Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stock: Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Boosts Position

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 13.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,183 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,927 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $19,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PANW. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 2.4% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 17,897 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $7,111,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp bought a new position in Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $302,000. Granville Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Granville Capital Inc. now owns 1,854 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 45.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 790 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,289 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 2.5%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $334.47 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.85 billion, a PE ratio of 655.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $367.81 and a 200-day moving average of $275.82. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.57 and a 52 week high of $432.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director John P. Key sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.03, for a total value of $940,075.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,760,300. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Josh Paul sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total value of $336,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 72,484 shares in the company, valued at $27,085,821.12. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock worth $20,823,029 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PANW. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $335.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Friday, August 28th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective (up from $370.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Mizuho set a $415.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Phillip Securities lowered shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $320.00 to $346.00 in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Thirty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.55.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that provides products and services to help organizations protect their networks, cloud environments, devices and applications. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud security tools, secure access services and platforms for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The company’s product portfolio includes Prisma for cloud and network security and Cortex for security operations, including threat detection and response. It also provides cybersecurity consulting and incident-response services through Unit 42.