Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Stock Unloaded Rep. Julie Johnson

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW). In a filing disclosed on May 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Palo Alto Networks stock on April 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH LONG TERM GROWTH” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 4/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Blackstone (NYSE:BX) on 4/22/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 4/22/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 4/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 4/11/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM) on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of DT Midstream (NYSE:DTM) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL) on 4/7/2025.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PANW opened at $192.98 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $177.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.13. The company has a market cap of $127.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.72, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.02. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.01 and a fifty-two week high of $208.39.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The network technology company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 21.93% and a net margin of 14.64%. Research analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter worth approximately $53,218,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 306.1% during the first quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 398 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the first quarter worth approximately $282,000. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 64.5% during the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 707.1% during the first quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 84,806 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $14,471,000 after purchasing an additional 74,298 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.27, for a total transaction of $22,858,894.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 293,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,458,002.70. This trade represents a 29.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Nir Zuk sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.41, for a total value of $16,541,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,543,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $586,132,981.56. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 568,962 shares of company stock valued at $96,933,690 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PANW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp cut their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Thursday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $217.50 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Westpark Capital restated a “hold” rating and set a $196.40 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.46.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention.