Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. Purchases New Holdings in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,931 shares of the network technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $540,000. Palo Alto Networks comprises 0.8% of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,412,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised 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 period. US Bancorp DE raised 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 period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC raised 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 period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,554,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Palo Alto Networks

In other Palo Alto Networks news, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at $50,434,276.78. The trade was a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lee Klarich sold 62,904 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were 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 owned 235,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,037,002.95. This represents a 21.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 93,660 shares of company stock worth $21,346,475 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on Palo Alto Networks and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Guggenheim cut Palo Alto Networks from a “neutral” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush increased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $185.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Two 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.28.

Key Palo Alto Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms raised their price targets on PANW this week, including Benchmark to $270, Wedbush to $300, and Wells Fargo reaffirming a Buy with a $285 target, reinforcing optimism around the company’s long-term growth story. Benchmark price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat on Palo Alto Networks’ platform expansion and cybersecurity demand, with coverage framing the company as a potential beneficiary of AI-driven security needs. AI security supercycle article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports ahead of Q3 earnings highlight strong platform growth, but investors are waiting for confirmation in the company’s results and guidance before making a bigger move. Q3 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Market chatter around the upcoming earnings release and key operating metrics is keeping PANW in focus, but this is more of a wait-and-see catalyst than a fresh driver. Wall Street estimates preview
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors are cautious because acquisition costs are rising and share dilution could pressure near-term earnings quality. Acquisition costs and dilution concern
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment across cybersecurity stocks has also been pressured by weak peer guidance, and an insider sale by EVP Lee Klarich added a modest overhang. Insider sale

Palo Alto Networks Price Performance

PANW opened at $257.77 on Friday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.57 and a 12 month high of $261.41. The stock has a market cap of $210.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 142.41, a P/E/G ratio of 8.96 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $190.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.27.

About Palo Alto Networks

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.