Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price Down 1.1% Following Insider Selling

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $283.80 and last traded at $297.0590. Approximately 13,667,928 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 66% from the average daily volume of 8,217,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $300.48.

Specifically, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.08, for a total transaction of $313,588.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 81,636 shares in the company, valued at $23,272,790.88. The trade was a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total value of $16,270,119.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,037,002.95. The trade was a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PANW. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Berenberg Bank set a $290.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.23.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks beat analyst estimates with fiscal Q3 EPS of $0.85 versus $0.81 expected, and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion anticipated, which supports the stock’s move higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s latest results add credibility to the company’s position as a leading cybersecurity platform, with strong profitability metrics including a 12.96% net margin and 17.60% return on equity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several pre-earnings reports and analyst notes were bullish, including price-target hikes from JPMorgan and Baird to $300, signaling confidence that the stock can sustain its premium valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News flow around AI-driven cybersecurity demand and Palo Alto’s acquisition of Portkey have reinforced the investment case that the company can benefit as enterprises spend more on securing AI infrastructure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary has highlighted cybersecurity as a strong theme into earnings, but this backdrop is more of a supportive industry trend than a direct company-specific catalyst. Article Title

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 1.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $242.40 billion, a PE ratio of 164.12, a P/E/G ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $195.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.31.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% in the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.