Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 25.8%, bringing its holdings to 30,090 shares valued at over $6 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported a significant increase in quarterly revenue, up 15.8% year-over-year, and exceeded earnings expectations with $0.95 EPS against a forecast of $0.89.
• Investors view Palo Alto Networks positively, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 29 analysts, and a targeted stock price of approximately $212.39.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,090 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 10,476 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $6,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 24,854 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $5,086,000 after buying an additional 3,230 shares in the last quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 8.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,597 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,103,000. Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 247,500 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $50,648,000 after buying an additional 16,500 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.20, for a total value of $128,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,948,576.60. The trade was a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nir Zuk sold 100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.66, for a total transaction of $19,866,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,243,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,356,888.56. This trade represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 568,622 shares of company stock valued at $106,468,778. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of PANW stock traded up $2.51 on Friday, hitting $208.19. The stock had a trading volume of 8,643,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,444,992. The company has a market cap of $139.26 billion, a PE ratio of 129.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $188.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.35. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $144.15 and a one year high of $210.39.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 18th. The network technology company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 17.66%. The firm's revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Q1 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $217.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Westpark Capital restated a "hold" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Truist Financial set a $220.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $207.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Twenty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $212.39.

Palo Alto Networks Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.