Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Bought by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 347,132 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,300 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $64,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 117,416 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $21,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 86,444 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $15,923,000 after acquiring an additional 20,980 shares during the period. Krane Funds Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 148.8% in the 4th quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 12,039 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 7,200 shares during the period. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on PANW shares. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $270.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $114.00 to $207.00 in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $306.59.

More Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive, with multiple firms raising price targets after earnings, including targets of $207 to $360 and several firms reiterating positive forecasts for PANW. HSBC adjusts price target on Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: FBN Securities upgraded Palo Alto Networks from “outperform” to “strong-buy,” adding to the bullish analyst backdrop. FBN Securities upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note that PANW’s strong AI security narrative and recent earnings beat have kept the long-term story intact, even as the stock has cooled after its sharp rally. Barron’s on Palo Alto Networks rally
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity peers, especially CrowdStrike, sold off after earnings, and that weakness spilled over to PANW as investors demanded clearer proof of AI monetization and more room for upside after the rally. CrowdStrike sinks, weighing on Palo Alto Networks
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues PANW’s stock has run too far too fast, suggesting valuation concerns and profit-taking are pressuring shares despite solid fundamentals. Seeking Alpha on Palo Alto Networks valuation

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $272.05 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.47. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $302.95. 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 stock has a market cap of $221.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 222.99, a PEG ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 0.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its 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. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 72,076 shares of company stock worth $17,930,587 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.