Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stake Boosted by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 40.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 49,969 shares valued at about $9.23 million.
• Several analysts turned more upbeat on PANW, with firms like Truist, Oppenheimer, Mizuho, and Rosenblatt raising price targets to as high as $275 while maintaining bullish ratings.
• Palo Alto Networks recently topped quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.03 EPS on $2.59 billion in revenue, but insiders have also sold shares recently and the stock is trading near its 52-week high.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 40.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,969 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,491 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $9,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 72.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 152 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, signaling confidence in continued upside for Palo Alto Networks. Truist raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer lifted its target to $275 and reiterated an Outperform rating after noting encouraging signs from the company’s CyberArk-related product launch and customer feedback. Oppenheimer lifts PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its target to $265 and maintained an Outperform rating, citing strength in subscriptions and possible upside to remaining performance obligations. Mizuho raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also raised its target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, adding to the broad analyst optimism around the stock. Rosenblatt positive forecast
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI is expected to help engineers ship more features, not reduce headcount, suggesting the company sees AI as a growth driver rather than a cost-cutting story. Business Insider article
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider buying was highlighted as value-positive, but the item is more of a confidence signal than a clear near-term catalyst. Insider buying article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary noted the stock has rallied sharply and is technically overbought, which could make it vulnerable to volatility if upcoming earnings disappoint. Technical analysis article

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. UBS Group set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. HSBC cut their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $219.49.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $240.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $195.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 132.67, a P/E/G ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $248.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $178.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.34.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.59 billion during 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 firm'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 earned $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,103,105. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 83,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Company 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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