Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Has $49.22 Million Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA trimmed its Palo Alto Networks stake by 2.4% in Q4, now holding 281,696 shares worth $49.22 million — about 0.7% of its portfolio and its 26th largest position.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently, with 149,252 shares sold in the last three months (about $27.9 million), including EVP Lee Klarich’s 120,768‑share sale that cut his position by 28.78%.
• Palo Alto reported an EPS beat and growing revenue (Q4 EPS $1.03 vs. $0.94 expected; revenue $2.59B, up 14.9% YoY), and analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $210.19.

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lessened its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 281,696 shares of the network technology company's stock after selling 6,988 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up approximately 0.7% of Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $49,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 147.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,761 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 4,031 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 169.1% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,212 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,275 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 66.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,939 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,087 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $3,087,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.18, for a total transaction of $940,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 155,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,190,293.42. This represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 298,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,096,383.61. The trade was a 28.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 149,252 shares of company stock valued at $27,888,535 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $169.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $138.51 billion, a PE ratio of 93.78, a P/E/G ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.78. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $168.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.93. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $223.61.

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. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on PANW. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho set a $200.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Northland Securities raised their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $210.19.

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.

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