Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Sold by Mason & Associates Inc

Mason & Associates Inc reduced its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 75.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 757 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 2,322 shares during the period. Mason & Associates Inc’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 410,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $65,796,000 after purchasing an additional 53,485 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 568,804 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $104,774,000 after purchasing an additional 29,230 shares during the period. B&D White Capital Company LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 1st quarter valued at about $353,000. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,159,000. Finally, Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,342 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,453,000 after purchasing an additional 4,659 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $331.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $270.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 650.88, a PEG ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $398.88. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $349.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $254.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on PANW. Capital One Financial set a $421.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $410.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $345.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $420.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Forty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director Helle Thorning-Schmidt sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.85, for a total transaction of $242,795.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,045,721.30. This trade represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.24, for a total value of $2,094,300.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,490,500. This represents a 37.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,635 shares of company stock worth $11,150,578. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong fiscal fourth-quarter results: Revenue rose 34% year over year to $3.41 billion, exceeding the $3.35 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted earnings of $1.02 per share topped expectations by $0.04. Next-generation security annual recurring revenue increased 63% to $9.1 billion, including nearly $1 billion of net new ARR. Palo Alto crushes earnings expectations: stock is down 8%- here’s why
• Positive Sentiment: Optimistic outlook and AI demand: Management issued fiscal 2027 guidance above Wall Street expectations and highlighted rising demand for platform-based cybersecurity solutions as AI-related threats expand. Analysts also cited strong cash flow, platform adoption and the company’s AI-led growth strategy. PANW Q4 Earnings Call Focuses on AI-Led Platformization
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: Citigroup raised its price target to $410, while RBC lifted its target to $475. DA Davidson, Susquehanna, Rosenblatt, BTIG, Needham and Cantor Fitzgerald also maintained or reiterated bullish ratings with targets generally above the current trading level.
• Positive Sentiment: External bullish commentary: Jim Cramer described Palo Alto Networks favorably following the earnings report, potentially supporting investor sentiment toward the cybersecurity leader. Jim Cramer is Bullish on Palo Alto After Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Console acquisition: Palo Alto Networks reportedly paid approximately $500 million in cash and stock for AI help-desk startup Console. The deal could expand its AI capabilities, but the price and integration risks may temper the immediate benefit. Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profit-taking pressured the stock: Despite the earnings beat, shares fell sharply after investors viewed the results as insufficient relative to PANW’s premium valuation and lofty growth expectations. Barclays reportedly warned that the stock may have limited upside after a substantial prior rally. Palo Alto Networks Topped Estimates. The Stock Is Sinking Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul sold 900 shares for approximately $336,000. The sale represented only 1.23% of his holdings, limiting its significance, but it may add modestly to investor caution.

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.