Ancora Advisors LLC Invests $5.53 Million in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 16,208 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $5,527,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in 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 stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $339.31 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $276.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.12, a PEG ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $341.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.01. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $398.88.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. 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. Analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,000. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.24, for a total transaction of $2,094,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,490,500. The trade was a 37.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 37,935 shares of company stock valued at $10,809,461 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: BTIG Research reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set a $380 price target, implying roughly 12% upside from the referenced price. BTIG Reiterates Buy Rating on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $326 to $384 and maintained an “Overweight” rating, signaling improved confidence in PANW’s earnings and growth outlook. JPMorgan Raises Palo Alto Networks Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s overall analyst view remains favorable, and Benchmark also expects the stock to rise. Strong firewall bookings, software growth and AI-related traffic are cited as potential drivers of longer-term network-security demand. Wall Street Analysts See Palo Alto as a Buy Can Rising Network Security Demand Boost PANW’s Long-Term Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: PANW was scheduled to report earnings, giving investors a near-term catalyst. Its latest reported quarter exceeded consensus revenue and EPS estimates, but the stock’s high valuation leaves results and guidance important for sustaining momentum. Palo Alto Networks Expected to Post Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported short-interest data shows zero shares short, so it provides no meaningful evidence of short-seller pressure or potential short-covering support.
• Negative Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks recently fell even as the broader market gained, indicating near-term profit-taking, valuation concerns or company-specific selling. The decline followed a session in which PANW lost more than 3%. Palo Alto Networks Stock Sinks as Market Gains

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. New Street Research set a $415.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $340.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $415.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.87.

Palo Alto Networks Company 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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