Brookstone Capital Management Purchases 3,771 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Brookstone Capital Management lifted its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 85,546 shares of the network technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,771 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $15,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 29.4% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 32,155 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $6,547,000 after purchasing an additional 7,301 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter worth $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $136,859,000 after acquiring an additional 384,985 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 240.1% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 11,732 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 8,282 shares in the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PANW shares. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $209.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $210.19.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 5.0%

PANW opened at $154.35 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $163.74 and a 200 day moving average of $186.98. The stock has a market cap of $125.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.28, a PEG ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.78. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $223.61.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, with a total value of $9,999,643.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 800 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.81, for a total transaction of $147,848.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 46,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,502,184.05. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 144,252 shares of company stock valued at $26,947,635 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Palo Alto Networks News Summary

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”

About Palo Alto Networks

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.