Advisors Preferred LLC Takes $1.11 Million Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Institutional interest remains strong: Advisors Preferred LLC initiated a roughly $1.11 million position in Palo Alto Networks, while institutional investors collectively own 79.82% of the company’s shares.
• Analysts remain bullish and fundamentals are improving: PANW beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 31.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $362.67.
• Valuation and selling pressure are key risks: Shares recently traded down 2.8% amid broader cybersecurity-sector weakness, while insiders sold about $10.8 million in stock over the past three months. The stock also carries a high P/E ratio of 286.52.

Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,200 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,114,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,833,462,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,415,364,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,569,755,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,481,236,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $3,603,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,101,267 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 79,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,477,180. This trade represents a 1.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total value of $1,447,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 145,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,058,590. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 37,935 shares of company stock worth $10,809,461 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI security initiative expands growth opportunities. Palo Alto Networks launched the Frontier AI Critical Defense Program with technology partners to protect critical infrastructure from AI-driven exploits and vulnerabilities. The initiative could strengthen PANW’s position in the emerging AI-security market and support demand from government and enterprise customers. Palo Alto Networks Introduces Frontier AI Critical Defense Program
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst remains bullish. Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $425 from $340 and maintained an “overweight” rating, citing potential for continued appreciation. The higher target signals confidence in PANW’s growth prospects despite recent volatility. Palo Alto Networks Price Target Raised by Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Enterprise AI adoption may drive sales. Palo Alto Networks is positioning its network, identity, AI and security-operations products to benefit as businesses deploy more artificial intelligence. This could help PANW compete more effectively with CrowdStrike and Zscaler. Can Strong Enterprise AI Adoption Help PANW Challenge CrowdStrike and Zscaler?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage from TD Cowen and other outlets remains constructive on PANW’s long-term appreciation potential, but provides limited new operating information. TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Palo Alto Networks
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity-sector selling is weighing on PANW. Palo Alto Networks declined even as the broader market improved, while CrowdStrike also sold off sharply. The synchronized weakness suggests investors are reducing exposure to cybersecurity stocks or taking profits, overshadowing bullish analyst commentary. CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks Stock Declines

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PANW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. New Street Research set a $415.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $475.00 price target (up from $420.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $362.67.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $349.56 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $398.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $335.81 and a 200 day moving average of $240.90. The stock has a market cap of $284.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 286.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.91.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Palo Alto Networks Profile

Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW is a cybersecurity company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The firm develops a broad suite of security products and services designed to prevent successful cyberattacks and protect enterprise networks, clouds, and endpoints. Built around a platform strategy, its offerings target threat prevention, detection, response and governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The company's product portfolio includes next‑generation firewalls as a core on‑premises capability, alongside cloud‑delivered security services and software for securing public and private clouds.

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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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