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

WASHINGTON TRUST Co reduced its stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 approximately 1.2% of WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $35,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PANW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $1,415,364,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,929,063 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $12,512,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,659,100 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 108.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,467,692 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $502,263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,738 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the fourth quarter valued at $164,968,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the third quarter valued at $162,161,000. 79.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Up 9.3%

PANW opened at $281.69 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $283.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $183.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 155.63, a P/E/G ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 0.77.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on PANW shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $235.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. HSBC decreased their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $157.00 to $114.00 in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $216.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Palo Alto Networks

In related news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total transaction of $272,459.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,466,400. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.65, for a total transaction of $16,270,119.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 235,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,037,002.95. This represents a 21.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 93,660 shares of company stock valued at $21,346,475 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Palo Alto Networks

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

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.