Longbow Finance SA Raises Stock Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Longbow Finance SA grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 33.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 63,994 shares of the network technology company’s stock after buying an additional 16,213 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up about 1.3% of Longbow Finance SA’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Longbow Finance SA’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $13,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total transaction of $23,070,311.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,096,383.61. This trade represents a 28.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total transaction of $147,848.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,502,184.05. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $162.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $182.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.53. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.15 and a 1 year high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 11.69% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PANW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research lowered their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $248.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $236.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays set a $200.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.74.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto completed its acquisition of CyberArk, adding identity-security capabilities that management says strengthen its AI-era security platform — a strategic bolt-on that supports longer-term revenue and product integration potential. Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is planning a dual listing on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange following the CyberArk deal — a structural move that could broaden investor access but also draws attention to regional/regulatory considerations. Cybersecurity Stock in the Spotlight Ahead of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed price targets but largely maintained buy ratings — suggesting confidence in long-term fundamentals even as near‑term valuation expectations are moderated. (Examples: Rosenblatt, BTIG, DA Davidson cut PTs while keeping buy ratings.) Rosenblatt Adjusts PT to $225
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets this week (BTIG from $248→$200, DA Davidson $240→$210, Rosenblatt $250→$225), which puts downward pressure on the stock despite buy ratings — investors view the cuts as reduced near‑term upside. BTIG Price Target Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reports Palo Alto chose not to explicitly attribute a recent global cyberespionage campaign to China out of concern for possible retaliation — a disclosure/PR judgment that raises geopolitical and client-risk concerns and may weigh on sentiment. Palo Alto chose not to tie China to hacking campaign
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary noted PANW falling more steeply than the broader market and cited the dual-listing/merger headlines as drivers of the weakness; trading volume is elevated, indicating active repositioning by investors. Palo Alto Networks Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market

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.