Nwam LLC Purchases 4,189 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Nwam LLC more than doubled its Palo Alto Networks position in the second quarter, acquiring 4,189 additional shares for a total of 7,541 shares valued at approximately $2.57 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.82% of PANW.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: 40 analysts rate the stock a Buy and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $370.87. Recent targets range as high as $435.
• Palo Alto Networks reported quarterly revenue of $3.41 billion and EPS of $1.02, exceeding estimates, while revenue grew 34.5% year over year. However, the stock’s elevated valuation and broader pressure on software shares remain key risks despite the company’s strong outlook and AI-focused growth strategy.

Nwam LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 125.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,541 shares of the network technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,189 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $2,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PANW shares. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Northland Securities increased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $326.00 to $384.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $435.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $370.87.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW stock opened at $362.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $295.10 billion, a PE ratio of 296.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $347.96 and a 200-day moving average of $251.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $398.88.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. Palo Alto Networks's quarterly revenue was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results topped expectations. Fiscal Q4 revenue rose roughly 34% year over year to $3.41 billion, exceeding the $3.35 billion consensus estimate. Non-GAAP EPS of $1.02 also beat expectations of $0.98 and increased from $0.95 a year earlier. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 guidance was stronger than anticipated. Palo Alto Networks forecast revenue of $14.1 billion to $14.2 billion, representing approximately 23% to 24% growth and above the $13.8 billion analyst estimate. Its EPS outlook of $4.16 to $4.19 was also well above the $2.01 consensus, while first-quarter revenue and EPS guidance exceeded expectations. Wall Street Journal article
• Positive Sentiment: AI is expanding the cybersecurity opportunity. CEO Nikesh Arora said approximately $1 trillion of aging cybersecurity infrastructure is not prepared for AI-driven attacks, potentially creating a long runway for modernization spending and demand for Palo Alto’s platform. CNBC article
• Positive Sentiment: The company strengthened its AI strategy. Palo Alto announced the acquisition of Console, an AI-native platform intended to add agentic capabilities and automate security workflows. The deal reinforces management’s focus on AI-era cybersecurity demand. Console acquisition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Expectations were already high. Shares had gained substantially ahead of earnings, raising the risk that even strong results would prompt profit-taking. Analysts also lifted targets, including Scotiabank’s increase to $430, indicating continued confidence but potentially less near-term upside after the rally.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and market conditions pressured the stock. Palo Alto Networks trades at a very high earnings multiple, while software stocks broadly sold off amid rising Treasury yields, inflation concerns and geopolitical risk. This macro pressure appears to have outweighed the earnings beat in the immediate reaction. Software sector selloff article

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director Helle Thorning-Schmidt sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.85, for a total value of $242,795.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,898 shares in the company, valued at $2,045,721.30. This represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total value of $1,447,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 145,250 shares in the company, valued at $42,058,590. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 37,735 shares of company stock valued at $10,814,266. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Palo Alto Networks

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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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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