United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Sells 5,863 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 5.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,488 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 5,863 shares during the quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $32,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,833,462,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,415,364,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,968,304,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,569,755,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at $1,481,236,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Truist Financial set a $435.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $415.00 price objective (up from $335.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $390.00 target price (up from $300.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.87.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 12.8%

PANW stock opened at $382.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $312.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 313.81, a P/E/G ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.57 and a 1-year high of $398.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $342.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $247.58.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.24, for a total transaction of $2,094,300.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,490,500. This trade represents a 37.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 81,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,272,790.88. This represents a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,835 shares of company stock worth $11,127,854. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for Palo Alto Networks to $384, modestly above the current trading level, while maintaining its view of the cybersecurity company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Palo Alto Networks Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly constructive: BTIG reaffirmed a “Buy” rating, and other Wall Street commentary continues to characterize PANW as a buy and a cybersecurity stock worth researching. Wall Street Analysts See Palo Alto as a Buy Benchmark Analyst Expects Palo Alto Stock to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on estimates for PANW’s fiscal fourth quarter ended July 2026, including key operating metrics beyond revenue and earnings. The upcoming results could become the next major catalyst. Palo Alto Q4 Performance Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader markets may remain sensitive to next week’s U.S. jobs report and its implications for Federal Reserve policy, which could influence high-growth technology valuations. The Week Ahead: August Jobs Report Takes Center Stage
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares for approximately $318,000. The sale reduced his holdings by 1.21%, a relatively small transaction but a potential short-term sentiment headwind. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG’s $380 price target is slightly below PANW’s current level despite its Buy rating, while the stock’s very high earnings multiple leaves it vulnerable to disappointment if growth or guidance slows. BTIG Reiterates Buy Rating on Palo Alto Networks

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.