Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Takes $10.77 Million Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Palo Alto Networks, buying 58,480 shares worth about $10.77 million.
• CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares for nearly $10.0 million, while director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares; overall, insiders still own about 1.4% of the company.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.03 beating estimates and revenue rising 14.9% year over year, while several analysts recently raised price targets and kept bullish ratings.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 58,480 shares of the network technology company's stock, valued at approximately $10,772,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $878,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,631,525. This represents a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 3.0%

NASDAQ PANW opened at $240.13 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $248.85. The company has a market capitalization 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. The firm's 50 day moving average is $178.00 and its 200-day moving average is $181.34.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

PANW has been the subject of a number of research reports. New Street Research lowered their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Argus raised Palo Alto Networks to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $219.49.

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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