JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $235.00 to $225.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the network technology company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 36.12% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Stephens upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays set a $200.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Thirty-one research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.62.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $165.30 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks has a 1-year low of $144.15 and a 1-year high of $223.61. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $183.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.74. The company has a market capitalization of $115.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.62, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $940,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 155,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,190,293.42. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $62,878,351.95. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. PFC Capital Group Inc. raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. PFC Capital Group Inc. now owns 12,919 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,379,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,931 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 85,747 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 16,824 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 18,275 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $3,366,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gilpin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: Completed acquisition of CyberArk — Palo Alto closed the CyberArk deal to add unified human, machine and agentic identity security, expanding its IAM capabilities and AI‑era positioning; this should boost cross‑sell opportunities and strengthen long‑term revenue mix. Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk to Secure the AI Era
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: cybersecurity demand and ETF rebound — Market commentary notes cyber names (PANW is a top holding) are oversold vs. fundamentals; a rebound in thematic ETFs could lift share prices if rotation back into defensive tech continues. Cybersecurity Demand Is High—Yet This ETF Is on Sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street prep ahead of Q2 report — Analysts and previews (Zacks) outline key metrics to monitor for the quarter ended Jan‑2026: subscription/ARR trends, billings, product vs. services mix, and margins — useful guidance for gauging whether growth acceleration and margins meet expectations. Ahead of Palo Alto (PANW) Q2 Earnings: Get Ready With Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings date reminder — PANW is expected to report quarterly results next week; that event is the immediate catalyst for short‑term price moves. Watch management commentary and guidance for FY metrics. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Tuesday
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector context: JPMorgan picks and SaaS rotation — Coverage notes a broader SaaS sell‑off after AI plugin developments; cybersecurity is positioned as a defensive play amid the rotation, which could help or hurt PANW depending on momentum. Surviving the SaaS‑pocalypse: JPMorgan’s 3 Top Cyber Stocks Ready to Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts trimmed price targets — DA Davidson lowered its PT to $210 (still a Buy) and JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $225 (still Overweight). Cuts signal moderation in near‑term upside expectations and can weigh on sentiment despite positive ratings. DA Davidson adjusts Palo Alto Networks PT to $210 from $240, maintains Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Beat odds look mixed — another Zacks preview warns Palo Alto may lack the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat; a disappointment on revenue, billings or guidance could trigger further downside. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release

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.