JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $225.00

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $235.00 to $225.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the network technology company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $220.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $200.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up from $228.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective (up previously from $230.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.74.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $162.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $113.44 billion, a PE ratio of 103.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.75. Palo Alto Networks has a 12 month low of $144.15 and a 12 month high of $223.61. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $182.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.53.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 11.69% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The company’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total transaction of $147,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,502,184.05. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $29,190,293.42. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth 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. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6,400.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto completed its acquisition of CyberArk, adding identity-security capabilities that management says strengthen its AI-era security platform — a strategic bolt-on that supports longer-term revenue and product integration potential. Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is planning a dual listing on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange following the CyberArk deal — a structural move that could broaden investor access but also draws attention to regional/regulatory considerations. Cybersecurity Stock in the Spotlight Ahead of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed price targets but largely maintained buy ratings — suggesting confidence in long-term fundamentals even as near‑term valuation expectations are moderated. (Examples: Rosenblatt, BTIG, DA Davidson cut PTs while keeping buy ratings.) Rosenblatt Adjusts PT to $225
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets this week (BTIG from $248→$200, DA Davidson $240→$210, Rosenblatt $250→$225), which puts downward pressure on the stock despite buy ratings — investors view the cuts as reduced near‑term upside. BTIG Price Target Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reports Palo Alto chose not to explicitly attribute a recent global cyberespionage campaign to China out of concern for possible retaliation — a disclosure/PR judgment that raises geopolitical and client-risk concerns and may weigh on sentiment. Palo Alto chose not to tie China to hacking campaign
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary noted PANW falling more steeply than the broader market and cited the dual-listing/merger headlines as drivers of the weakness; trading volume is elevated, indicating active repositioning by investors. Palo Alto Networks Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market

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.