Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $6.57 Million Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 196.9% in the second quarter, ending with 19,256 shares valued at approximately $6.57 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.82% of PANW.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 39 Buy ratings and 10 Holds; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $385.67.
• Palo Alto Networks exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.02 versus $0.98 expected and revenue of $3.41 billion, up 34.5% year over year. Insiders, however, sold 38,635 shares worth approximately $11.15 million over the past 90 days.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 196.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,256 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 12,771 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $6,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 145,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,058,590. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James Goetz sold 20,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,635 shares of company stock valued at $11,150,578. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on PANW shares. Northland Securities set a $360.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $415.00 target price (up from $335.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $394.00 target price (up from $387.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $420.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.67.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

NASDAQ PANW opened at $333.26 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $398.88. The company has a market cap of $271.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 653.46, a PEG ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average of $350.21 and a 200-day moving average of $256.64.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The company had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share 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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