Quilter Plc Buys 40,299 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Quilter Plc grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 938,272 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,299 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks comprises about 2.9% of Quilter Plc’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Quilter Plc owned 0.13% of Palo Alto Networks worth $172,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 96.1% in the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 149 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 72.7% during the 3rd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 152 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $265.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, January 5th. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.95.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: An insider reportedly bought about US$10.0m of PANW stock, a sign of confidence from management or insiders that can reassure investors and provide upward support to the share price. Insider Buy Article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a note highlighting that PANW outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting short‑term buying momentum and attention on the name. That positive market reaction can amplify interest from momentum and quant-driven flows. Zacks Upswing Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage of PANW (coverage initiation often brings increased analyst visibility and trading volume). Investors should watch the new rating and price target for directional cues. Coverage Initiation
• Neutral Sentiment: Local law‑firm hiring news (Arman Pahlavan joining Dorsey & Whitney in Palo Alto) is peripheral to PANW fundamentals and unlikely to move the stock materially. Business Wire Article
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives disclosed open‑market sales on April 1: EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares at ~$160.42 and CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares at ~$161.40. Insider sales can create near‑term selling pressure or raise governance/rotation questions, even when not unusual for executives. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pointing out a roughly 12% decline over three months highlights near‑term downside and investor concern, even as some pieces note SASE momentum and enterprise wins that could stabilize revenue longer term. Persistent share‑price weakness can prompt re‑rating risk. Zacks Decline Article

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,096,383.61. This trade represents a 28.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 149,552 shares of company stock worth $27,779,427. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $163.21 on Monday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $223.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.89. The company has a market capitalization of $133.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.17, a P/E/G ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

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.