First American Trust FSB Trims Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

First American Trust FSB lessened its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,968 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 14,153 shares during the period. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $4,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,269,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $13,290,270,000 after buying an additional 1,253,589 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,174,029 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $3,093,262,000 after purchasing an additional 169,055 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,295,588 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,083,689,000 after purchasing an additional 377,496 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,476,638 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $916,099,000 after purchasing an additional 54,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter valued at $675,865,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $144.14 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.30 and a 1 year high of $223.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $177.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.64, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.75.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.650-3.700 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.800 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PANW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens raised their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $265.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore upped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.51.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised Palo Alto’s FY2026 EPS estimate, signaling higher expected profitability for next fiscal year. FY2026 EPS Estimate for Palo Alto Networks Raised by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-facing coverage highlights PANW as a strong AI/security play, praising its comprehensive product portfolio and positioning against AI-driven threats — supportive narrative for longer-term demand. 1 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy With $160 and Hold for the Long Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes PANW is a trending stock among its users and summarizes factors investors should review before taking a position; this increases attention but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: The Motley Fool asks whether PANW is a buy on the dip: it notes solid fiscal Q2 growth but warns recent acquisitions will pressure near-term EPS — a mixed view that supports longer-term conviction but flags short-term dilution. Is It Time to Buy Palo Alto Networks Stock on the Dip?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector weakness: CNBC reports cybersecurity stocks fell after Anthropic launched an AI tool that can scan code for vulnerabilities, stoking fears AI could automate tasks currently sold by security vendors — a direct headwind to valuation multiples. Cybersecurity stocks drop for a second day as new Anthropic tool fuels AI disruption fears
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and price-target cuts pressured the stock: reports show PANW trading down after at least one downgrade, and HSBC slashed its price target to $114 — a steep cut that likely weighs on sentiment and selling. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading Down 1.5% Following Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms adjusted targets lower: HSBC’s $114 target is highly negative, while New Street trimmed its target to $220 — mixed magnitude but overall adds downward pressure on consensus expectations. HSBC Cuts Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $114.00 New Street Research Cuts Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $220.00

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director James J. Goetz sold 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.33, for a total value of $2,441,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 75,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,685,690.72. This trade represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total value of $147,848.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,502,184.05. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock worth $49,910,995. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by 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.