2 Top Cybersecurity Stocks to Buy in March

By Chris Neiger – Mar 8, 2026 at 3:00PM ESTKey PointsCybersecurity stocks have plummeted recently amid investor concerns about AI disruption.Palo Alto Networks is utilizing AI to improve its security tools, and the company has impressive profits.Microsoft is a quiet cybersecurity behemoth with 1.6 million security customers and a vast array of tools that keep customers locked into its ecosystem.Many investors have shunned cybersecurity stocks over the past year or so as they've tried to assess how the companies will be impacted by artificial intelligence (AI). Evaluating companies and the markets they serve is a wise strategy, but with many cybersecurity stocks plunging recently, some investors have shifted more into panic mode than simple evaluation. That's opened up some buying opportunities for long-term investors. Here are two cybersecurity stocks that may be worth snatching up now after investors were too eager to hit the sell button. Image source: Getty Images. 1. AI is accelerating Palo Alto's security business Palo Alto Networks (PANW +1.21%) is an established cybersecurity company that's made some big moves to shore up its position in the market, including its $25 billion purchase of CyberArk last year to get the company's top-notch identity and access management security features. Palo Alto is also looking to AI for growth. Palo Alto CEO Nikesh Arora said last month that the company saw "continued strength in platformizations, a trend that is accelerating due to AI -- customers are keen to both modernize and normalize their cybersecurity stack, aligning them to our approach." Arora added that as more customers adopt AI security, the company "will be a long term trend." The company's Prisma AIRS artificial intelligence security platform has become a popular tool in its security arsenal, with the number of customers using the platform tripling in just one quarter. The company's second-quarter results revealed just how in demand its security products are, with sales rising 15% from the year-ago quarter to $2.6 billion, and diluted earnings popping nearly 61% to $0.61 per share. ExpandNASDAQ: PANWPalo Alto NetworksToday's Change(1.21%) $1.98Current Price$165.14Key Data PointsMarket Cap$135BDay's Range$161.45 - $165.2652wk Range$139.57 - $223.61Volume328KAvg Vol9.8MGross Margin73.50% Management is guiding for continued growth this year, with total sales expected to be about $11.3 billion in 2026, a nearly 23% increase from last year. What's more, Palo Alto's leadership expects the company to continue its high profitability, with a non-GAAP operating margin of about 29% for the year. Investors have been skittish about cybersecurity stocks as they try to figure out how AI will affect them, and that's helped drive Palo Alto's shares down 20% over the past year. With such a dramatic pullback despite Palo Alto's strong position in security and high profitability, now looks like a good time to pick up some shares of the company. 2. Microsoft is the silent cybersecurity leader Microsoft (MSFT 0.43%) doesn't break out its cybersecurity sales directly, but estimates for 2025 put its security revenue at about $37 billion, with the potential to reach $50 billion annually by 2030, and Microsoft said recently it now has 1.6 million global security customers. ExpandNASDAQ: MSFTMicrosoftToday's Change(-0.43%) $-1.75Current Price$408.93Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.0TDay's Range$408.53 - $413.0552wk Range$344.79 - $555.45Volume1.8MAvg Vol33MGross Margin68.59%Dividend Yield0.85% I think Microsoft is in one of the best positions to benefit from an increasingly complex world of AI threats because its security business is tied so closely to its cloud computing business. Microsoft's Azure is the second-largest cloud computing company behind Amazon with 21% market share, and continues to gain ground on its rivals. As the AI cloud market grows to nearly $2 trillion by 2030, Microsoft is likely to add more cybersecurity customers as clients get locked into the company's cloud ecosystem. What's more, as an AI leader with its Copilot chatbot, Microsoft can implement artificial intelligence into its cybersecurity software and services in a way that other software companies can only dream of. For example, Microsoft recently introduced its Agent 365, an AI agent that enterprise customers can use to govern their existing security services, using the same controls they already use for Microsoft 365 and its Azure cloud. One of Microsoft's customers its the company's AI agent to reduce the time to triage cybersecurity threats by 75%. Sweetening the deal for investors is that Microsoft's shares have a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 25 right now, far cheaper than the tech sector's average P/E ratio of 39. Its shares have been flat over the past year, but with its leading position in security, paired with AI and cloud opportunities, the stock is a great long-term buy.Read NextFeb 27, 2026 •By Harsh ChauhanThe Cybersecurity Market Is Set to Double to $300 Billion by 2030. Here's the Best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy Now.Feb 22, 2026 •By Geoffrey SeilerIs It Time to Buy Palo Alto Networks Stock on the Dip?Feb 22, 2026 •By Anthony Di Pizio1 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy With $160 and Hold for the Long TermFeb 20, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanWhy Palo Alto Networks Stock Dipped TodayFeb 19, 2026 •By Selena MaranjianIf You'd Invested $100 in Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Stock 5 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today (Hint: You'd Have More Than Doubled Your Dollars)Feb 19, 2026 •By Danny Vena, CPAWhy Palo Alto Networks Stock Slumped This WeekAbout the AuthorChris Neiger has been a contributing Motley Fool technology and automotive analyst since 2012.

Before The Motley Fool, Chris was an automotive journalist for the BBC. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware.TMFNewsieStocks MentionedPalo Alto NetworksNASDAQ: PANW$165.14(+1.21%)+$1.98MicrosoftNASDAQ: MSFT$408.93(-0.43%)-$1.75*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.