Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $104.28 Million Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 305,775 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 17,560 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $104,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PANW. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 21,815 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $7,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,057 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 112.3% in the 2nd quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $931,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 24.5% in the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,265 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,000. This represents a 50.00% 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, Director John P. Key sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,490,500. The trade was a 37.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 38,835 shares of company stock worth $11,127,854 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 12.8%

PANW stock opened at $382.85 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.58. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $398.88. The company has a market capitalization of $312.02 billion, a PE ratio of 313.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PANW. Scotiabank reissued a “sector outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $434.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.87.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

Palo Alto Networks Company 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.