Colonial Trust Advisors Buys 52,865 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)

Colonial Trust Advisors increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 96.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 107,537 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 52,865 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks accounts for approximately 1.7% of Colonial Trust Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Colonial Trust Advisors' holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $19,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 140 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 246.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 142 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 97.3% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 265.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kiely Wealth Advisory Group Inc. boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Kiely Wealth Advisory Group Inc. now owns 150 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.22, for a total value of $126,854.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 47,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,694,210.72. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 490,723 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.45, for a total value of $89,532,411.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,086,404 shares in the company, valued at $198,214,409.80. The trade was a 31.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 939,318 shares of company stock valued at $165,384,602 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Shares of PANW stock traded up $1.46 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $169.80. 1,708,261 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,888,514. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.42 billion, a PE ratio of 95.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.07. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.18 and a 12 month high of $208.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.90.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The network technology company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a return on equity of 21.93% and a net margin of 14.64%. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PANW shares. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 target price on Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $190.00 price target (down from $207.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered Palo Alto Networks from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on Palo Alto Networks in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $205.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $204.52.

Palo Alto Networks 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.