USS Investment Management Ltd Purchases 25,443 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 23.1% in the first quarter, buying 25,443 additional shares to bring its total holdings to 135,448 shares worth about $21.7 million.
• Palo Alto Networks reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion expected, while revenue rose 31.1% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus; the average target price is about $313, below the recent trading level near $341.

USS Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 23.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,448 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 25,443 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $21,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% during the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 16,938 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $3,449,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,227 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Outfitters Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Outfitters Financial LLC now owns 3,265 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $601,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total transaction of $1,447,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 145,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,058,590. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.08, for a total value of $313,588.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 81,636 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,272,790.88. The trade was a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 100,289 shares of company stock worth $26,590,990. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of PANW opened at $341.02 on Wednesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $342.48. The stock has a market cap of $277.93 billion, a PE ratio of 279.52, a P/E/G ratio of 12.33 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business's 50-day moving average price is $247.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.12.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. Palo Alto Networks's revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PANW. Susquehanna reissued a "positive" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $333.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $313.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $380 from $333 and kept a buy rating, signaling confidence in additional upside for PANW. BTIG Raises Price Target on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo increased its target to $355 from $165 and reiterated a buy rating, highlighting strong analyst conviction after the company’s recent results. Palo Alto Networks Gets Massive Upward Price Target Revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Arete Research lifted its target to $433 from $185 and maintained a buy rating, adding to the wave of bullish revisions. Arete Adjusts Price Target on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around PANW’s AI security and observability business suggests growing demand for its platform as enterprises spend more on cybersecurity tied to AI adoption. Palo Alto Networks Gains Momentum in AI Security and Observability
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts broadly continue to view Palo Alto Networks as a “moderate buy,” reflecting generally favorable but not unanimous sentiment. Palo Alto Networks Given Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage notes that the stock’s rapid run-up has pushed valuations higher, which could make PANW more vulnerable if growth or margins fail to keep pace. Cybersecurity Rally Justify Its Valuations

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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