--- title: "Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287076441.md" description: "Morgan Stanley has raised its price target for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) from $223.00 to $253.00, maintaining an 'overweight' rating. This suggests a potential upside of 4.30% from the current price. Other analysts have also provided varying price targets, with an average target of $223.71. The stock opened at $242.57, with a market cap of $197.94 billion and a P/E ratio of 130.75." datetime: "2026-05-20T13:36:42.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287076441.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287076441.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287076441.md) --- # Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $253.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the network technology company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 4.30% from the stock's current price. Get **Palo Alto Networks** alerts: - Palo Alto Networks Up 70%: Can the Rally Last Into June? PANW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $215.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.71. **View Our Latest Stock Report on Palo Alto Networks** ## Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.0% - Why CrowdStrike's Consolidation Bet Is the Only One That Matters Shares of PANW stock opened at $242.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 130.75, a PEG ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $178.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.34. Palo Alto Networks has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $248.85. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.Palo Alto Networks's revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year. ## Insider Buying and Selling - The Nasdaq's Historic Rally Doesn't Mean the Risk Is Gone In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,631,525. The trade was a 30.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. ## Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 147.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,761 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 4,031 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,275 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 66.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11,100.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 560 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.0% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 4,398 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $900,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. ## Palo Alto Networks News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week: - Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $275 from $185 and reiterated a buy rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Article Title - Positive Sentiment: Other analysts also turned more constructive, with Truist, Oppenheimer, Rosenblatt, and Mizuho all lifting targets to the $265-$275 range, suggesting broad confidence ahead of the company’s next earnings report. - Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment is being supported by signs of strong cybersecurity spending and excitement around AI-enhanced vulnerability discovery, which could help drive demand for Palo Alto’s platform over time. Article Title - Neutral Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI should help Palo Alto Networks’ engineers do more work, not less, which underscores the company’s push to use AI as a productivity and product-development tool rather than a cost-cutting story. Article Title - Neutral Sentiment: The stock had already surged sharply in recent weeks and is trading near record highs, so while sentiment is strong, investors may also be watching for any pullback or earnings disappointment after such a big run. ## About Palo Alto Networks (Get Free Report) 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. ## Featured Stories - Five stocks we like better than Palo Alto Networks - Strategy Inc. Buys Bitcoin and Eyes a Dividend Amid Market Fear - Vertical Aerospace: Pre-Flight Checks Point to a Breakout - Palo Alto Networks Up 70%: Can the Rally Last Into June? - Block’s Pivot to Profits and AI Is Turning Heads _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._ ## Should You Invest $1,000 in Palo Alto Networks Right Now? Before you consider Palo Alto Networks, you'll want to hear this. 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