Group 1: Core Insights - Wedbush Securities has added CrowdStrike, Roblox, GE Vernova, and Nebius to its IVES AI 30 list, which highlights companies expected to shape the AI industry in the coming years [1][2] - The IVES AI 30 list was initially launched in May, featuring major companies like Apple and Nvidia, along with Chinese firms such as Alibaba and Baidu [1] - The firm also launched the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF focused on artificial intelligence [1] Group 2: Newly Added Companies - **CrowdStrike (CRWD.US)**: The company is demonstrating strategic advantages in capitalizing on the AI revolution through modular expansion in its core cybersecurity business, particularly with its data protection module and Charlotte AI product [1] - **Roblox (RBLX.US)**: The platform has created an attractive incentive system for developers, and its AI-driven discovery mechanism is expected to drive user growth and enhance monetization capabilities in the coming quarters [2] - **GE Vernova (GEV.US)**: The company is strategically positioned in the grid management solutions sector, benefiting from the surge in electrification demand driven by large-scale data center construction [2] - **Nebius (NBIS.US)**: The demand for the company's AI infrastructure services remains strong, with plans to expand data center capacity in the coming years, as service demand exceeds current supply capabilities [2] Group 3: Removed Companies - **C3.ai (AI.US)**: The company is facing significant financial impacts due to a sales team restructuring and the resignation of CEO Thomas Siebel, leading to a belief that its development is encountering a slowdown, although long-term prospects remain optimistic [2] - **CyberArk (CYBR.US)**: The company was removed from the list following the announcement of a $25 billion acquisition by Palo Alto Networks, which is already part of the IVES AI 30, thereby strengthening its market position [2] - **Adobe (ADBE.US)**: The company is experiencing disruptive impacts from AI technology on its product lines, which may affect growth trajectories and free cash flow generation, with a slower-than-expected AI transformation [3] - **Elastic (ESTC.US)**: Despite increased government spending on software and AI, the company's public sector business shows signs of slowing down, leading to the identification of more promising alternatives for the IVES AI 30 list [3]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ: CRWD) is experiencing a mixed market response ahead of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report, with analysts divided on the company's near-term performance outlook [1][2][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance - As of midday Monday, CRWD stock is trading at $424.90, showing a year-to-date gain of 24% but has seen a pullback from August highs due to concerns raised by peer Fortinet's earnings [1]. - The stock price forecast from Evercore ISI has been lowered to $425 from $440, indicating a cautious stance ahead of earnings [3]. Group 2: Earnings Expectations - Analysts anticipate that CrowdStrike will report earnings of $0.83 per share on revenue of $1.15 billion for the fiscal second quarter, reflecting a 19% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year [2]. Group 3: Analyst Ratings and Outlook - Evercore ISI has placed CRWD on its tactical Underperform list, citing subdued channel checks and mixed feedback regarding the Falcon Complete Platform renewal cycle [3][4]. - In contrast, Cantor Fitzgerald maintains an Overweight rating, projecting an 8% year-over-year growth in new annual recurring revenue for fiscal 2026 [5]. - Citizens JMP has reaffirmed a Market Outperform rating, highlighting CrowdStrike's strong position in endpoint protection [5]. Group 4: Credit Ratings - Moody's Ratings has kept its Baa3 senior unsecured rating for CrowdStrike but upgraded its outlook to Positive from Stable, attributing this to accelerating subscription revenue and improvements in profitability [6]. Group 5: Market Sentiment - According to TipRanks, 40 Wall Street analysts rate CrowdStrike as a Moderate Buy, with an average 12-month price target of $496.59, suggesting a potential upside of about 16% from the current price [9]. - Jim Cramer has expressed a bullish sentiment towards the company, despite its high valuation [10].

