CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 364,357 shares of the network technology company’s stock after buying an additional 82,160 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc owned about 0.05% of Palo Alto Networks worth $67,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have weighed in on PANW. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $238.23.
Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 1.1%
Shares of PANW opened at $297.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $242.50 billion, a PE ratio of 164.19, a PEG ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.94. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $302.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $195.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.31.
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Palo Alto Networks News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Palo Alto Networks beat fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue expectations, reporting EPS of $0.85 versus $0.81 expected and revenue of $3.0 billion versus $2.94 billion estimated, with sales up 31.1% year over year. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year and fourth-quarter guidance well above Wall Street forecasts, signaling stronger demand and better profitability ahead. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Management said AI-driven security needs are boosting customer engagement, with CEO Nikesh Arora citing a surge in meeting requests as enterprises prepare for AI-related risks. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Several analyst notes were bullish ahead of and after the report, including price-target increases from JPMorgan and Baird, reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: The company also completed its acquisition of Portkey, an AI gateway provider, which may support its Prisma AIRS platform and future AI-security offerings, but the immediate financial impact is still unclear. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: One insider sale by the company’s chief accounting officer may create a small headline overhang, though it was limited relative to the stock’s recent rally. Article Title
Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks
In other news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at $24,103,105. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 94,760 shares of company stock worth $21,660,063. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.
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.
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