Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Sold by Amundi

Key Points

• Amundi cut its Palo Alto Networks stake by 14%, selling 880,407 shares and retaining 5.42 million shares valued at approximately $1.85 billion. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.8% of PANW.
• Palo Alto Networks exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.02 in EPS versus $0.98 expected and $3.41 billion in revenue, up 34.5% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $385.67, though the stock’s elevated valuation and recent insider selling present risks.

Amundi decreased its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,417,426 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 880,407 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.66% of Palo Alto Networks worth $1,847,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho set a $415.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $415.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. FBN Securities restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $253.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Forty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.67.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW opened at $333.26 on Monday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $398.88. The company has a market capitalization of $271.61 billion, a PE ratio of 653.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $350.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $255.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%.The business's revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical and earnings support: A bullish hammer chart pattern suggests potential near-term support after the recent pullback. Rising earnings estimates and the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter beat—$1.02 in adjusted EPS versus $0.98 expected, with revenue up 34.5% to $3.41 billion—also support the possibility of a rebound. Palo Alto Could Find a Support Soon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: DA Davidson raised its price target to $420, while Susquehanna and BTIG lifted targets to $415 and $404, respectively. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating, adding to a generally bullish Wall Street view. DA Davidson Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term AI opportunity: Analysts and commentary continue to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ expanding cybersecurity platform and products designed to protect enterprises from AI-related threats. The company’s strong growth profile has helped sustain investor interest despite recent volatility. Palo Alto Networks AI Cybersecurity Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector pressure is limiting momentum: Zscaler’s softer fiscal 2027 growth outlook overshadowed its earnings beat and weighed on cybersecurity peers. Palo Alto Networks has been more resilient than some competitors, but sector-wide concerns remain. Zscaler Growth Guidance Pressures Cybersecurity Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: AI acquisition: Palo Alto Networks reportedly paid about $500 million in cash and stock for Console, an AI help-desk automation startup. The deal could broaden its AI capabilities, although integration and valuation risks may limit its immediate stock impact. Palo Alto Networks Console Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and insider sale: PANW’s very high valuation leaves little room for disappointment, while Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul’s sale of 900 shares worth approximately $336,000 adds a minor cautionary signal. However, the sale reduced his holdings by only 1.23%, limiting its significance.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total transaction of $1,447,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 145,250 shares in the company, valued at $42,058,590. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 38,635 shares of company stock valued at $11,150,578 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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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