Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW is Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's 9th Largest Position

Key Points

• Alpha Cubed Investments reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 2.8% in Q4, selling 15,554 shares and now holding 539,031 shares (about 3.4% of the fund) valued at roughly $99.29 million, making PANW its ninth-largest position.
• Palo Alto Networks beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.03 EPS versus $0.94 expected and $2.59 billion in revenue (vs. $2.58B expected), with revenue up 14.9% year‑over‑year.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $210.84; the stock carries a market cap of $150.13 billion and a P/E of 101.65.

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC reduced its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 539,031 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 15,554 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up about 3.4% of Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Palo Alto Networks worth $99,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth 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 increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the third 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 stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 72.7% in the third 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 period. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ PANW opened at $183.98 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $223.61. The stock has a market cap of $150.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.65, a PEG ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $164.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.84.

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

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on PANW. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Truist Financial set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $210.84.

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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