LGT Capital Partners LTD. Increases Stock Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

LGT Capital Partners LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 117.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 267,416 shares of the network technology company’s stock after buying an additional 144,616 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up about 2.6% of LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $54,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $13,290,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,253,589 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.1% in the second 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 last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 7.7% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,295,588 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $1,083,689,000 after acquiring an additional 377,496 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,476,638 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $916,099,000 after acquiring an additional 54,601 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth approximately $675,865,000. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW opened at $144.14 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $177.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.61. The company has a market capitalization of $117.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.75. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $143.30 and a fifty-two week high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. 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. Analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 298,887 shares in the company, valued at $57,096,383.61. The trade was a 28.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total transaction of $147,848.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 46,005 shares in the company, valued at $8,502,184.05. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock worth $49,910,995. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PANW shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.51.

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.