Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Cuts Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co reduced its Palo Alto Networks stake by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,879 shares and ending with 132,298 shares valued at about $24.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other large investors holding 79.82% of PANW shares, and several major firms like Vanguard and Amundi increasing their positions.
• Analysts and price targets are trending higher, with multiple firms raising targets this week and the consensus rating standing at “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $234.28, even as some investors worry about dilution and recent insider selling.

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co decreased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,298 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 5,879 shares during the quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $24,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $12,512,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659,100 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 108.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,467,692 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $502,263,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,738 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $162,161,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $151,682,000. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,532,201 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $750,875,000 after acquiring an additional 708,332 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

NASDAQ PANW opened at $257.77 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $190.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.27. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $261.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 142.41, a PEG ratio of 8.96 and a beta of 0.77.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms raised their price targets on PANW this week, including Benchmark to $270, Wedbush to $300, and Wells Fargo reaffirming a Buy with a $285 target, reinforcing optimism around the company’s long-term growth story. Benchmark price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat on Palo Alto Networks’ platform expansion and cybersecurity demand, with coverage framing the company as a potential beneficiary of AI-driven security needs. AI security supercycle article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports ahead of Q3 earnings highlight strong platform growth, but investors are waiting for confirmation in the company’s results and guidance before making a bigger move. Q3 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Market chatter around the upcoming earnings release and key operating metrics is keeping PANW in focus, but this is more of a wait-and-see catalyst than a fresh driver. Wall Street estimates preview
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors are cautious because acquisition costs are rising and share dilution could pressure near-term earnings quality. Acquisition costs and dilution concern
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment across cybersecurity stocks has also been pressured by weak peer guidance, and an insider sale by EVP Lee Klarich added a modest overhang. Insider sale

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the business'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 value of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,037,002.95. The trade was a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PANW has been the subject of several research reports. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Arete Research raised shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $234.28.

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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