World Investment Advisors Has $4.97 Million Stock Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,959 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,082 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $4,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers National Bank acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $229,000. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $851,000. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $345,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $433,000. Finally, PeakShares LLC bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks in the 4th quarter valued at about $939,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of PANW opened at $279.25 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $302.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $202.65 and its 200-day moving average is $185.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $227.87 billion, a PE ratio of 228.89, a P/E/G ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $340.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $268.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Arete Research raised shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $180.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $306.29.

Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dozens of brokerages lifted their price targets on PANW following the company’s strong fiscal Q3 results and raised outlook, including upgrades/target hikes from Citi, Wedbush, DA Davidson, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, RBC, Rosenblatt, Berenberg, Truist, Needham and others, signaling Wall Street sees more upside after the earnings beat. Analyst price target raises
• Positive Sentiment: FBN Securities upgraded Palo Alto Networks to strong-buy, and multiple firms described the company’s AI-security demand and next-generation security growth as strong, which can support investor confidence in future revenue growth. FBN upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported fiscal Q3 earnings of $0.85 per share versus $0.79 expected, with revenue of $3.0 billion topping estimates and up 31.1% year over year, then raised FY2026 guidance, reinforcing the growth story. Earnings beat article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary says the stock may have run too far after its earnings-driven rally, suggesting investors are taking profits even though the fundamental update was strong. Seeking Alpha commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market pieces noted PANW was slipping after earnings despite the beat, indicating the stock’s move may be driven more by valuation and post-rally consolidation than by any deterioration in the business. Invezz article
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the upbeat earnings and analyst upgrades, the stock has been under pressure as investors appear to question whether acquisition-driven growth and a rich valuation justify the recent surge. Barron’s article

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.40, for a total transaction of $177,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 83,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,418,150.40. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 72,076 shares of company stock valued at $17,930,587. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.