2,386,906 Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Purchased by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 41.5%, buying 2,386,906 shares in the third quarter to hold 8,142,895 shares, valued at about $3.24 billion.
• Analysts give the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with a $397.49 average price target; 39 analysts rate it Buy and 11 rate it Hold.
• Palo Alto Networks beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, with revenue up 34.5% year over year. Insiders, however, sold 54,210 shares worth about $20.8 million over the past 90 days.

Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 41.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,142,895 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,386,906 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 0.99% of Palo Alto Networks worth $3,235,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 152.3% in the third quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,401 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $2,146,000 after acquiring an additional 3,260 shares during the period. Legacy Trust raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Trust now owns 67,690 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $24,766,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 70,774 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $28,119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 831 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Welch Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $390.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $350.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $320.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.49.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 27,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.60, for a total value of $10,769,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,110,900. This trade represents a 18.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Key sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.03, for a total value of $940,075.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,760,300. The trade was a 20.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 54,210 shares of company stock worth $20,823,029 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of PANW opened at $322.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $264.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 632.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.96. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $432.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $367.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $276.51.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Recent Palo Alto Networks Headlines

Investors following PANW have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto’s software-firewall annual recurring revenue rose 29%, with cloud and AI workloads supporting demand for its network-security products. Can Software Firewall Demand Boost PANW's Network Security Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America says Palo Alto must beat quarterly estimates by at least 3% and raise its outlook to justify its premium valuation, setting a high bar for results. Bank of America’s outlook
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks comparison favored Cloudflare over Palo Alto, citing Cloudflare’s stronger revenue-growth outlook and rising AI-security demand—potentially adding competitive pressure on PANW. PANW vs. NET: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The company's product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.

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