Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

by · The Cerbat Gem

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,248,434 shares of the network technology company’s stock after buying an additional 171,808 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $360,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 410,401 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $65,796,000 after buying an additional 53,485 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 568,804 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $104,774,000 after acquiring an additional 29,230 shares in the last quarter. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 43.6% during the first quarter. Granite Islands Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,342 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,453,000 after acquiring an additional 4,659 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 48,458 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $8,926,000 after acquiring an additional 3,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $1,554,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Down 4.9%

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $320.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $261.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 262.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a one year low of $139.57 and a one year high of $368.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.73.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The network technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 7.95%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Palo Alto Networks’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Helle Thorning-Schmidt sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.85, for a total transaction of $242,795.00. Following the sale, the director owned 5,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,045,721.30. The trade was a 10.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 101,239 shares of company stock worth $27,174,360. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $350 to $425 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside for the cybersecurity leader.
  • Positive Sentiment: BTIG also lifted its price target on PANW from $333 to $380 while keeping a buy rating, adding to the bullish analyst momentum.
  • Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong business momentum, including roughly 60% growth in next-gen security revenue and a sharp share-price rally over the past six months, which supports the bullish long-term thesis. Palo Alto (PANW) Up More than 96% Over The Past 6 Months, Is it The Best Performing Agentic AI Stock?
  • Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on the stock’s strong run and its role in the agentic AI and cybersecurity themes, reinforcing investor interest but offering no new fundamental catalyst. Shares Soar on Palo Alto’s 60% Next Gen Security Growth
  • Neutral Sentiment: One report noted PANW remains near its all-time high and that analysts still expect more gains, but it also flagged that the stock may be vulnerable if expectations become too stretched. Here’s the key risk facing the Palo Alto Networks stock today
  • Negative Sentiment: Director Helle Thorning-Schmidt sold 700 shares at $346.85, reducing her position by 10.61%, which can be read as a small negative signal for sentiment.
  • Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warned that PANW’s valuation re-rating may have gone too far and that extreme exuberance is a risk, which may be pressuring the stock despite strong fundamentals.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PANW. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $325.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective (up from $255.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $160.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.65.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PANW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report).