Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Takes Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Aware Super opened a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the first quarter, buying 55,841 shares worth about $8.95 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.85 and revenue of $3 billion, both beating analyst expectations and up 31.1% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on PANW, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.74, while several firms recently raised their targets.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 55,841 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $8,952,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ PANW opened at $358.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $292.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 294.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company's 50 day moving average is $290.04 and its 200-day moving average is $212.30. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $368.80.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. Palo Alto Networks'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director Aparna Bawa sold 290 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.74, for a total transaction of $101,134.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,244,839.38. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total value of $1,447,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 145,250 shares in the company, valued at $42,058,590. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 101,239 shares of company stock worth $27,174,360 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $333.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $209.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank restated a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.74.

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.

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.