Cornerstone Enterprises LLC Boosts Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Cornerstone Enterprises LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 27.9% in the second quarter, holding 16,472 shares valued at approximately $3.37 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported earnings of $0.95 per share, exceeding analyst estimates, and achieved quarterly revenue of $2.54 billion, marking a 15.8% increase from the same quarter last year.
• Analyst ratings for Palo Alto Networks are largely positive, with the stock rated as a Moderate Buy and a consensus price target around $214.95.

Cornerstone Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 27.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,472 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,591 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks accounts for about 1.8% of Cornerstone Enterprises LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Cornerstone Enterprises LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $3,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PANW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Dagco Inc. purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter valued at $33,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 58.9% during the first quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 224 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 46.8% during the first quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 232 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 3.2%

NASDAQ PANW opened at $217.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $145.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 135.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $191.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.81. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.15 and a twelve month high of $217.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 18th. The network technology company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.66% and a net margin of 12.30%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Q1 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $232.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $215.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Tigress Financial initiated coverage on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Friday, September 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, September 15th. Twenty-eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $214.95.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.92, for a total value of $25,594,426.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 149,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,616,344.80. This represents a 44.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.19, for a total value of $1,020,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 96,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,629,805.65. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,315,130 shares of company stock valued at $260,687,367. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.

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