Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stock Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group cut its Palo Alto Networks stake by 61.7% in the third quarter, selling 363,818 shares and retaining 226,281 shares valued at about $89.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial at 79.82%; several investors added shares, including Fisher Asset Management, which increased its holdings by 41.5%.
• Palo Alto Networks beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 34.5% year over year. KeyBanc upgraded the stock to Overweight, citing demand for next-generation security and AI protection.

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 61.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 226,281 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 363,818 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $89,904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.8% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 23,295 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $9,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,840 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. PFC Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. PFC Capital Group Inc. now owns 13,780 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $5,475,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 119.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 52,323 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $20,788,000 after purchasing an additional 28,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 41.5% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,142,895 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $3,235,254,000 after buying an additional 2,386,906 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Palo Alto Networks News

Here's some of the latest news about PANW:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc upgraded PANW to Overweight from Sector Weight and set a $380 price target. The firm expects next-generation security growth, stronger security spending, and demand for AI protection to outweigh concerns about the traditional firewall business. The upgrade helped lift shares in premarket trading. Palo Alto Networks stock rises as KeyBanc upgrades shares to Overweight
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target from $450 to $400 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving the analyst positive while signaling a more cautious valuation view. Jefferies analyst recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: PANW was also noted as a holding in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust. This is a visibility signal, but the article provides no new company-specific operating or financial catalyst. A Jim Cramer’s Trust Stock Is Using AI to Breaks the Defenses It Helps Protect

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.70, for a total value of $158,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 77,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,859,455.90. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.60, for a total value of $10,769,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,110,900. This represents a 18.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 54,210 shares of company stock valued at $20,823,029 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $322.24 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $367.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.20. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $432.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $263.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 631.86, a PEG ratio of 9.25 and a beta of 0.96.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business's revenue was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PANW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Yorkville Ives assumed coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Palo Alto Networks from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $320.00 to $346.00 in a research report on Monday, September 7th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Forty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.12.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The company's product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.

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