Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 436,407 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 59,888 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned about 0.06% of Palo Alto Networks worth $80,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% during the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 72.7% during the 3rd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 152 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.7%
Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $166.97 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $223.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $160.45 and a 200 day moving average of $183.67.
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.
Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks
In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total value of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,418,150.40. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms recently issued reports on PANW. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. New Street Research reduced their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.95.
View Our Latest Research Report on Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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