Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Coverage Initiated at Benchmark

Investment analysts at Benchmark began coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the network technology company’s stock. Benchmark’s target price points to a potential upside of 22.54% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on PANW. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Arete Research raised Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.95.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.6%

PANW stock opened at $163.21 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $223.61. The company has a market cap of $133.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.17, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $162.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.38.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 298,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,096,383.61. This trade represents a 28.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stance Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 7,340 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,352,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth $2,766,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 982,633 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $181,001,000 after acquiring an additional 37,083 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,959 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $4,966,000 after acquiring an additional 4,082 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at about $229,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company insiders (including the CEO) bought roughly $10 million of PANW stock, a vote of confidence that investors often view as a bullish signal. Insider purchase article
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted the CEO’s $10M buy on Mad Money, framing it as evidence that AI threats are not undermining Palo Alto’s business — national TV endorsement can lift sentiment and short-term flows. Cramer commentary
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $200 price target, citing progress toward Rule-of-60-style profitability — an analyst upgrade that boosts upside expectations. Benchmark initiation
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted the stock outperformed the market intraday, reflecting the broader positive sentiment mix. Short-term price strength is consistent with the above catalysts. Zacks upswing note
• Neutral Sentiment: A law firm announced a partner hire in Palo Alto — unrelated to Palo Alto Networks’ business and unlikely to affect the stock. Business Wire hiring notice
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage points out PANW is down ~12% over the past three months, flagging near-term pressure despite long-term SASE momentum and enterprise wins — a reminder of recent volatility and profit-taking risk. Zacks pullback analysis

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.