Welch & Forbes LLC Has $43.18 Million Stock Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC increased its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 58.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 234,423 shares valued at about $43.18 million.
• Several major Wall Street firms raised their price targets on PANW, including Morgan Stanley and RBC, supporting a constructive outlook; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target of $235.09.
• There were some cautionary signals as well, including EVP Lee Klarich selling 62,904 shares and analysts pointing to concerns such as acquisition costs, dilution, and a mixed near-term earnings outlook.

Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its position in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 58.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 234,423 shares of the network technology company's stock after buying an additional 86,897 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Palo Alto Networks were worth $43,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in Palo Alto Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 672,129 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $136,859,000 after purchasing an additional 384,985 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,364,442 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $277,828,000 after purchasing an additional 8,344 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 54,401 shares of the network technology company's stock worth $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 15,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,554,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company's stock.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $223.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus raised Palo Alto Networks to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $220.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 9.3%

Shares of NASDAQ PANW opened at $281.69 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $283.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $192.58 and a 200-day moving average of $183.96. The company has a market capitalization of $229.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 155.63, a P/E/G ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.77.

Palo Alto Networks Company 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.

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