Capital Research Global Investors Trims Stock Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Capital Research Global Investors decreased its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,996,535 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 66,453 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 0.29% of Palo Alto Networks worth $367,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PANW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday. Arete Research upgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $275.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. New Street Research reduced their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $306.59.

Key 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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.08, for a total value of $313,588.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 81,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,272,790.88. The trade was a 1.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total value of $16,270,119.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,037,002.95. The trade was a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 72,076 shares of company stock worth $17,930,587 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of PANW opened at $272.05 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $302.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $205.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.47. The firm has a market cap of $221.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 222.99, a PEG ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 0.94.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.