CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) ended the recent trading session at $358.72, demonstrating a -0.34% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.16%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.25%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.06%.Shares of the cloud-based security company witnessed a gain of 3.79% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Computer and Technology sector with its loss of 0.17% and the S&P 500 ...

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL ) is scheduled to release its Q4 earnings on Friday, 10 January. In this article, I explore the key factors that investors need to watch out for in the company’s Q4 report.Associate Professor in Finance and Corporate Governance at Brunel University London. I am also a CFA charterholder. In addition, I hold a PhD in Finance from University of Durham, U.K. I have six years of investing experience in the Indian and US equities with a medium to long-term horizon. I also actively resea ...

Company Performance and Recovery - CrowdStrike's CEO stated that the company turned last year's crisis into an opportunity, recovering the $30 billion in market value lost after a botched update caused a worldwide outage of Windows computers and servers [1] - The company's shares, which dropped by more than a third in the two weeks following the outage, are now worth more than before the incident [2] - CrowdStrike achieved a 97% customer retention rate in the quarter when the outage occurred, despite the widespread disruption [4] Customer and Competitor Dynamics - CEO George Kurtz emphasized that the incident did not diminish customer trust, with customers staying loyal and viewing the crisis as a strengthening event [2][3] - The company faced a lawsuit from Delta Air Lines, which suffered $500 million in losses due to the outage, but CrowdStrike defended its position, stating that Delta's claims were based on misinformation and a lack of understanding of modern cybersecurity [5][6] Industry Context and Cybersecurity Trends - The CrowdStrike outage occurred during a year when cybersecurity took center stage, with significant breaches such as the Change Healthcare ransomware attack and the Snowflake data breach impacting major companies [7] - Moving into 2025, organizations are advised to prioritize cybersecurity by implementing zero-trust architectures, conducting regular penetration testing, and deploying advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems to reduce vulnerabilities [8] Reputation and Market Position - CrowdStrike is recognized as a first line of defense against cyberthreats for many high-profile companies, which amplified the scale of the outage on July 19 [3] - The company's ability to recover and maintain customer trust has positioned it as a resilient player in the cybersecurity industry [2][4]

AI and Cybersecurity Industry Overview - Artificial intelligence (AI) breakthroughs are a major stock market investing theme, with significant potential to transform various industries [1] - AI is critically important in cybersecurity, with market leaders like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike using machine learning and AI-powered tools to combat sophisticated cyber threats [2] - Both companies are well-positioned to capture long-term growth opportunities in the expanding cybersecurity market [2] Palo Alto Networks Analysis - Palo Alto Networks has built its reputation on next-generation firewall technology, combining specialized hardware and software for network defense [4] - The company has evolved into a comprehensive security platform, integrating AI and machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities across cloud-based products [5] - Palo Alto's Precision AI framework aims to revolutionize cybersecurity through autonomous threat detection and response [5] - The company is the largest pure-play cybersecurity company by revenue, with a 356% stock return over the last five years [6] - Fiscal Q1 2024 results showed a 14% YoY revenue increase, 13% growth in adjusted EPS, and a 40% increase in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) for next-generation services (NGS) [7] - Shares trade at a forward P/E ratio of 57 for 2025, compared to CrowdStrike's 92, making it a relative bargain [8] CrowdStrike Analysis - CrowdStrike dominates in endpoint protection, securing devices in an increasingly diverse IoT ecosystem [9] - The company has expanded its offerings, incorporating identity protection, threat intelligence, and exposure management into its Falcon platform [10] - AI/ML capabilities are deeply integrated into CrowdStrike's architecture, enabling advanced threat detection, workflow automation, and predictive analytics [10] - Shares have climbed 34% over the past year, driven by stronger overall growth compared to Palo Alto [10] - Q3 2024 results showed a 29% YoY revenue increase and 13% growth in adjusted EPS, with customer adoption of additional Falcon modules being a key growth driver [11] - Management raised full-year guidance, targeting 2025 adjusted EPS between $3.74 and $3.76, a 22% increase at the midpoint over 2024 [12] Comparative Analysis - CrowdStrike's projected 2025 adjusted EPS growth of 22% surpasses Palo Alto's guidance of approximately 13% [12] - CrowdStrike's stronger earnings momentum and market share capture in emerging cybersecurity categories make it a compelling choice for investors [12][13] - Both companies show strong potential for price appreciation, but CrowdStrike is seen as having an edge due to its earnings momentum and market rewards [13][14]

Market Performance and Strategy - The S&P 500 experienced a strong year in 2024 but dipped by 9% at one point, which is common as market corrections occur approximately every other year [1] - Investors should prepare a shortlist of stocks to buy during market drops, as recoveries can be swift [1] - Two stocks highlighted for potential investment during a market drop in 2025 are CrowdStrike (CRWD) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) [2] CrowdStrike (CRWD) - CrowdStrike is a dominant cybersecurity software provider, initially offering endpoint protection but expanding to a broader range of cybersecurity products [3] - In Q3 FY2025, 66% of CrowdStrike's clients used at least five products, and 20% used at least eight, indicating significant upselling potential [3] - The company aims to achieve $10 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by FY2031, with current ARR at $4.02 billion, up 27% year-over-year [4] - To reach the $10 billion ARR goal, CrowdStrike needs a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16%, which is feasible through new client acquisition and product expansion [4] - CrowdStrike's stock is considered expensive, trading at 23.6 times sales, but remains a promising long-term investment [5][6] Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) - TSMC is the world's leading contract chip manufacturer, producing chips for major tech companies like Nvidia and Apple [8] - TSMC's position is advantageous as it manufactures chips for competitors, making it a key player in the tech industry [8] - AI-related revenue is a significant growth driver for TSMC, with management expecting it to triple in 2024 [9] - TSMC's stock price nearly doubled in 2024, but it remains fairly priced at about 23 times 2025 earnings [9] - TSMC is considered a vital company in the technology sector, and any market dip would present an opportunity to increase investment [10]

Shares of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. CRWD are trading down sharply on Friday. The move lower was triggered by news of insider selling.The stock teaches an important technical analysis lesson. This is why it is our Stock of the Day.One of the most interesting and misunderstood dynamics of technical analysis is its fractal nature. This means the same patterns can be seen on charts of different timeframes.In the stock market, there tends to be support at price levels that had been support previously. This is b ...

CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future.Shares of this cloud-based security company have returned +5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.4% change. The Zacks Internet - Software industry, to which CrowdStrike belongs, has gained 1.9% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be head ...

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) . Shares have added about 5.2% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is CrowdStrike due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. CrowdStrike Q3 Earnings and Revenues Beat Es ...

I feel quite good about CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD ), not only because the stock gained 25% since my previous recommendation , but also due to consistently improving fundamentals. The company has everything necessary to build sustainable value forComing from an IT background, I have dived into the U.S. stock market seven years ago by managing portfolio of my family. Starting managing real money has been challenging for the first time, but long hours of mastering fundamental analysis of public companies paid ...

Cybersecurity is one of the most lucrative corners of the market to invest in. If the economy goes through a downturn, these companies would still be set up for success, as cybersecurity is one area of software where businesses can't afford to skimp out on spending.While there are multiple ways to invest in cybersecurity, only one is my favorite: CrowdStrike (CRWD 3.21%). It's been a top performer in this industry and is seen as a leader in many ways. But is it worth buying right now?CrowdStrike has multipl ...