Boston Common Asset Management LLC Has $7.13 Million Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 38,708 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 4,779 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $7,130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PANW. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 108.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,467,692 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $502,263,000 after buying an additional 1,282,738 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 2.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,269,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $13,290,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,589 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 97.9% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,104,939 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $430,755,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,145 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $162,161,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at approximately $151,682,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.03, for a total value of $23,070,311.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 298,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,096,383.61. This represents a 28.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 144,252 shares of company stock worth $26,947,635 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PANW. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $220.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.19.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO insider buy — Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares (~$10.0M) at an average price near $146.87, raising his direct stake to ~343,394 shares (a ~24.7% increase). Markets often treat sizable insider purchases as a bullish signal about valuation and near‑term outlook. CNBC: Palo Alto shares pop as CEO Nikesh Arora buys stock for first time in years
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum — Palo Alto’s Prisma AIRS is being highlighted for rapid customer growth, rising bookings and expanding AI security capabilities, supporting medium‑term revenue growth expectations if adoption continues. Zacks: Is Prisma AIRS Emerging as a Key Growth Driver for Palo Alto Networks?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance — Several firms maintain Buy/Overweight ratings and price targets well above the current level (consensus target roughly ~$210), providing potential upside but reflecting varied views on valuation vs. growth. Barron’s: Tech Stocks Look Cheap but Some Are a ‘Value Trap’
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/positioning context — Trading volume is above average today, but the share price remains below the 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages; that can limit follow‑through unless sentiment or fundamentals change. InsiderTrades: PANW CEO Buys 68,085 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds from AI fears — Cybersecurity names have been under pressure as investors debate whether AI tools reduce the need for traditional security or instead expand the attack surface; that controversy has depressed multiples and could mute a sustained rally unless clarity emerges. 247WallSt: Palo Alto Networks CEO Drops $10M on His Own Stock After Saying AI “Expands the Attack Surface Area”

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ PANW opened at $154.35 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $125.95 billion, a PE ratio of 85.28, a P/E/G ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $163.74 and a 200-day moving average of $186.98. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.