Industry Overview - The cybersecurity market is projected to witness a CAGR of 12.63% from 2025 to 2030, driven by the rise of complex attacks such as credential theft and social engineering [2] Company Profiles CrowdStrike - CrowdStrike specializes in endpoint protection and extended detection and response (XDR) through its Falcon platform, which is recognized as the industry's first multi-tenant, cloud-native security solution [4] - The Falcon platform offers 29 cloud modules categorized under Endpoint Security, Security & IT Operations, and Threat Intelligence, with subscription-based sales increasing from 72% in fiscal 2017 to 95% in fiscal 2025 [5] - Despite robust revenue growth, CrowdStrike's growth rate has decelerated from over 35% year-over-year until fiscal 2024 to 29% in fiscal 2025, with further estimates suggesting a decline to around 21% for fiscal 2026 and 2027 [6] - Rising costs are a concern, with R&D expenses increasing 12-fold and S&M expenses nearly ninefold to $1.52 billion in fiscal 2025 from $173 million in fiscal 2019 [7] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 10.9% [8] Qualys - Qualys is a leading provider of Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR) solutions, with a growing customer base and a net dollar retention rate of 104% [11] - The company has expanded its portfolio with new product launches, including the Risk Operations Center and enhancements to its TotalAI solution [12] - Qualys' channel partner program has driven revenue growth, with channel revenues increasing 17% year-over-year compared to 4% growth from direct customers [13] - International revenue growth is at 15% year-over-year, representing 43% of total revenues, allowing for organic expansion without acquisition costs [14] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Qualys' 2025 earnings is pegged at $6.35 per share, indicating a year-over-year increase of 3.6% [14] Valuation and Performance - Year-to-date, CrowdStrike shares have appreciated 25.1%, while Qualys shares have declined by 7.9% [17] - Qualys is trading at a forward sales multiple of 6.82X, below the industry average of 11.97X, while CrowdStrike is trading at a forward sales multiple of 19.98X, indicating overvaluation [20] - Qualys holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), making it a more attractive investment compared to CrowdStrike, which has a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell) [24]

Group 1: Inclusion in "IVES AI30" List - CrowdStrike is positioned favorably in the AI revolution, with increasing module expansions and strong trading flows from Charlotte AI driving growth [2] - Roblox offers attractive incentives for developers, and its AI-driven discovery features are enhancing platform adoption, expected to lead to stronger monetization in upcoming quarters [2] - GE Vernova will benefit from the growing demand for electrification as large cloud providers continue to build data centers, providing necessary tools for grid management [2] - Nebius is experiencing strong demand in AI infrastructure, planning to increase data center capacity in the coming years [2] Group 2: Removal from "IVES AI30" List - CyberArk was removed due to Palo Alto Networks' plan to acquire it for $25 billion, as Palo Alto is already on the list [3] - C3.ai was removed following a recent sales organization restructuring and the resignation of CEO Thomas Siebel, which significantly impacts its finances, though analysts remain optimistic about its future [3] - Adobe faces concerns over its growth potential, with worries that its product portfolio may be disrupted by AI, leading to slower growth and free cash flow generation [3] - Elastic's public business growth has slowed, despite incremental funding from the U.S. federal government for software and AI improvements, with analysts favoring other tech companies for the "IVES AI30" list [3]

Group 1 - The current high stock market necessitates a selective approach to portfolio management, with a preference for selling rather than buying stocks [1] - The strategy involves reallocating proceeds into cash or small/mid-cap value stocks until more favorable market conditions arise [1] - The analyst has extensive experience in technology sectors, having worked on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, and has been advising seed-round startups [1]

Palo Alto has become a leader in artificial intelligence-powered cybersecurity. One customer -- a healthcare provider -- now resolves 90% of incidents with automation, compared to just 10% before adopting XSIAM. Palo Alto said the platform's annual recurring revenue (ARR) tripled year over year during the fiscal 2025 third quarter. Moreover, it had already accumulated over $1 billion in bookings despite launching just three years ago. XSIAM is one of Palo Alto's fastest-growing products, so investors should ...

