Kesler Norman & Wride LLC reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) by 47.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,763 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 2,510 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $509,000 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 the stock. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 33.4% in the fourth quarter. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 15,486 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,852,000 after buying an additional 3,873 shares during the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,994 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 712,539 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $131,250,000 after buying an additional 178,986 shares during the last quarter. Pincus Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $525,000. Finally, Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 7,761 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,430,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Palo Alto Networks News
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue above expectations, with EPS of $0.85 versus $0.79-$0.81 estimated and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion expected, while sales rose 31.1% year over year. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The company raised FY2026 and Q4 guidance well above Wall Street estimates, signaling stronger demand and improving profitability outlooks. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI-related security concerns are driving a surge in customer engagement and meeting requests, reinforcing the long-term growth narrative for PANW. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Citigroup, Wedbush, BNP Paribas Exane, Stifel, Berenberg, Truist, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, RBC, Oppenheimer, and others raised price targets, with several also reiterating buy or outperform ratings, adding momentum to the stock. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: One insider filing showed CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares, which is minor versus the company’s overall market value but may slightly weigh on sentiment. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, some coverage noted the stock slipped intraday as investors focused on acquisition-driven growth and broader market pressure rather than the strong fundamentals. Article Title
Palo Alto Networks Price Performance
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks
In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total value of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,037,002.95. The trade was a 21.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 94,760 shares of company stock worth $21,660,063. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
PANW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $253.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank restated a “sector outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. FBN Securities restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $304.22.
View Our Latest Report on Palo Alto Networks
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.
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