Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Decreases Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 420,272 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 43,380 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $77,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. boosted its stake in shares of 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. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC boosted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on PANW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $235.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $223.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.09.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total transaction of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at $61,037,002.95. This trade represents a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 93,660 shares of company stock valued at $21,346,475 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms lifted their price targets on Palo Alto Networks, including Morgan Stanley, Evercore, Wedbush, Benchmark, Wells Fargo, BTIG, and Mizuho, reinforcing expectations for continued growth and keeping sentiment constructive. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ strong platform momentum and growing ARR, suggesting investors see room for further upside if upcoming earnings confirm the trend. ARR growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media are also debating whether the company’s AI security leadership is a durable competitive advantage or mostly a narrative, which adds uncertainty but does not appear to be the main driver today. AI security narrative article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares, a move some investors may interpret cautiously, although he still retains a meaningful stake in the company. Insider sale article
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious on near-term fundamentals, pointing to rising acquisition costs, share dilution, and a mixed outlook heading into Q3 earnings. Q3 earnings outlook article

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $281.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 155.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $283.71. The company’s fifty day moving average is $192.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.96.

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.