FY2025 EPS Forecast for Palo Alto Networks Lifted by Analyst

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) – Research analysts at Northland Capmk lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Palo Alto Networks in a report released on Tuesday, December 17th. Northland Capmk analyst N. Chokshi now expects that the network technology company will post earnings of $1.65 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.65. The consensus estimate for Palo Alto Networks’ current full-year earnings is $3.49 per share. Northland Capmk also issued estimates for Palo Alto Networks’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.45 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on PANW. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $195.00 to $212.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $197.50 to $227.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $205.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.40.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW stock opened at $186.78 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $191.89 and a 200-day moving average of $175.58. The stock has a market cap of $122.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 1.12. Palo Alto Networks has a 52-week low of $130.04 and a 52-week high of $207.24.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 23.36% and a net margin of 32.99%. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 34,318.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,259,063 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,113,948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,249,594 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 50.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,147,215 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,075,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050,173 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at about $174,124,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 444,100.0% during the second quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 444,000 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $150,520,000 after acquiring an additional 444,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at approximately $94,875,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 163,172 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.00, for a total transaction of $30,022,832.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,237,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $227,680,932.85. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nir Zuk sold 336,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.70, for a total value of $65,081,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,643,516 shares in the company, valued at $705,730,831.62. This represents a 8.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 571,172 shares of company stock worth $107,074,352. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.