Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Holdings Boosted by Atreides Management LP

Key Points

• Atreides Management increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 56.1% in the second quarter to 876,954 shares worth approximately $299.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own nearly 80% of PANW.
• Palo Alto Networks reported quarterly revenue of $3 billion and EPS of $0.85, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue grew 31.1% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.77–$3.79.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $365.87, although insiders have sold $10.8 million of stock recently and PANW’s high valuation presents a risk.

Atreides Management LP increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 56.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 876,954 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 315,157 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks comprises approximately 2.1% of Atreides Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Atreides Management LP owned about 0.11% of Palo Alto Networks worth $299,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,833,462,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth about $1,415,364,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth about $1,968,304,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at about $1,569,755,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,481,236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director Aparna Bawa sold 290 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.74, for a total transaction of $101,134.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,244,839.38. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,000. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 37,935 shares of company stock valued at $10,809,461 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW opened at $339.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $341.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.01. The stock has a market cap of $276.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 278.12, a P/E/G ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.91. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on PANW shares. Argus set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $350.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $370.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Guggenheim downgraded Palo Alto Networks from a "neutral" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $365.87.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: BTIG Research reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set a $380 price target, implying roughly 12% upside from the referenced price. BTIG Reiterates Buy Rating on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $326 to $384 and maintained an “Overweight” rating, signaling improved confidence in PANW’s earnings and growth outlook. JPMorgan Raises Palo Alto Networks Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s overall analyst view remains favorable, and Benchmark also expects the stock to rise. Strong firewall bookings, software growth and AI-related traffic are cited as potential drivers of longer-term network-security demand. Wall Street Analysts See Palo Alto as a Buy Can Rising Network Security Demand Boost PANW’s Long-Term Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: PANW was scheduled to report earnings, giving investors a near-term catalyst. Its latest reported quarter exceeded consensus revenue and EPS estimates, but the stock’s high valuation leaves results and guidance important for sustaining momentum. Palo Alto Networks Expected to Post Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported short-interest data shows zero shares short, so it provides no meaningful evidence of short-seller pressure or potential short-covering support.
• Negative Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks recently fell even as the broader market gained, indicating near-term profit-taking, valuation concerns or company-specific selling. The decline followed a session in which PANW lost more than 3%. Palo Alto Networks Stock Sinks as Market Gains

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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