The stock of Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ: PANW) has increased by 1.43 when compared to last closing price of 178.98.Despite this, the company has seen a gain of 13.43% in its stock price over the last five trading days. proactiveinvestors.com reported 2025-04-28 that Palo Alto Networks Inc (NYSE:PANW, ETR:5AP)’s acquisition of Protect AI is set to strengthen the company’s position as the cyber platform of choice, analysts at Jefferies believe. Palo Alto announced a definitive agreement to acquire the AI and machine learning app and model security firm on Monday.
Is It Worth Investing in Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ: PANW) Right Now?
Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ: PANW) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 102.56x compared to its average ratio. PANW has 36-month beta value of 1.03. Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with 26 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 13 as “overweight,” 11 as “hold,” and 3 as “sell.”
The public float for PANW is 655.54M, and currently, short sellers hold a 3.76% ratio of that float. The average trading volume of PANW on April 29, 2025 was 5.72M shares.
PANW’s Market Performance
PANW stock saw an increase of 13.43% in the past week, with a monthly gain of 4.07% and a quarterly increase of -4.10%. The volatility ratio for the week is 3.07%, and the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 4.57% for Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW). The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 8.12% for PANW’s stock, with a simple moving average of 0.98% for the last 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of PANW
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for PANW stocks, with HSBC Securities repeating the rating for PANW by listing it as a “Hold.” The predicted price for PANW in the upcoming period, according to HSBC Securities is $156 based on the research report published on April 10, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Stephens, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see PANW reach a price target of $205. The rating they have provided for PANW stocks is “Equal-Weight” according to the report published on April 01st, 2025.
PANW Trading at 1.54% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought PANW to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -12.88% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 4.57%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 3.07%, as shares surge +5.08% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -10.08% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, PANW rose by +13.43%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +7.72% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $167.90. In addition, Palo Alto Networks Inc saw -0.23% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at PANW starting from ZUK NIR, who sale 549,828 shares at the price of $165.41 back on Apr 11 ’25. After this action, ZUK NIR now owns 0 shares of Palo Alto Networks Inc, valued at $90,948,545 using the latest closing price.
ZUK NIR, the EVP, Chief Technology Officer of Palo Alto Networks Inc, sale 100,000 shares at $165.41 during a trade that took place back on Apr 11 ’25, which means that ZUK NIR is holding 3,543,516 shares at $16,541,278 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for PANW
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.11 for the present operating margin
- 0.74 for the gross margin
The net margin for Palo Alto Networks Inc stands at 0.15. The total capital return value is set at 0.07. Equity return is now at value 23.38, with 6.39 for asset returns.
Based on Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW), the company’s capital structure generated 0.12 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 3.47. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.14. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 591.06.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.28 billion with net debt to EBITDA at -0.88. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 13.87. The receivables turnover for the company is 3.81for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.41. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.79.
Conclusion
To put it simply, Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW) has had a mixed performance in recent times. Analysts have a bearish opinion on the stock, with some rating it as a “sell” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
