Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) Receives $205.06 Average PT from Analysts

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the forty-two brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $205.06.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PANW shares. HSBC downgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $152.00 to $145.50 in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Palo Alto Networks from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $223.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

PANW stock opened at $182.34 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks has a one year low of $132.50 and a one year high of $208.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.73 billion, a PE ratio of 102.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $185.63 and a 200-day moving average of $184.86.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The network technology company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.06. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 14.64% and a return on equity of 21.93%. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In other news, EVP Lee Klarich sold 120,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.70, for a total value of $21,564,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 365,856 shares in the company, valued at $65,744,323.20. This represents a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.22, for a total value 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. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,122,864 shares of company stock valued at $204,315,811. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hara Capital LLC increased its holdings in Palo Alto Networks by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 630 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,456,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 11,930 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $2,171,000 after purchasing an additional 4,923 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,102,000. Finally, Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 4,500 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $819,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

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.