<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) traded down 7.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $154.05 and last traded at $154.77. 12,749,095 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 82% from the average session volume of 6,994,961 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.72.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Palo Alto Networks</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>Why CrowdStrike’s SGNL Acquisition Matters for CRWD Stock</li></ul><p>Several research firms recently weighed in on PANW. HSBC cut shares of Palo Alto Networks from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;reduce&#34; rating and set a $157.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co.  reaffirmed an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. BTIG Research  reissued a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Thirty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned  a Hold rating and two have issued  a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $229.09.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on PANW</b></p><h2>Palo Alto Networks Price Performance</h2><ul><li>3 Cybersecurity Stocks to Watch in 2026 as Identity and Endpoint Converge</li></ul><p>The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $194.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 97.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.75. </p><p>Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 11.69%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 EPS.  As a group, equities analysts forecast that  Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks</h2><ul><li>CrowdStrike Is Still Best-in-Breed—But 2026 May Be a Tough Trade</li></ul><p>In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 12,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.33, for a total transaction of $2,441,625.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 75,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,685,690.72. The trade was a 14.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.91, for a total value of $23,177,738.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 327,645 shares in the company, valued at $62,878,351.95. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks</h2><p>Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of  Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 129,415 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $24,161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,154 shares during the period.  North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in  Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,148,000.  Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in  Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000.  Rossmore Private Capital boosted its holdings in  Palo Alto Networks by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 24,096 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $4,439,000 after purchasing an additional 8,176 shares during the period.  Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of  Palo Alto Networks by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 155,468 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $28,637,000 after purchasing an additional 8,970 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>Palo Alto Networks Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Palo Alto Networks <span>NASDAQ: PANW<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Palo Alto Networks</li><li>The day the gold market broke</li><li>NEW LAW: Congress Approves Setup For Digital Dollar?</li><li>What a Former CIA Agent Knows About the Coming Collapse</li><li>Your Bank Account Is No Longer Safe</li><li>Buffett, Gates and Bezos Quietly Dumping Stocks—Here's Why</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Palo Alto Networks Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Palo Alto Networks, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Palo Alto Networks wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Palo Alto Networks currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) shares fell 7.2% to $154.77 during mid-day trading, with a significant increase in volume. Analysts have mixed ratings, with HSBC downgrading to 'reduce' and setting a $157 target, while others like JPMorgan and Rosenblatt maintain 'buy' ratings with targets up to $250. The company reported earnings of $0.93 per share, exceeding estimates, and revenue of $2.47 billion, up 15.7% year-over-year. Insider selling has occurred, with significant shares sold by executives. Institutional investors have also adjusted their holdings recently.</p>

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Shares Down 7.2% - What's Next?