HSBC Lowers Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $114.00

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its target price cut by analysts at HSBC from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. HSBC’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 25.17% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Thirty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.54.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $152.35 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $106.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.75. Palo Alto Networks has a fifty-two week low of $144.15 and a fifty-two week high of $223.61. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.93.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 18.42%. The firm 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. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.91, for a total transaction of $23,177,738.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 327,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,878,351.95. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.18, for a total transaction of $940,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 155,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,190,293.42. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Klingman & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.2% during the third quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.8% during the third quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,742 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. PTM Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. PTM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat expectations — PANW reported stronger-than-expected revenue and EPS, showing continued subscription/ARR momentum. Palo Alto Networks Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year revenue outlook (to about $11.3B) and Next‑Gen Security ARR grew strongly, supporting the platformization thesis. Palo Alto Networks Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors note a durable balance sheet and long-term platform opportunity; some view the pullback as a buy-the-dip if integration costs normalize. MarketBeat coverage of PANW
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO defended the company’s strategy amid AI/software weakness — management is positioning PANW as differentiated, but investor scrutiny on execution and margins remains. Palo Alto shares sink 8%, CEO defends cybersecurity’s position as AI hits software stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions are mixed — while several firms reaffirmed buy ratings and high targets, many trimmed price targets in light of near-term profit pressure. MarketBeat analyst roundup
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged higher integration and deal-related costs that trimmed profit guidance, triggering the largest immediate selling pressure. Reuters: Palo Alto shares fall as deal costs pile up amid AI security push
• Negative Sentiment: Industry/coverage pieces call out that the recent M&A spree is weighing on near-term margins and profit outlook, increasing execution risk. Investopedia: Deals Are Dragging on Its Profit Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: The announced Koi acquisition (agentic endpoint security) and other buys are viewed as strategic but also raised investor concerns about further integration costs and dilution. Zacks: PANW to Buy Koi

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.