Clare Market Investments LLC Takes Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Clare Market Investments LLC opened a new position in Palo Alto Networks during Q1, buying 15,249 shares worth about $2.445 million.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with multiple firms increasing their PANW holdings and about 79.82% of the stock owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Palo Alto Networks reported a beat on earnings and revenue in its latest quarter, while analysts have largely turned bullish, with several raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy.

Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 15,249 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $2,445,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 410,401 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $65,796,000 after purchasing an additional 53,485 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 568,804 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $104,774,000 after buying an additional 29,230 shares during the period. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 43.6% in the first quarter. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,342 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $2,453,000 after buying an additional 4,659 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 48,458 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $8,926,000 after acquiring an additional 3,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth $1,554,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.24, for a total value of $2,094,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,490,500. This trade represents a 37.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 79,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,477,180. The trade was a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 102,111 shares of company stock worth $27,204,024 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $353.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $258.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.50. The company has a market cap of $288.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 292.00, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $368.17.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PANW. Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $340.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Stephens lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Mizuho boosted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Arete Research upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $433.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $317.78.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks (PANW) to $425 from $350 and reiterated a Buy rating, implying further upside versus the current share price. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG and Wells Fargo both lifted price targets on Palo Alto Networks, citing stronger operating momentum and continued demand for AI-driven security solutions, helping push the stock to a record high. Palo Alto Networks stock hits record high as analysts raise price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted PANW as one of the high-growth cybersecurity stocks to own, reinforcing the bullish sentiment around the name. Here’s Why Palo Alto (PANW) is Among the 8 High Growth Cybersecurity Stocks to Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: One recent article noted that while Palo Alto Networks remains a strong company, valuation may be stretched at current levels, which could temper enthusiasm for some investors. Palo Alto Networks: Great Company, But Don't Buy At Nosebleed Prices

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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