Persium Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyPersium Advisors LLC lowered its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW – Free Report) by 26.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,586 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 1,304 shares during the quarter. Palo Alto Networks makes up about 0.7% of Persium Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Persium Advisors LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $1,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.1% in the third quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 842 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. American National Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 426 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Weaver Consulting Group boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 5.2% during the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 1,147 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Eleva Capital SAS acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at $1,059,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks
In related news, EVP Dipak Golechha sold 27,500 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.60, for a total value of $10,769,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,110,900. This trade represents a 18.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.70, for a total value of $158,280.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 77,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,859,455.90. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 53,960 shares of company stock valued at $20,719,959 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Palo Alto Networks Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ PANW traded down $14.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $405.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,888,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,289,067. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $331.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 795.25, a P/E/G ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $367.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $290.71. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $432.33.
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 2.67%.The company’s revenue was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. On average, analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks
Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI and cybersecurity momentum: PANW benefited from a broad rally in cybersecurity stocks after Zscaler reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 earnings outlook. Investor interest is also increasing in security tools designed to protect AI agents, following CrowdStrike’s accelerator with Amazon Web Services and NVIDIA. Palo Alto Networks Stock Reaches New Highs: What’s Happening?
- Positive Sentiment: Strong operating results and outlook: The company’s latest quarterly revenue increased 34.5% year over year to $3.41 billion, exceeding estimates, while earnings of $1.02 per share also topped expectations. Management’s fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $4.16–$4.19 reinforces expectations for continued growth.
- Positive Sentiment: Favorable analyst positioning: Sell-side firms broadly maintain a constructive view, with 38 analysts issuing Buy ratings and 12 assigning Hold ratings. The overall consensus is “Moderate Buy,” although the average price target of $391.32 is below recent trading levels. Palo Alto Networks Rated Moderate Buy
- Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance remains a selling point: A $1,000 investment held for ten years substantially outperformed the S&P 500, highlighting PANW’s successful expansion from firewall products into a broader cloud, endpoint and AI-security platform. However, past performance does not eliminate valuation risk. A $1,000 Bet on Palo Alto Networks Beat the S&P 500
- Negative Sentiment: Very elevated valuation: PANW’s market capitalization is approximately $332 billion, while its reported P/E ratio is near 800. The stock’s rally has pushed it above the consensus price target, increasing the risk of consolidation or profit-taking if growth expectations moderate.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul sold 400 shares worth approximately $158,280. The transaction reduced his holdings by only 0.51%, so it is a limited signal, but it may add to short-term selling pressure. Palo Alto Networks Insider Selling
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PANW shares. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Scotiabank downgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “sector outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective (up from $371.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Thirty-eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.32.
View Our Latest Research Report on PANW
Palo Alto Networks Profile
Palo Alto Networks, Inc is a cybersecurity company that provides solutions designed to help organizations protect networks, endpoints, cloud environments, applications and users from cyber threats. Its offerings include next-generation firewalls, cloud-delivered security services, secure access service edge (SASE) solutions, endpoint protection and security operations tools.
The company also provides platforms and services for cloud security, threat intelligence, incident response, vulnerability management and the automation of security operations.
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