Longbow Finance SA Increases Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Longbow Finance SA boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,994 shares of the network technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,213 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks accounts for approximately 1.3% of Longbow Finance SA’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Longbow Finance SA’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $13,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PANW. Lafayette Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 30.3% in the third quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. now owns 3,582 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 20,393 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $4,152,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. GFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. GFS Advisors LLC now owns 7,125 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,451,000 after buying an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 31,279 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $6,369,000 after buying an additional 1,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $126,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $162.76 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.53. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.15 and a 52 week high of $223.61. The stock has a market cap of $113.44 billion, a PE ratio of 103.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.75.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 11.69%.The firm’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reduced their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $245.00 target price (up from $228.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $265.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.74.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total transaction of $147,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 46,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,502,184.05. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.33, for a total transaction of $2,441,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 75,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,685,690.72. The trade was a 14.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock worth $49,910,995. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto completed its acquisition of CyberArk, adding identity-security capabilities that management says strengthen its AI-era security platform — a strategic bolt-on that supports longer-term revenue and product integration potential. Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is planning a dual listing on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange following the CyberArk deal — a structural move that could broaden investor access but also draws attention to regional/regulatory considerations. Cybersecurity Stock in the Spotlight Ahead of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed price targets but largely maintained buy ratings — suggesting confidence in long-term fundamentals even as near?term valuation expectations are moderated. (Examples: Rosenblatt, BTIG, DA Davidson cut PTs while keeping buy ratings.) Rosenblatt Adjusts PT to $225
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms lowered their price targets this week (BTIG from $248?$200, DA Davidson $240?$210, Rosenblatt $250?$225), which puts downward pressure on the stock despite buy ratings — investors view the cuts as reduced near?term upside. BTIG Price Target Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reports Palo Alto chose not to explicitly attribute a recent global cyberespionage campaign to China out of concern for possible retaliation — a disclosure/PR judgment that raises geopolitical and client-risk concerns and may weigh on sentiment. Palo Alto chose not to tie China to hacking campaign
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary noted PANW falling more steeply than the broader market and cited the dual-listing/merger headlines as drivers of the weakness; trading volume is elevated, indicating active repositioning by investors. Palo Alto Networks Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market

Palo Alto Networks 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.