Geode Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,989,257 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 540,756 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $2,934,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 27,356 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $5,039,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Millington Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Millington Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,530 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,308,000 after buying an additional 1,534 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 21,766 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $4,009,000 after buying an additional 785 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 818,841 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $150,831,000 after buying an additional 51,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 661,826 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $121,908,000 after buying an additional 127,570 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 93,660 shares of company stock valued at $21,346,475 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $270 from $200 and kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside. Benchmark price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush also lifted its target sharply, to $300 from $225, while reiterating an Outperform rating, signaling continued confidence in Palo Alto Networks’ growth outlook. Wedbush price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating with a $285 target, and earlier coverage from other firms also pointed to higher targets, adding to the bullish analyst momentum around PANW. Wells Fargo reiterates Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage continues to frame Palo Alto Networks as a potential beneficiary of AI-driven cybersecurity demand, which supports the long-term investment story but is not an immediate catalyst. AI security supercycle article
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have also faced some sector-wide selling after weak guidance from a peer, Zscaler, which dragged on sentiment across cybersecurity stocks. Cybersecurity gloom article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares at an average price of $258.65, a transaction investors may view cautiously, although the executive still retains a sizable stake. Insider sale filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PANW shares. New Street Research decreased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Argus upgraded Palo Alto Networks to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $216.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.28.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 3.2%

PANW opened at $248.47 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $202.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 137.28, a P/E/G ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $261.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $188.56 and a 200 day moving average of $182.95.

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.