Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stake Raised by Twin Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Twin Capital Management increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 96.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 11,513 shares valued at about $2.12 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.03 beating estimates and revenue of $2.59 billion slightly ahead of expectations, while revenue rose 14.9% year over year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish, with several firms raising price targets to the $270-$285 range and the stock carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.

Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 96.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,513 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 5,663 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $2,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $246.66 on Thursday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $250.00. The stock has a market cap of $201.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 136.28, a PEG ratio of 8.66 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $179.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.54.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $275.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 target price (down from $235.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $225.16.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total value of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total transaction of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised Palo Alto Networks’ price target to $275 from $185 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling strong analyst confidence. Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW Price Target Raised to $275.00 at Stifel Nicolaus
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets lifted its target to $270 from $200 and kept an outperform rating, implying further upside from current levels. BMO Capital Markets price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Truist boosted its target to $275 from $200 and maintained a buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around PANW. Truist price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its target to $253 from $223 and held an overweight rating, suggesting continued support from institutional analysts. Morgan Stanley price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Palo Alto Networks as one of the software names benefiting from renewed investor interest as AI disruption fears ease. ServiceNow and Other Software Stocks Are Leading the Sector Out of the Abyss
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI should increase engineering productivity rather than shrink the workforce, supporting the company’s long-term growth narrative. Palo Alto Networks CEO says AI won't mean fewer engineers

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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