Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 129,343 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 9,448 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $23,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $136,859,000 after acquiring an additional 384,985 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $277,828,000 after purchasing an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% during the third quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 15,091 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,554,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 3.0%

NASDAQ PANW opened at $240.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $195.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 132.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $178.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $181.34. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $248.85.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 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 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PANW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $183.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $219.49.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, signaling confidence in continued upside for Palo Alto Networks. Truist raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer lifted its target to $275 and reiterated an Outperform rating after noting encouraging signs from the company’s CyberArk-related product launch and customer feedback. Oppenheimer lifts PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its target to $265 and maintained an Outperform rating, citing strength in subscriptions and possible upside to remaining performance obligations. Mizuho raises PANW target
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also raised its target to $275 and kept a Buy rating, adding to the broad analyst optimism around the stock. Rosenblatt positive forecast
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Nikesh Arora said AI is expected to help engineers ship more features, not reduce headcount, suggesting the company sees AI as a growth driver rather than a cost-cutting story. Business Insider article
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider buying was highlighted as value-positive, but the item is more of a confidence signal than a clear near-term catalyst. Insider buying article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary noted the stock has rallied sharply and is technically overbought, which could make it vulnerable to volatility if upcoming earnings disappoint. Technical analysis article

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.