Boston Common Asset Management LLC Sells 4,779 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Boston Common Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,708 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 4,779 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $7,130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PANW. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 29.4% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $6,547,000 after buying an additional 7,301 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter worth about $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $136,859,000 after acquiring an additional 384,985 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $277,828,000 after acquiring an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Palo Alto Networks by 240.1% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 11,732 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 8,282 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total value of $147,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 46,005 shares in the company, valued at $8,502,184.05. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 144,252 shares of company stock worth $26,947,635 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. HSBC cut their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho set a $200.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays set a $200.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.19.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

PANW stock opened at $154.35 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $163.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.98. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.57 and a fifty-two week high of $223.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.28, a P/E/G ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.78.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. 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 analyst estimates 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 was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share 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: CEO insider buy — Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares (~$10.0M) at an average price near $146.87, raising his direct stake to ~343,394 shares (a ~24.7% increase). Markets often treat sizable insider purchases as a bullish signal about valuation and near‑term outlook. CNBC: Palo Alto shares pop as CEO Nikesh Arora buys stock for first time in years
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum — Palo Alto’s Prisma AIRS is being highlighted for rapid customer growth, rising bookings and expanding AI security capabilities, supporting medium‑term revenue growth expectations if adoption continues. Zacks: Is Prisma AIRS Emerging as a Key Growth Driver for Palo Alto Networks?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance — Several firms maintain Buy/Overweight ratings and price targets well above the current level (consensus target roughly ~$210), providing potential upside but reflecting varied views on valuation vs. growth. Barron’s: Tech Stocks Look Cheap but Some Are a ‘Value Trap’
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/positioning context — Trading volume is above average today, but the share price remains below the 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages; that can limit follow‑through unless sentiment or fundamentals change. InsiderTrades: PANW CEO Buys 68,085 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds from AI fears — Cybersecurity names have been under pressure as investors debate whether AI tools reduce the need for traditional security or instead expand the attack surface; that controversy has depressed multiples and could mute a sustained rally unless clarity emerges. 247WallSt: Palo Alto Networks CEO Drops $10M on His Own Stock After Saying AI “Expands the Attack Surface Area”

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.