Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Shares Acquired by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,615 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up about 0.6% of Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $3,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,628 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 18,500.0% in the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 186 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter worth $243,000. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.33, for a total value of $17,059,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,327,194.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,050 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total value of $294,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,629,160. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 60,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.33, for a total transaction of $17,059,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 198,105 shares in the company, valued at $56,327,194.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 167,917 shares of company stock valued at $49,395,553. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 4.2 %

Palo Alto Networks stock traded up $11.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $293.55. The company had a trading volume of 2,962,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,516,522. The stock has a market cap of $94.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.47, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.19. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $176.30 and a 1 year high of $380.84. The business has a fifty day moving average of $293.65 and a 200 day moving average of $291.51.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The network technology company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 30.24% and a return on equity of 36.58%. Equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PANW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Thursday, January 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $378.00 to $327.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Westpark Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $363.00 to $337.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $314.82.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.