WASHINGTON TRUST Co Has $35.68 Million Stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

WASHINGTON TRUST Co decreased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 193,692 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 2,870 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks accounts for 1.2% of WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $35,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 39.7% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 176 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 5.0% in the third quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Princeton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 3.4% in the third quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 4,823 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 1.2% in the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 4,310 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $878,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $281.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 155.63, a PEG ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 0.77. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $283.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $192.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.96.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms lifted their price targets on Palo Alto Networks, including Morgan Stanley, Evercore, Wedbush, Benchmark, Wells Fargo, BTIG, and Mizuho, reinforcing expectations for continued growth and keeping sentiment constructive. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ strong platform momentum and growing ARR, suggesting investors see room for further upside if upcoming earnings confirm the trend. ARR growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media are also debating whether the company’s AI security leadership is a durable competitive advantage or mostly a narrative, which adds uncertainty but does not appear to be the main driver today. AI security narrative article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares, a move some investors may interpret cautiously, although he still retains a meaningful stake in the company. Insider sale article
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious on near-term fundamentals, pointing to rising acquisition costs, share dilution, and a mixed outlook heading into Q3 earnings. Q3 earnings outlook article

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Nikesh Arora acquired 68,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director James J. Goetz sold 22,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.41, for a total value of $3,729,476.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 52,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,525. This trade represents a 30.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PANW. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Guggenheim downgraded Palo Alto Networks from a “neutral” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $212.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $300.00 price objective on Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.09.

Palo Alto Networks 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.