Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Holdings Trimmed by Compass Capital Management Inc.

Compass Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 16.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,380 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 12,135 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks comprises 1.5% of Compass Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Compass Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $24,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $25,833,462,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,968,304,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,569,755,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,481,236,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $3,603,473,000 after purchasing an additional 3,101,267 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $322.24 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $432.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $277.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $263.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 631.86, a P/E/G ratio of 9.25 and a beta of 0.96.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Top Palo Alto Networks Stories

These are some of the PANW stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc upgraded PANW to Overweight from Sector Weight and set a $380 price target. The firm expects next-generation security growth, stronger security spending, and demand for AI protection to outweigh concerns about the traditional firewall business. The upgrade helped lift shares in premarket trading. Palo Alto Networks stock rises as KeyBanc upgrades shares to Overweight
• Neutral Sentiment: PANW was also noted as a holding in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust. This is a visibility signal, but the article provides no new company-specific operating or financial catalyst. A Jim Cramer’s Trust Stock Is Using AI to Breaks the Defenses It Helps Protect
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks comparison favored Cloudflare over Palo Alto, citing Cloudflare’s stronger revenue-growth outlook and rising AI-security demand. This could weigh on PANW relative to peers, though it is one analyst’s comparison rather than a change to PANW’s outlook. PANW vs. NET: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on PANW. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 target price (up from $371.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $345.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price objective (up from $475.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, October 12th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $320.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $434.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Forty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.68, for a total value of $7,533,600.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Aparna Bawa sold 250 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.28, for a total value of $103,070.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,825,163.56. This represents a 5.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock worth $20,823,029. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The company’s product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.