Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Sells 348,698 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. trimmed its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 42.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 466,314 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 348,698 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Palo Alto Networks worth $184,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PANW. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,833,462,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,968,304,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,569,755,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,481,236,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,476,753 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $3,603,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,101,267 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $322.66 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $432.33. The company has a market cap of $264.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 632.68, a P/E/G ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $367.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $276.51.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Top Palo Alto Networks Stories

Investors following PANW have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto’s software-firewall annual recurring revenue rose 29%, with cloud and AI workloads supporting demand for its network-security products. Can Software Firewall Demand Boost PANW’s Network Security Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: An article described Palo Alto’s AI security tool as its fastest product ramp and noted CIBC placed PANW seventh on a list of stocks to buy after the U.S. midterm elections. Palo Alto Networks: Its AI Security Tool Became the Company’s Fastest Product Ramp
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $400 from $450 but maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America reiterated Buy with a $420 target. Jefferies analyst action Bank of America’s outlook

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total value of $336,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 72,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,085,821.12. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 27,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.60, for a total transaction of $10,769,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,110,900. This represents a 18.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,210 shares of company stock worth $20,823,029. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PANW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $326.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $404.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $410.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Thirty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.49.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The company’s product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.