Clearbridge Investments LLC Reduces Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,601,625 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 257,472 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks comprises approximately 0.8% of Clearbridge Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $1,031,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at $75,412,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 48,458 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $8,926,000 after purchasing an additional 3,926 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $136,859,000 after purchasing an additional 384,985 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $277,828,000 after purchasing an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% during the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 15,091 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,103,105. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 83,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,076 shares of company stock valued at $17,930,587. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $272.05 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $205.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.58. The company has a market cap of $221.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 222.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $302.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The company’s revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive, with multiple firms raising price targets after earnings, including targets of $207 to $360 and several firms reiterating positive forecasts for PANW. HSBC adjusts price target on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: FBN Securities upgraded Palo Alto Networks from “outperform” to “strong-buy,” adding to the bullish analyst backdrop. FBN Securities upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note that PANW’s strong AI security narrative and recent earnings beat have kept the long-term story intact, even as the stock has cooled after its sharp rally. Barron’s on Palo Alto Networks rally
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity peers, especially CrowdStrike, sold off after earnings, and that weakness spilled over to PANW as investors demanded clearer proof of AI monetization and more room for upside after the rally. CrowdStrike sinks, weighing on Palo Alto Networks
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues PANW’s stock has run too far too fast, suggesting valuation concerns and profit-taking are pressuring shares despite solid fundamentals. Seeking Alpha on Palo Alto Networks valuation

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PANW. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $340.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $320.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned 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 $306.59.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.