Wedbush Equities Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for PANW

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) - Wedbush decreased their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Palo Alto Networks in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, December 17th. Wedbush analyst D. Ives now anticipates that the network technology company will post earnings per share of $0.48 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.49. The consensus estimate for Palo Alto Networks' current full-year earnings is $3.49 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Palo Alto Networks' Q2 2026 earnings at $0.49 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.13 EPS.

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded Palo Alto Networks from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $212.50 to $217.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $222.50 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $210.00 to $217.50 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.40.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock traded down $2.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $186.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,326,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,566,405. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $191.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.31. Palo Alto Networks has a 12-month low of $130.04 and a 12-month high of $207.24. The company has a market capitalization of $122.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.32, a PEG ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 1.12.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 113.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 77 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 352.6% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 86 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 177.4% in the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 86 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 2,933.3% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 91 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 163,172 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $227,680,932.85. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nir Zuk sold 72,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.25, for a total value of $11,970,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,231,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $370,926,027.50. This represents a 3.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 571,172 shares of company stock worth $107,074,352 over the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.