Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 496,967 shares of the network technology company’s stock after buying an additional 13,956 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $91,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $12,512,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659,100 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 108.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,467,692 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $502,263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,738 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter worth about $162,161,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $151,682,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 25.1% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,532,201 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $750,875,000 after buying an additional 708,332 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW stock opened at $281.69 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $283.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $192.58 and its 200 day moving average is $183.96. The firm has a market cap of $229.86 billion, a PE ratio of 155.63, a P/E/G ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms lifted their price targets on Palo Alto Networks, including Morgan Stanley, Evercore, Wedbush, Benchmark, Wells Fargo, BTIG, and Mizuho, reinforcing expectations for continued growth and keeping sentiment constructive. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ strong platform momentum and growing ARR, suggesting investors see room for further upside if upcoming earnings confirm the trend. ARR growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media are also debating whether the company’s AI security leadership is a durable competitive advantage or mostly a narrative, which adds uncertainty but does not appear to be the main driver today. AI security narrative article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares, a move some investors may interpret cautiously, although he still retains a meaningful stake in the company. Insider sale article
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious on near-term fundamentals, pointing to rising acquisition costs, share dilution, and a mixed outlook heading into Q3 earnings. Q3 earnings outlook article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PANW shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total transaction of $272,459.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.