Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 26.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 547,696 shares valued at about $100.9 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish, with Mizuho raising its target to $265 and Rosenblatt Securities lifting its target to $275; both maintained positive ratings on the stock.
• Palo Alto Networks beat its latest quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.03 EPS on revenue of $2.59 billion, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high at $247.55.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 26.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 547,696 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 113,795 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.08% of Palo Alto Networks worth $100,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter worth approximately $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $136,859,000 after acquiring an additional 384,985 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $277,828,000 after acquiring an additional 8,344 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% during the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $11,077,000 after acquiring an additional 15,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,554,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $265 from $200 and reiterated an Outperform rating, signaling confidence in further upside for the stock. Mizuho Adjusts Price Target on Palo Alto Networks to 265 from 200
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target to $275 from $225 and maintained a Buy rating, adding to the bullish outlook from Wall Street. Rosenblatt Securities Adjusts Palo Alto Networks Price Target to 275 from 225
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted PANW was advancing even as the broader market declined, suggesting relative strength and continued investor demand for the shares. Palo Alto Networks Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted why Palo Alto Networks is drawing attention, reinforcing the stock’s momentum but without a clear new fundamental catalyst. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over PANW based on growth and ARR trends, but it appeared more like sector comparison than a direct negative catalyst for Palo Alto Networks. CRWD vs. PANW Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right Now

Insider Buying and Selling

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 value of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of PANW opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $202.00 billion, a PE ratio of 136.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. The company's fifty day moving average is $176.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.18. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $248.85.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. Palo Alto Networks's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PANW. UBS Group set a $183.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.59.

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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