Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Sold by STF Management LP

Key Points

• STF Management LP reduced its Palo Alto Networks stake by 59.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,794 shares and leaving it with 3,956 shares valued at about $729,000.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.03 beating estimates and revenue of $2.59 billion slightly topping forecasts; revenue also rose 14.9% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains largely bullish, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and average target of $214.98.

STF Management LP cut its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 59.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,956 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 5,794 shares during the quarter. STF Management LP's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of PANW opened at $242.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $198.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 134.16, a PEG ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average is $174.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.27. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $245.80.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The business 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. New Street Research decreased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Berenberg Bank set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $214.98.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total value of $177,540.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This represents a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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.

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.