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. has experienced a decline of 9.76% in the last 30 trading days, yet it remains one of the best-performing technology stocks in the S&P 500 with a 79% increase in 2025, following a year-long rally initiated by effective damage control after a software outage [1][2]. Financial Performance - The company reported $194 million in new net annual recurring revenue (ARR) for the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, a critical metric for cybersecurity firms indicating year-over-year revenue retention [7]. - CrowdStrike achieved its first $1 billion in quarterly revenue recently, indicating a market share of under 5% in its core cybersecurity market, which is projected to be $103 billion [10][14]. - The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stands at 771x, influenced by negative GAAP earnings of 44 cents in the last quarter due to high stock-based compensation [11][13]. Market Outlook - The total addressable market (TAM) for AI-native cybersecurity platforms is estimated at $116 billion for the current year, expected to grow to $250 billion by 2029 [9]. - CrowdStrike's guidance suggests a potential to generate over $1.3 billion in adjusted operating profit for FY2026, making its forward multiple appear reasonable on a non-GAAP basis [13]. Product Development - The company is expanding its AI-native Falcon platform, which is utilized by approximately 92% of Fortune 500 companies in various business areas [4]. - Recent launches include AI Systems Security Assessment and AI for SecOps Readiness, aimed at securing AI systems and integrating AI into security operations [6]. Stock Performance and Technical Analysis - CrowdStrike stock has lost bullish momentum, crossing below its 50-day simple moving average, with an RSI around 36 indicating potential for a trend reversal with strong earnings [15]. - Resistance is noted at $475, with support levels around $400 and a significant buying opportunity around $375 to $380 if the stock declines further [16].

Core Viewpoint - Fortinet Inc (NASDAQ:FTNT) experienced a significant decline of 25.9%, trading at $71.61, following a disappointing fiscal third-quarter outlook despite a second-quarter earnings win and matched revenue forecasts [1] Company Performance - Fortinet's second-quarter earnings were positive, but the negative guidance for the third quarter is impacting its stock performance [1] - Morgan Stanley downgraded Fortinet from "overweight" to "equal-weight" and reduced its price target from $110 to $78 [2] - If the current losses persist, Fortinet could face its worst one-day decline ever and may end up in negative territory for the year [2] Stock Trends - Fortinet shares are trading at their lowest in nearly 12 months and have fallen below a critical support level of $95 [2] - Crowdstrike Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:CRWD) is down 6.1% to $423.97, influenced by Alphabet's divestment of its stake in the company, although it still shows a 23.4% year-to-date gain [3] - SentinelOne Inc (NYSE:S) is down 5.2% to $16.42, with a 41.5% deficit over the past nine months, approaching its first close below $17 since April 22 [3] Options Activity - Fortinet is experiencing unusual options activity with 10 times the usual intraday average volume, particularly in the weekly 8/8 70-strike put [4] - Crowdstrike is also seeing increased options activity, with double the usual put volume, led by the September 420 put [4]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. has experienced a significant decline in stock price, down over 14% in the last 30 days, despite a generally bullish earnings season for technology stocks [1] Company Performance - Despite the recent pullback, CRWD stock is still up 29.25% in 2025, over 99% in the last 12 months, and more than 285% in the last five years [2] - The company capitalized on a previous software update glitch to drive revenue growth by allowing customers to test its Falcon platform [3] - The latest quarter saw a 100% year-over-year gain in annual recurring revenue (ARR), although revenue expectations were missed [5] AI Integration - CrowdStrike's Falcon platform is cloud-native and AI-first, with the introduction of Charlotte AI to automate detection and response to emerging threats [4] Earnings Guidance - For the upcoming earnings report on August 27, CrowdStrike guided for revenue between $1.14 and $1.15 billion, indicating a 3% sequential improvement and an approximate 18% year-over-year increase [6] - Analysts forecast revenue at $1.15 billion, suggesting that even at the high end of guidance, CrowdStrike would only meet expectations [7] Market Sentiment - Analysts maintain a price target of $461.17 for CRWD stock, with a moderate buy rating based on 46 analyst ratings [10] - The stock has broken below its 100-day simple moving average, indicating potential resistance and increasing selling momentum [11] Options Market - The options chain for August 29 shows a bearish bias, with a 43% chance that the stock will close below $450 [14] Institutional Activity - Institutions may be preparing to buy CRWD stock at lower levels, potentially between $420 and $425, as they signal that the stock is currently expensive compared to its past and peers [16]

Key Takeaways One-Month Price Return Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research This underperformance raises the question: Should investors cut their losses and exit, or is it worth holding CRWD stock? CrowdStrike's Premium Valuation: A Key Concern CRWD's lofty valuation make it vulnerable to further correction. CrowdStrike is currently trading at a high price-to-sales (P/S) multiple, far above the Zacks Security industry. CrowdStrike's forward 12-month P/S ratio sits at 21.38X, significantly highe ...