Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Shares Acquired by Semus Wealth Partners LLC

Semus Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 94.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,882 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,882 shares during the period. Semus Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at $1,156,000. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at $24,414,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 50.1% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,147,215 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $1,075,718,000 after buying an additional 1,050,173 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 0.5% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 961,000 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $328,470,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 15.0% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 40,173 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $13,731,000 after buying an additional 5,250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

Shares of PANW stock traded down $7.78 during trading on Friday, reaching $191.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,451,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,377,549. The company has a market capitalization of $126.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 107.62, a P/E/G ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $187.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $182.95. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $132.50 and a 1-year high of $208.39.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 14.64% and a return on equity of 21.93%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.22, for a total transaction of $126,854.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 47,976 shares in the company, valued at $8,694,210.72. The trade was a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 490,723 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.45, for a total transaction of $89,532,411.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,086,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at $198,214,409.80. This trade represents a 31.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,458,864 shares of company stock worth $269,397,331. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on PANW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $190.00 price target (down previously from $207.00) on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $223.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $217.50 to $230.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.70.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.