Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Trims Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 215,477 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 4,721 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $39,793,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $12,512,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,659,100 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,736,916 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $6,055,031,000 after purchasing an additional 505,924 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,528,248 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,532,902,000 after purchasing an additional 36,511 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 11.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,906,963 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $1,202,776,000 after purchasing an additional 611,375 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,356,617 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $802,691,000 after purchasing an additional 319,751 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225 to $275 and kept a buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the company’s outlook. Rosenblatt Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its price target from $200 to $265 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to the bullish view from analysts on PANW’s earnings and growth prospects. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target Raised to $265.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted Palo Alto Networks as “having the last laugh,” reinforcing investor optimism around the stock’s resilience and market leadership. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto (PANW) Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: One market recap noted PANW advanced while the broader market declined, but the report was mainly descriptive and did not add new fundamental information. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over Palo Alto Networks on growth momentum and ARR trends, but this was more of an industry comparison than a direct negative catalyst. CRWD vs. PANW: Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right Now?

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.9%

PANW stock opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $202.00 billion, a PE ratio of 136.77, a P/E/G ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.57 and a 12-month high of $248.85. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $176.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.18.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. Research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $802,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 150,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,103,105. The trade was a 3.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the business’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 acquisition, 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock worth $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on PANW shares. UBS Group set a $183.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.59.

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.