Verde Capital Management Boosts Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Verde Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,289 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks accounts for about 0.7% of Verde Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Verde Capital Management’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $3,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter worth approximately $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $136,859,000 after buying an additional 384,985 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $277,828,000 after buying an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% in the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $11,077,000 after buying an additional 15,091 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,554,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,103,105. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on PANW. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. New Street Research decreased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.59.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $248.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.00 billion, a PE ratio of 136.77, a P/E/G ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $176.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.18.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225 to $275 and kept a buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the company’s outlook. Rosenblatt Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its price target from $200 to $265 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to the bullish view from analysts on PANW’s earnings and growth prospects. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $265.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted Palo Alto Networks as “having the last laugh,” reinforcing investor optimism around the stock’s resilience and market leadership. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto (PANW) Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: One market recap noted PANW advanced while the broader market declined, but the report was mainly descriptive and did not add new fundamental information. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over Palo Alto Networks on growth momentum and ARR trends, but this was more of an industry comparison than a direct negative catalyst. CRWD vs. PANW: Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right Now?

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.