Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading 1.3% Higher – What’s Next?

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)’s stock price shot up 1.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $186.92 and last traded at $185.88. 7,058,461 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 14% from the average session volume of 6,180,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.44.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major strategic deal — Palo Alto expanded its partnership with Google Cloud in a multibillion‑dollar agreement (reported as approaching $10B) that includes migrating key internal workloads and deepening cloud/AI security integration; this is being viewed as a material revenue and go‑to‑market catalyst. Google Cloud lands deal with Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Company release and partner messaging reinforce the Reuters report, highlighting expanded cloud + AI security offerings and joint go‑to‑market programs that could accelerate enterprise adoption. Palo Alto Networks and Google Cloud Forge Landmark Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased — JPMorgan reinstated coverage with an Overweight rating and $235 PT, and other outlets noted a $250 price target lift, signaling renewed analyst conviction that could attract buyers. JPMorgan Reinstates Palo Alto Networks With Overweight Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum — Zacks highlights Cortex XSIAM landing larger deals and higher‑spend customers, implying a potential new growth engine that could lift ARR and margins over time. Can Cortex XSIAM Become Palo Alto Networks’ Next Major Growth Engine?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and monitoring — Zacks notes elevated user interest and recent earnings was modestly followed by a small stock move; this keeps PANW on watch lists but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term earnings context — a Zacks note observed the stock is only slightly up since the last earnings release, suggesting the market is parsing guidance and execution details rather than reacting strongly yet. Palo Alto (PANW) Up 0.4% Since Last Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — recent reports show insiders sold roughly $5M in PANW stock, which some investors interpret as a cautionary signal about near‑term insider confidence. Insiders At Palo Alto Networks Sold US$5.0m In Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on PANW. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $230.00 price objective (up from $225.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Westpark Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JMP Securities upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.20.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 0.5%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $201.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $197.32. The company has a market cap of $130.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.79.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 11.69% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.39, for a total transaction of $132,573.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 46,805 shares in the company, valued at $8,864,398.95. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.94, for a total transaction of $26,321,485.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 356,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,675,777.46. This trade represents a 25.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,228,330 shares of company stock worth $251,702,305. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 32.7% during the third quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 23,894 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $4,865,000 after buying an additional 5,894 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,000. Garde Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 1,706 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 162.3% during the third quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 11,645 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 7,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 276.2% in the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 31,711 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $6,457,000 after purchasing an additional 49,711 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

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.