Stephens Inc. AR Grows Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 7.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,486 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,586 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $13,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Steph & Co. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.56, for a total transaction of $1,447,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 145,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,058,590. The trade was a 3.33% 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, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,000. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 102,111 shares of company stock worth $27,204,024 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $255.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $270.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.78.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks (PANW) to $425 from $350 and reiterated a Buy rating, implying further upside versus the current share price. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG and Wells Fargo both lifted price targets on Palo Alto Networks, citing stronger operating momentum and continued demand for AI-driven security solutions, helping push the stock to a record high. Palo Alto Networks stock hits record high as analysts raise price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted PANW as one of the high-growth cybersecurity stocks to own, reinforcing the bullish sentiment around the name. Here’s Why Palo Alto (PANW) is Among the 8 High Growth Cybersecurity Stocks to Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: One recent article noted that while Palo Alto Networks remains a strong company, valuation may be stretched at current levels, which could temper enthusiasm for some investors. Palo Alto Networks: Great Company, But Don’t Buy At Nosebleed Prices

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

PANW traded down $10.27 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $347.26. 2,235,230 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,306,084. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $258.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $283.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 284.52, a P/E/G ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $368.17.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business 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 research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 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.