Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Sold by Tredje AP fonden

Key Points

• Tredje AP fonden cut its Palo Alto Networks stake by 33.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 89,618 shares and leaving it with 175,607 shares worth about $32.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with several firms raising price targets; the consensus rating is Moderate Buy and the average target price is $217.59.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $1.03 versus the $0.94 estimate and revenue growth of 14.9% year over year, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high.

Tredje AP fonden reduced its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 175,607 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 89,618 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $32,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Princeton Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% in the third quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up from $205.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $217.59.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.9%

PANW stock opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $176.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.18. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $248.85. The company has a market capitalization of $202.00 billion, a PE ratio of 136.77, a P/E/G ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.Palo Alto Networks's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. Research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This trade represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225 to $275 and kept a buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the company’s outlook. Rosenblatt Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its price target from $200 to $265 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to the bullish view from analysts on PANW’s earnings and growth prospects. Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW Price Target Raised to $265.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted Palo Alto Networks as “having the last laugh,” reinforcing investor optimism around the stock’s resilience and market leadership. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto (PANW) Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: One market recap noted PANW advanced while the broader market declined, but the report was mainly descriptive and did not add new fundamental information. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over Palo Alto Networks on growth momentum and ARR trends, but this was more of an industry comparison than a direct negative catalyst. CRWD vs. PANW: Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right 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.