Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Purchased by DNB Asset Management AS

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,200 more shares and bringing its total to 140,548 shares worth about $25.9 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.03 versus the $0.94 estimate and revenue of $2.59 billion, up 14.9% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish overall, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $214.98.

DNB Asset Management AS raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,548 shares of the network technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $25,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter worth about $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% in 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 in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth about $1,554,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $242.83 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $174.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.27. The firm has a market cap of $198.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 134.16, a PEG ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $245.80.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company's revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PANW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Benchmark initiated coverage on 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. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $250.00 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 eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $214.98.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $13,418,150.40. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $275 from $245 and reiterated an Outperform rating, signaling confidence that the stock can keep moving higher. Oppenheimer Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to $275: CyberArk Becomes Idira, Identity Security Just Got Real
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its target to $255 from $220 and kept an Outperform rating, while Robert W. Baird also boosted its target to $265, reinforcing the bullish analyst tone around PANW. RBC raises price target on Palo Alto Networks to 255 from 220, keeps outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $265 from $215 and highlighted Palo Alto’s identity-security push after CyberArk’s IMPACT26 conference, arguing that AI-driven threats are forcing more enterprise spending on automated security tools. Jefferies Hikes Palo Alto Networks Price Target to 265: AI Is Compressing Attack Timelines
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other commentary point to Palo Alto’s new “Idira” platform, which could broaden the company’s identity-security offering and create a new growth engine beyond its core cybersecurity business. Palo Alto advances AI-driven identity strategy with Idira launch, shares gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that PANW is drawing unusual investor attention, but the piece was mainly a watchlist-style overview rather than a fresh catalyst. Is Most-Watched Stock Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) Worth Betting on Now?

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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