MQS Management LLC Invests $362,000 in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,256 shares of the network technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter worth $1,415,364,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,659,100 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 19,375,486 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $3,568,964,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065,776 shares during the period. Employees Provident Fund Board acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth $281,542,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $164,968,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $352.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $286.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 288.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $251.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $199.26. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $358.10.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.770-3.790 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Stephens boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $316.15.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total transaction of $16,270,119.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,037,002.95. This trade represents a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 102,111 shares of company stock worth $27,204,024. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks to $420 from $325 and kept an overweight rating, signaling further upside potential. Wells Fargo target raise
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lifted its target to $380 from $330 and reiterated an outperform rating, adding to the bullish analyst tone around PANW. BNP Paribas Exane target raise
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research also raised its target to $380 from $333 and maintained a buy rating, reinforcing expectations for continued share-price strength. BTIG target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted PANW’s strong fiscal Q3 results, with revenue and ARR beats and growing demand tied to AI-driven cybersecurity and observability, which has helped keep sentiment constructive. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders sold small blocks of stock, including CAO Josh D. Paul and Director Aparna Bawa. While routine, insider selling can modestly temper enthusiasm for the stock. SEC filing

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.