Clearstead Trust LLC Invests $4.98 Million in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Clearstead Trust LLC initiated a $4.98 million position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter, purchasing 14,601 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 79.82% of the company.
• Palo Alto Networks reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $0.85 per share, exceeding estimates of $0.79, while revenue rose 31.1% year over year to $3 billion.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $339.61, although insiders sold approximately $27.2 million in shares over the past 90 days.

Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 14,601 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $4,979,000. Palo Alto Networks comprises approximately 0.7% of Clearstead Trust LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $12,512,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659,100 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,331,705 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $5,587,100,000 after purchasing an additional 594,789 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $3,603,473,000 after purchasing an additional 3,101,267 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,989,257 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $2,934,935,000 after purchasing an additional 540,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth $1,415,364,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.08, for a total transaction of $313,588.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 81,636 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,272,790.88. This represents a 1.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total transaction of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at $61,037,002.95. This trade represents a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 101,239 shares of company stock worth $27,174,360 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 3.0%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $384.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $398.88. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $328.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $313.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 314.98, a P/E/G ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 0.91.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The firm's revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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. Equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Benchmark raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $270.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Arete Research boosted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $433.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $339.61.

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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