Markowski Investments Takes $2.30 Million Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Markowski Investments acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 6,732 shares of the network technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,296,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical and earnings support: A bullish hammer chart pattern suggests potential near-term support after the recent pullback. Rising earnings estimates and the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter beat—$1.02 in adjusted EPS versus $0.98 expected, with revenue up 34.5% to $3.41 billion—also support the possibility of a rebound. Palo Alto Could Find a Support Soon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: DA Davidson raised its price target to $420, while Susquehanna and BTIG lifted targets to $415 and $404, respectively. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating, adding to a generally bullish Wall Street view. DA Davidson Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term AI opportunity: Analysts and commentary continue to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ expanding cybersecurity platform and products designed to protect enterprises from AI-related threats. The company’s strong growth profile has helped sustain investor interest despite recent volatility. Palo Alto Networks AI Cybersecurity Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector pressure is limiting momentum: Zscaler’s softer fiscal 2027 growth outlook overshadowed its earnings beat and weighed on cybersecurity peers. Palo Alto Networks has been more resilient than some competitors, but sector-wide concerns remain. Zscaler Growth Guidance Pressures Cybersecurity Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: AI acquisition: Palo Alto Networks reportedly paid about $500 million in cash and stock for Console, an AI help-desk automation startup. The deal could broaden its AI capabilities, although integration and valuation risks may limit its immediate stock impact. Palo Alto Networks Console Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and insider sale: PANW’s very high valuation leaves little room for disappointment, while Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul’s sale of 900 shares worth approximately $336,000 adds a minor cautionary signal. However, the sale reduced his holdings by only 1.23%, limiting its significance.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PANW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $410.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $340.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $394.00 target price (up from $387.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Forty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.67.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 0.4%

PANW stock opened at $333.26 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $350.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $254.82. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $398.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $271.61 billion, a PE ratio of 653.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.91.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director Aparna Bawa sold 290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.74, for a total value of $101,134.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,244,839.38. This represents a 4.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director James Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,635 shares of company stock valued at $11,150,578. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.