned more cautious.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Northland Securities cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report issued on Wednesday, June 3rd. Northland Securities analyst N. Chokshi now expects that the network technology company will earn $1.97 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.07. Northland Securities has a "Market Perform" rating and a $302.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Palo Alto Networks' current full-year earnings is $2.12 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for Palo Alto Networks' Q4 2026 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.37 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.77 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.30 EPS.

PANW has been the topic of several other reports. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $253.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Guggenheim cut shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "neutral" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Capital One Financial increased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $168.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $306.59.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

PANW stock opened at $260.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $209.50 and a 200-day moving average of $187.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 213.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $302.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.37 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PANW. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $878,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total value of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $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 sold 72,076 shares of company stock valued at $17,930,587 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks recently hit a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, reinforcing that the company has grown far beyond its legacy firewall roots and continues to scale as a cybersecurity platform. Palo Alto Networks Hits $10B Revenue Run Rate Beats S&P 500 Across All Timeframes
• Positive Sentiment: Cybersecurity remains a favored theme as AI adoption grows, with industry commentary suggesting autonomous AI agents will need security protection, which could expand the long-term market for PANW’s products. Zscaler CEO: AI Will Create ‘Billions of Agents' That Need Cybersecurity Protection
• Neutral Sentiment: Northland Securities reiterated a Market Perform view and maintained a $302 price target, while modeling earnings of $0.45 per share for Q1 2027 and $0.48 for Q2 2027, suggesting steady expectations but no major near-term catalyst from the research note. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. market data
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data showed no meaningful change, so it does not appear to be a driver of the stock’s move today.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent post-earnings trading has been pressured by concerns that rising costs are weighing on margins, which is likely a key reason investors have been trimming the stock. PANW Stock Declines 9% Post Q3 Results: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.