Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Mizuho from $265.00 to $305.00 in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Mizuho’s price target points to a potential upside of 7.14% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on PANW. Wedbush increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Arete Research upgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $290.43.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 4.2%

PANW opened at $284.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $195.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.31. Palo Alto Networks has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $302.95. The company has a market capitalization of $232.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 157.57, a PEG ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.08, for a total transaction of $313,588.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 81,636 shares in the company, valued at $23,272,790.88. This trade represents a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 94,760 shares of company stock worth $21,660,063 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Steph & Co. raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

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.