Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Invests $164.97 Million in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 893,549 shares of the network technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $164,968,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW stock opened at $281.69 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $283.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.96. The company has a market capitalization of $229.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 155.63, a PEG ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 0.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PANW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Arete Research raised shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $250.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $802,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 150,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,103,105. The trade was a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms lifted their price targets on Palo Alto Networks, including Morgan Stanley, Evercore, Wedbush, Benchmark, Wells Fargo, BTIG, and Mizuho, reinforcing expectations for continued growth and keeping sentiment constructive. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ strong platform momentum and growing ARR, suggesting investors see room for further upside if upcoming earnings confirm the trend. ARR growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media are also debating whether the company’s AI security leadership is a durable competitive advantage or mostly a narrative, which adds uncertainty but does not appear to be the main driver today. AI security narrative article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares, a move some investors may interpret cautiously, although he still retains a meaningful stake in the company. Insider sale article
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious on near-term fundamentals, pointing to rising acquisition costs, share dilution, and a mixed outlook heading into Q3 earnings. Q3 earnings outlook article

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.