Allworth Financial LP Acquires 25,262 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Allworth Financial LP more than doubled its stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter, buying 25,262 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 48,455 shares worth about $8.9 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, posting $1.03 EPS versus the $0.94 estimate and revenue of $2.59 billion, with sales up 14.9% year over year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive, with several firms lifting price targets and the stock carrying an overall Moderate Buy rating and average target of $214.98.

Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 108.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,455 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,262 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $8,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

PANW opened at $242.83 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $174.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.27. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $245.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 134.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.59 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $215.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $214.98.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $275 from $245 and reiterated an Outperform rating, signaling confidence that the stock can keep moving higher. Oppenheimer Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to $275: CyberArk Becomes Idira, Identity Security Just Got Real
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its target to $255 from $220 and kept an Outperform rating, while Robert W. Baird also boosted its target to $265, reinforcing the bullish analyst tone around PANW. RBC raises price target on Palo Alto Networks to 255 from 220, keeps outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $265 from $215 and highlighted Palo Alto’s identity-security push after CyberArk’s IMPACT26 conference, arguing that AI-driven threats are forcing more enterprise spending on automated security tools. Jefferies Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to 265: AI Is Compressing Attack Timelines
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other commentary point to Palo Alto’s new “Idira” platform, which could broaden the company’s identity-security offering and create a new growth engine beyond its core cybersecurity business. Palo Alto advances AI-driven identity strategy with Idira launch, shares gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that PANW is drawing unusual investor attention, but the piece was mainly a watchlist-style overview rather than a fresh catalyst. Is Most-Watched Stock Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) Worth Betting on Now?

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the sale, the director owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,631,525. This represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.

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.