Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Robert W. Baird Analyst Says

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $220.00 to $265.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.13% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $223.00 price objective (down from $245.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.98.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $242.83 on Thursday. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $245.80. The company has a market capitalization of $198.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 134.16, a PEG ratio of 8.59 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s fifty day moving average is $174.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.27.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 17.60%. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,466,400. This trade represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Oppenheimer raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $275 from $245 and reiterated an Outperform rating, signaling confidence that the stock can keep moving higher. Oppenheimer Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to $275: CyberArk Becomes Idira, Identity Security Just Got Real
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its target to $255 from $220 and kept an Outperform rating, while Robert W. Baird also boosted its target to $265, reinforcing the bullish analyst tone around PANW. RBC raises price target on Palo Alto Networks to 255 from 220, keeps outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $265 from $215 and highlighted Palo Alto’s identity-security push after CyberArk’s IMPACT26 conference, arguing that AI-driven threats are forcing more enterprise spending on automated security tools. Jefferies Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to 265: AI Is Compressing Attack Timelines
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other commentary point to Palo Alto’s new “Idira” platform, which could broaden the company’s identity-security offering and create a new growth engine beyond its core cybersecurity business. Palo Alto advances AI-driven identity strategy with Idira launch, shares gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that PANW is drawing unusual investor attention, but the piece was mainly a watchlist-style overview rather than a fresh catalyst. Is Most-Watched Stock Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) Worth Betting on Now?

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.