Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Sold by Nikulski Financial Inc.

Nikulski Financial Inc. decreased its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,624 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 3,143 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks comprises approximately 3.8% of Nikulski Financial Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $18,127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Verus Financial Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. now owns 632 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,117 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. MBA Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. MBA Advisors LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 472 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riversedge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,285 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $511,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Latest Palo Alto Networks News

Here’s some of the latest news about PANW:

• Positive Sentiment: An article described Palo Alto’s AI security tool as its fastest product ramp and noted CIBC placed PANW seventh on a list of stocks to buy after the U.S. midterm elections. Palo Alto Networks: Its AI Security Tool Became the Company’s Fastest Product Ramp
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $400 from $450 but maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America reiterated Buy with a $420 target. Jefferies analyst action Bank of America’s outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi was reported to see “powerful upside” for PANW, though the provided report did not include further details. Citi Sees Powerful Upside for Palo Alto Network Stock

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $322.66 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $432.33. The firm has a market cap of $264.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 632.68, a PEG ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s fifty day moving average is $367.70 and its 200 day moving average is $276.51.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.68, for a total value of $7,533,600.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Key sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock valued at $20,823,029. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $320.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Forty 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.49.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.