Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Purchased by Cwm LLC

Key Points

• Cwm LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 52% in Q4 to 166,625 shares, worth about $30.7 million.
• CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares (~$10.0M) on March 27, raising his ownership to 343,394 shares (a 24.7% increase).
• Brokerages have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $209.95; Palo Alto recently beat quarterly estimates with $1.03 EPS and $2.59B revenue, up 14.9% year‑over‑year.

Cwm LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 52.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 166,625 shares of the network technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 57,011 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $30,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 152 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.95.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW opened at $166.97 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $160.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.67. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $223.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.25 billion, a PE ratio of 92.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was 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 directly owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Platform momentum: Zacks reports PANW’s platform strategy is gaining traction with rising customer adoption, large deal wins and strong retention — a driver for longer‑term revenue growth and multiple support. Can Platform Wins Accelerate Palo Alto Networks' Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: AI partnership lift: The Motley Fool highlights Anthropic’s collaboration with Palo Alto as validating PANW’s AI‑security positioning — a potential growth catalyst as enterprises demand stronger AI-aware defenses. Did Anthropic Just Crown CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks the AI Cybersecurity Stock Winners?
• Positive Sentiment: Sector spending tailwind: 247WallSt argues cybersecurity names (including PANW) are positioned for a large enterprise spending cycle on end‑to‑end security — a structural demand thesis that supports multiple expansion and revenue upside. Why Cybersecurity Stocks Look Built for the Next Big Spending Cycle
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Brokerages’ consensus view is a “Moderate Buy,” which can reinforce investor confidence and limit downside during sector volatility. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. NASDAQ: PANW Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price action: A Zacks note flagged PANW outperformed the broader market in a recent session (a modest positive datapoint but not a change to the fundamental thesis). Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader AI stock coverage: The Fool’s roundup of “AI stocks” includes PANW as an AI security play — useful for sentiment but not an immediate catalyst on its own. 3 Genius AI Stocks You'll Regret Not Buying During This Sell-Off
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation pressure: The Motley Fool notes a broader Wall Street rotation away from technology in 2026 has hit cybersecurity stocks, including PANW, causing a sell‑off that weighs on near‑term performance despite solid fundamentals. The Great Rotation Hit Cybersecurity Stocks Hard. Smart Investors Are Buying the Dip.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PANW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report).

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.