Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Reduces Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 8.7% in Q4, selling 32,370 shares and now holds 340,209 shares valued at about $62.7 million.
• CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares at an average $146.87 (≈$10.0M), boosting his position 24.73% to 343,394 shares, while insiders collectively sold 30,356 shares worth about $5.0M in the last 90 days.
• Palo Alto beat quarterly expectations (EPS $1.03 vs. $0.94; revenue $2.59B, +14.9% YoY), trades around $181 with a 12‑month range of $139.57–$223.61, and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $210.07.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp reduced its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 340,209 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 32,370 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $62,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.9% during the third quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. PTM Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.0% during the third quarter. PTM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.8% during the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $180.99 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $223.61. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $162.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.69 billion, a PE ratio of 99.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.59 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PANW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Mizuho set a $200.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $210.07.

Palo Alto Networks 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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