Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Stock: William Blair Investment Management LLC Reduces Holdings

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,853 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 7,612 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $41,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Verus Financial Partners Inc. increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 4.3% during the third quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. now owns 632 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,117 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. MBA Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. MBA Advisors LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 472 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Riversedge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,285 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. 79.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PANW. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $320.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $420.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Yorkville Ives began coverage on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $415.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Forty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.12.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ PANW traded down $0.42 on Friday, reaching $322.24. The company had a trading volume of 5,278,636 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,260,294. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.57 and a 1 year high of $432.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $367.50 and a 200-day moving average of $277.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $263.84 billion, a PE ratio of 631.86, a P/E/G ratio of 9.25 and a beta of 0.96.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS 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 net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, Director John Key sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.03, for a total transaction of $940,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,300. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.70, for a total transaction of $158,280.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 77,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,859,455.90. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 54,210 shares of company stock worth $20,823,029 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Recent Palo Alto Networks Headlines

Investors following PANW have been watching these headlines:

• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target from $450 to $400 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving the analyst positive while signaling a more cautious valuation view. Jefferies analyst recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: PANW was also noted as a holding in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust. This is a visibility signal, but the article provides no new company-specific operating or financial catalyst. A Jim Cramer’s Trust Stock Is Using AI to Breaks the Defenses It Helps Protect
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks comparison favored Cloudflare over Palo Alto, citing Cloudflare’s stronger revenue-growth outlook and rising AI-security demand. This could weigh on PANW relative to peers, though it is one analyst’s comparison rather than a change to PANW’s outlook. PANW vs. NET: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?

Palo Alto Networks 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.