PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 247,391 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 2,022 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $45,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on PANW shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.33.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $252.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $206.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 139.73, a PEG ratio of 8.89 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $253.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $181.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 83,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,418,150.40. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. The trade was a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $285 from $235 and kept an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish outlook on the stock. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus also lifted its target to $275 and reiterated a buy rating, while BMO and Morgan Stanley recently boosted their targets as well, signaling broader Wall Street confidence in PANW’s growth outlook. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: At Jefferies’ attended Ignite On Tour event, customers showed strong interest in Palo Alto’s AI security products, including Prisma AIRS, XSIAM, Portkey, and Koi Security, suggesting the company’s AI strategy is gaining traction. Proactive Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary also highlighted rising demand for AI security as a potential long-term growth driver, which could support continued multiple expansion if adoption accelerates. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Josh Brown added Palo Alto Networks to his “best stocks in the market” list, which adds to the positive sentiment around cybersecurity names, though it is more of a watchlist/endorsement signal than a direct business catalyst. Invezz

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.