2,186 Shares in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Purchased by Koss Olinger Consulting LLC

Key Points

• Koss Olinger Consulting LLC bought 2,186 shares of Palo Alto Networks in Q1, valued at approximately $373,000, indicating growing interest from institutional investors, which own about 79.82% of the company's stock.
• Recent insider trading activity included EVP Dipak Golechha selling 5,000 shares for over $1 million and EVP Lee Klarich selling 120,774 shares valued at around $23.5 million, reflecting a decrease in their ownership percentages.
• Palo Alto Networks' stock is currently valued at $167.06, with analysts' price targets varying significantly, from a low of $130 to a high of $230, indicating a mixed outlook from Wall Street.

Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,186 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 64.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 141 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 156 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the first quarter worth about $31,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on PANW shares. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $235.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $223.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, May 19th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Palo Alto Networks from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $213.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $217.07.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.85, for a total value of $1,009,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 101,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,414,099.75. This trade represents a 4.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $122,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 41,433 shares in the company, valued at $8,452,332. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 669,248 shares of company stock worth $126,423,337 over the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $168.17. 10,213,853 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,096,348. The company has a market cap of $112.14 billion, a PE ratio of 96.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.15 and a 12 month high of $210.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $194.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.91.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The network technology company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.03. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

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.