Dakota Wealth Management Buys 6,704 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Dakota Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,287 shares of the network technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,704 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $10,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Insight Advisors LLC PA boosted its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 9,931 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,022,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter worth $205,000. Portland Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC now owns 48,935 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $9,964,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,140 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fortis Capital Management LLC now owns 37,573 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $7,651,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PANW opened at $144.14 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.30 and a 1 year high of $223.61. The company has a market capitalization of $117.62 billion, a PE ratio of 79.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $177.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The network technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.96%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.650-3.700 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PANW shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $223.00 price target (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays set a $200.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Northland Securities raised their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Thirty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.51.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total value of $147,848.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,502,184.05. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.33, for a total value of $2,441,625.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,685,690.72. This trade represents a 14.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 260,542 shares of company stock valued at $49,910,995 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised Palo Alto’s FY2026 EPS estimate, signaling higher expected profitability for next fiscal year. FY2026 EPS Estimate for Palo Alto Networks Raised by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-facing coverage highlights PANW as a strong AI/security play, praising its comprehensive product portfolio and positioning against AI-driven threats — supportive narrative for longer-term demand. 1 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy With $160 and Hold for the Long Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes PANW is a trending stock among its users and summarizes factors investors should review before taking a position; this increases attention but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: The Motley Fool asks whether PANW is a buy on the dip: it notes solid fiscal Q2 growth but warns recent acquisitions will pressure near-term EPS — a mixed view that supports longer-term conviction but flags short-term dilution. Is It Time to Buy Palo Alto Networks Stock on the Dip?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector weakness: CNBC reports cybersecurity stocks fell after Anthropic launched an AI tool that can scan code for vulnerabilities, stoking fears AI could automate tasks currently sold by security vendors — a direct headwind to valuation multiples. Cybersecurity stocks drop for a second day as new Anthropic tool fuels AI disruption fears
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and price-target cuts pressured the stock: reports show PANW trading down after at least one downgrade, and HSBC slashed its price target to $114 — a steep cut that likely weighs on sentiment and selling. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Trading Down 1.5% Following Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms adjusted targets lower: HSBC’s $114 target is highly negative, while New Street trimmed its target to $220 — mixed magnitude but overall adds downward pressure on consensus expectations. HSBC Cuts Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $114.00 New Street Research Cuts Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) Price Target to $220.00

Palo Alto Networks Company Profile

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.