Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Bought by Profund Advisors LLC

Profund Advisors LLC raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,703 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,216 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $12,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225 to $275 and kept a buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the company’s outlook. Rosenblatt Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its price target from $200 to $265 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to the bullish view from analysts on PANW’s earnings and growth prospects. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $265.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted Palo Alto Networks as “having the last laugh,” reinforcing investor optimism around the stock’s resilience and market leadership. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto (PANW) Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: One market recap noted PANW advanced while the broader market declined, but the report was mainly descriptive and did not add new fundamental information. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over Palo Alto Networks on growth momentum and ARR trends, but this was more of an industry comparison than a direct negative catalyst. CRWD vs. PANW: Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right Now?

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW stock opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $248.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 136.77, a PEG ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $176.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.18.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.59.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares in the company, valued at $13,418,150.40. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.