New York, Feb 10, 2026, 11:06 EST — Regular session underway.
- Palo Alto Networks stock edged up roughly 0.5% late this morning, moving in line with gains seen across other cybersecurity names.
- Nasdaq plans to halt CyberArk after-hours Tuesday, just before the expected Feb 11 merger close.
- Palo Alto’s Feb 17 results now in focus, with investors watching for any clues on demand—and looking for a first glimpse at post-deal priorities.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. shares edged up roughly 0.5% to $166.88 late Tuesday morning, following a Nasdaq corporate actions notice spelling out a rapid timeline for Palo Alto’s looming merger with CyberArk. Nasdaq said trading in CyberArk would pause after the after-hours session wraps up at 7:50 p.m. ET Tuesday, stay halted on Feb. 11, and be suspended as of Feb. 12. The deal is “tentatively scheduled” to close before the bell Feb. 11, according to the notice. 1
The clock’s ticking: soon, the deal moves off the front page and onto the books. Palo Alto signed on to acquire CyberArk in 2025, putting $45.00 in cash and 2.2005 Palo Alto shares on the table for each CyberArk share. The transaction pegs CyberArk’s equity at about $25 billion. That’s a hefty wager on identity security grabbing more corporate wallet share. Chief executive Nikesh Arora called it an inflection point, saying the company believed “that moment for Identity Security is now.” 2
There’s an earnings watch, too. Palo Alto is set to release its fiscal second-quarter numbers after the U.S. close on Feb. 17, followed by a webcast presentation. Traders are eyeing any clues about the durability of security budgets and looking for the first signals on how CyberArk might get folded into Palo Alto’s platforms. 3
Cybersecurity names picked up on Tuesday, with both the Amplify Cybersecurity ETF and the First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF gaining over 1%. Shares of CrowdStrike, Fortinet, and Zscaler pushed higher, too. QQQ, which tracks the Nasdaq-100, and the S&P 500’s SPY inched up as well.
On Tuesday, CyberArk highlighted the very channel ecosystem Palo Alto is stepping into. “Our partners are a critical extension of our sales organization,” said Chris Moore, the company’s senior vice president for global channels, as CyberArk named its 2025 global partner award winners. 4
Identity security covers the tools that control access to systems — whether it’s a person or a machine making the attempt. One major component: privileged access management, or PAM, which clamps down on those high-level accounts hackers usually go after first.
Palo Alto’s message is simple enough: tack on the identity layer, and suddenly there’s a bigger “platform” to push to large clients already bought into its network and cloud security suites. Whether the numbers back that up—and how quickly sales can bundle in new products without distraction—remains to be seen.
The timeline, though, remains up in the air. A delay in closing or higher-than-planned integration costs and staff churn could leave investors nursing the downside: dilution from the stock piece, execution headaches, and a higher hurdle for the next round of guidance.
Several key moments are bunched together: CyberArk’s after-hours halt is set for Tuesday, with the deal expected to close before markets open on Feb. 11. Then comes Palo Alto’s Feb. 17 results and call, which will offer the first real look at how management is handling the combined story.
