Rathbones Group PLC Sells 11,378 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.3%, selling 11,378 shares and now holding 857,605 shares (about 0.12%) valued at roughly $157.97 million.
• Notable insider selling occurred recently: insiders sold 149,552 shares worth about $27.78 million over the past three months, including EVP Lee Klarich's 120,768-share sale (~$23.07M) and director James J. Goetz's 22,684-share sale.
• Analyst and institutional backdrop: institutional investors own ~79.8% of PANW, analysts rate it a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $209.95, and the stock trades near $163 after a quarterly EPS beat ($1.03 vs. $0.94) with 14.9% revenue growth.

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 857,605 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 11,378 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.12% of Palo Alto Networks worth $157,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 2.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,269,963 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $13,290,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,589 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,736,916 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $6,055,031,000 after buying an additional 505,924 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,528,248 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $1,532,902,000 after buying an additional 36,511 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,906,963 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $1,202,776,000 after acquiring an additional 611,375 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,037,320 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $822,079,000 after acquiring an additional 17,394 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on PANW shares. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Arete Research raised Palo Alto Networks from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.95.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,096,383.61. The trade was a 28.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,631,525. The trade was a 30.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 149,552 shares of company stock worth $27,779,427. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW stock opened at $163.21 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $162.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.89. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $223.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.17, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: An insider reportedly bought about US$10.0m of PANW stock, a sign of confidence from management or insiders that can reassure investors and provide upward support to the share price. Insider Buy Article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a note highlighting that PANW outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting short‑term buying momentum and attention on the name. That positive market reaction can amplify interest from momentum and quant-driven flows. Zacks Upswing Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage of PANW (coverage initiation often brings increased analyst visibility and trading volume). Investors should watch the new rating and price target for directional cues. Coverage Initiation
• Neutral Sentiment: Local law‑firm hiring news (Arman Pahlavan joining Dorsey & Whitney in Palo Alto) is peripheral to PANW fundamentals and unlikely to move the stock materially. Business Wire Article
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives disclosed open‑market sales on April 1: EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares at ~$160.42 and CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares at ~$161.40. Insider sales can create near‑term selling pressure or raise governance/rotation questions, even when not unusual for executives. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pointing out a roughly 12% decline over three months highlights near‑term downside and investor concern, even as some pieces note SASE momentum and enterprise wins that could stabilize revenue longer term. Persistent share‑price weakness can prompt re‑rating risk. Zacks Decline Article

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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