Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Has $77.96 Million Position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) by 6.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,607 shares of the network technology company’s stock after selling 14,876 shares during the period. Palo Alto Networks comprises approximately 5.8% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $77,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 196.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,256 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 12,771 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC purchased a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks in the second quarter worth $438,000. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 8.1% in the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,833 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $3,205,000 after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at $320,000. Finally, Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 9.0% during the second quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 79.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Palo Alto Networks news, Director James J. Goetz sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $5,598,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Josh D. Paul sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.68, for a total value of $336,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 72,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,085,821.12. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,635 shares of company stock worth $11,150,578. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PANW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $320.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. FBN Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $415.00 target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Forty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.67.

Palo Alto Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical and earnings support: A bullish hammer chart pattern suggests potential near-term support after the recent pullback. Rising earnings estimates and the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter beat—$1.02 in adjusted EPS versus $0.98 expected, with revenue up 34.5% to $3.41 billion—also support the possibility of a rebound. Palo Alto Could Find a Support Soon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: DA Davidson raised its price target to $420, while Susquehanna and BTIG lifted targets to $415 and $404, respectively. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating, adding to a generally bullish Wall Street view. DA Davidson Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term AI opportunity: Analysts and commentary continue to highlight Palo Alto Networks’ expanding cybersecurity platform and products designed to protect enterprises from AI-related threats. The company’s strong growth profile has helped sustain investor interest despite recent volatility. Palo Alto Networks AI Cybersecurity Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector pressure is limiting momentum: Zscaler’s softer fiscal 2027 growth outlook overshadowed its earnings beat and weighed on cybersecurity peers. Palo Alto Networks has been more resilient than some competitors, but sector-wide concerns remain. Zscaler Growth Guidance Pressures Cybersecurity Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: AI acquisition: Palo Alto Networks reportedly paid about $500 million in cash and stock for Console, an AI help-desk automation startup. The deal could broaden its AI capabilities, although integration and valuation risks may limit its immediate stock impact. Palo Alto Networks Console Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and insider sale: PANW’s very high valuation leaves little room for disappointment, while Chief Accounting Officer Josh Paul’s sale of 900 shares worth approximately $336,000 adds a minor cautionary signal. However, the sale reduced his holdings by only 1.23%, limiting its significance.

Palo Alto Networks Stock Performance

Palo Alto Networks stock opened at $333.26 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $350.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $255.44. The company has a market cap of $271.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 653.46, a P/E/G ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.91. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.57 and a 52-week high of $398.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 1st. The network technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. Palo Alto Networks has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.160-4.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.960-0.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

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.