Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Has $11.06 Million Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,275 more shares and bringing its position to 60,064 shares worth about $11.06 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with 79.82% of PANW shares held by institutions, and several other investors also recently added to or initiated positions in the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is still broadly positive despite some target-price cuts, with PANW carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $219.49; the company also reported better-than-expected recent earnings and revenue growth.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,064 shares of the network technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,275 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $11,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PANW. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter worth $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $136,859,000 after acquiring an additional 384,985 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $277,828,000 after purchasing an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% in the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 15,091 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth about $1,554,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $219.49.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total transaction of $272,459.04. Following the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,466,400. This trade represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW opened at $240.13 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $178.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.34. The firm has a market cap of $195.95 billion, a PE ratio of 132.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $248.85.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, signaling confidence in continued upside for Palo Alto Networks. Truist raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer lifted its target to $275 and reiterated an Outperform rating after noting encouraging signs from the company’s CyberArk-related product launch and customer feedback. Oppenheimer lifts PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its target to $265 and maintained an Outperform rating, citing strength in subscriptions and possible upside to remaining performance obligations. Mizuho raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also raised its target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, adding to the broad analyst optimism around the stock. Rosenblatt positive forecast
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI is expected to help engineers ship more features, not reduce headcount, suggesting the company sees AI as a growth driver rather than a cost-cutting story. Business Insider article
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider buying was highlighted as value-positive, but the item is more of a confidence signal than a clear near-term catalyst. Insider buying article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary noted the stock has rallied sharply and is technically overbought, which could make it vulnerable to volatility if upcoming earnings disappoint. Technical analysis article

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.

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