Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stock: Candriam S.C.A. Decreases Position

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 29.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 676,466 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 286,588 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks comprises 1.2% of Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $269,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PANW. B&D White Capital Company LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter valued at approximately $353,000. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth approximately $2,159,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.6% in the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 240,029 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $95,366,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 126.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 18,600 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $7,390,000 after purchasing an additional 10,392 shares during the period. Finally, St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter worth $1,569,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $313.84 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $370.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $432.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $256.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 615.38, a P/E/G ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 0.96.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $345.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $300.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $355.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $398.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John P. Key sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.03, for a total transaction of $940,075.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,300. This represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh Paul sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total value of $336,312.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 72,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,085,821.12. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock valued at $20,823,029. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats.

The company’s product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Palo Alto Networks serves businesses, government agencies and other organizations around the world.