Vantus Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,573 shares of the network technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $474,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% during the third quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% during the third quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on PANW. Jefferies Financial Group set a $300.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Arete Research upgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $250.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.23.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.95, for a total value of $94,780.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,736 shares in the company, valued at $19,604,295.20. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.
Palo Alto Networks News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $300 from $200 and kept an overweight rating, signaling continued optimism about the company’s growth outlook. JPMorgan price target update
- Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird also lifted its price target to $300 from $265 and reiterated an outperform rating, reinforcing the view that PANW can sustain momentum into earnings. Baird price target update
- Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of Portkey, an AI gateway provider, which should strengthen its Prisma AIRS platform and expand its AI-security offerings. Portkey acquisition article
- Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles note that PANW is approaching its earnings release, with traders expecting a meaningful post-earnings move; that keeps attention on the stock but does not by itself confirm direction. Earnings watch article
- Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said the stock “tends to run into the quarter,” reflecting a seasonal trading thesis rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Jim Cramer commentary
Palo Alto Networks Price Performance
Shares of PANW stock opened at $300.48 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $195.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.31. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $302.95. The firm has a market cap of $245.19 billion, a PE ratio of 166.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.94.
Palo Alto Networks 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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Palo Alto Networks
- Why 1 Little-Known ETF Is Riding the AI Chip Shortage
- Why These Three Big Buybacks Are Sending Very Different Signals to Investors
- Drone Stocks Soar As Pentagon Considers Funding, Including a Trump-Linked Name
- Braze Blazes Ahead on Q1 2027 Earnings Beat, Raised Guidance
Receive News & Ratings for Palo Alto Networks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Palo Alto Networks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
