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

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Mizuho from $220.00 to $205.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 34.56% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on PANW. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $248.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays set a $200.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $200.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $265.00 target price (up previously from $230.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Thirty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.68.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $152.35 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $106.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $180.25 and its 200 day moving average is $191.93. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $144.15 and a one year high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 18.42% and a net margin of 12.96%.The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.650-3.700 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.800 EPS. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.18, for a total value of $940,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 155,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,190,293.42. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total transaction of $23,070,311.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at $57,096,383.61. This represents a 28.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock worth $49,910,995. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 6,400.0% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 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: Q2 results beat estimates—EPS $1.03 and revenue roughly $2.59B; Next‑Gen Security ARR grew ~33% and RPO rose, supporting recurring revenue momentum. Palo Alto Networks Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full‑year revenue outlook to about $11.28–11.31B, signaling continued top‑line strength from its platform strategy. Palo Alto Networks Lifts Revenue Outlook as Second‑Quarter Profit Jumps (WSJ)
• Positive Sentiment: Management is investing to secure the AI/agentic endpoint (Koi acquisition) and expand capabilities (CyberArk, Chronosphere), which could strengthen long‑term competitive positioning. Palo Alto Announces Intent to Acquire Koi (PRNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and firms are mixed—some reaffirmed outperform/buy ratings and cited long‑term upside while others trimmed price targets; overall street sentiment remains largely constructive but cautious. Jefferies: Palo Alto to emerge stronger despite M&A headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered near‑term profit guidance, citing higher integration and acquisition costs—this cut to the profit outlook is the primary driver of the share decline. Palo Alto shares fall as deal costs pile up (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple brokers trimmed price targets and adjusted models after the guidance update (Deutsche, Goldman, Scotiabank, Loop, Stifel, BMO, Needham, Susquehanna, etc.), adding selling pressure. Analyst price‑target adjustments (MarketScreener example)
• Negative Sentiment: Sector and AI‑software weakness amplified the move—CEO sought to defend the company’s differentiation, but market sentiment for high‑growth software names remains tenuous. Palo Alto shares sink as CEO defends strategy (CNBC)

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.