Core Viewpoint - DA Davidson has raised the target price for CrowdStrike from $515 to $580 while maintaining a "Buy" rating [1] Group 1 - The new target price reflects a positive outlook on CrowdStrike's performance in the cybersecurity sector [1] - The increase in target price indicates confidence in CrowdStrike's growth potential and market position [1]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) is recognized as one of the 15 best long-term stocks to buy according to Reddit [1] - Truist has raised its price target for CrowdStrike from $550 to $600 while maintaining a Buy rating, indicating confidence in the company's upcoming third-quarter report [2] - The company reported a 21% year-over-year revenue growth to approximately $1.17 billion in its fiscal second quarter of 2026, slightly surpassing the 20% growth in the first quarter [3] Financial Performance - Subscription revenue increased by 20%, driven by customer adoption of new modules and increased spending on the Falcon platform [3] - Net new annual recurring revenue (ARR) reached a record $221 million, with total ARR climbing to $4.66 billion, reflecting a 20% growth from the previous year [3] - Free cash flow for the quarter was about $284 million, representing roughly 24% of revenue [4] Business Momentum - Demand for the AI-driven Falcon platform and Falcon Flex subscription option remains strong, contributing to an increase in large contracts [5] - The number of customers generating at least $1 million in annual recurring revenue has reached new highs, and deals worth more than $10 million have doubled compared to the previous year [5] Company Overview - CrowdStrike operates as a cybersecurity company focused on cloud-based endpoint protection, helping organizations prevent and detect threats such as ransomware and other cyberattacks [6]

AI Model & Strategy - Open AI models are essential for building intelligence and enabling customization for specific industry workflows [1] - Open source AI models offer increased visibility and customizability [2] - Synopsis' strategy heavily relies on AI to provide autonomous functionality in engineering workflows [4][5] - The industry anticipates AI agents to power transactions in the agentic economy [5] Agent & Technology - CrowdStrike aims to transform human expertise into AI agents for rapid response to cyber attacks [2] - Nemotron facilitates control over expertise and enables the creation of virtual analysts like Charlotte for security alert management [3] - Agent engineers are being developed with progressively higher levels of autonomy [3] - Open models deployed on GPUs, coupled with stack control, allow for fine-tuning, solving challenges in agentic commerce [6] - Nemotron enables the selection of the optimal balance between reasoning and performance, allowing for fine-tuning to achieve desired outcomes [7] Partnership - Nvidia and CrowdStrike collaborate to prevent AI-based attacks [6] - The industry relies on the partnership with Nvidia for components like Nemotron and Nemo agent kit to accelerate agent development [7]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike is enhancing its AI-focused partnerships to expand as a comprehensive cybersecurity platform, with approximately 60% of new business in Q2 of fiscal 2026 generated through these partnerships [1][11] - Recent collaborations with CoreWeave, EY, and NVIDIA emphasize CrowdStrike's commitment to securing AI workloads and modernizing security operations for real-time threat detection [1][11] Partnership Developments - The partnership with CoreWeave integrates Falcon security into CoreWeave's AI cloud, allowing CrowdStrike to protect the entire AI ecosystem where models are built, trained, and deployed [2] - EY has chosen CrowdStrike's Falcon Next-Gen Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) as the foundation for its global managed services, indicating strong growth potential for CrowdStrike's Next-Gen SIEM business, which saw a more than 95% year-over-year increase in annual recurring revenues, exceeding $430 million [3] - The collaboration with NVIDIA aims to deliver continuously learning AI agents for real-time threat detection across various environments, aligning with the growth of CrowdStrike's Charlotte AI, which increased over 85% from the previous quarter [4] Growth Prospects - The partnerships are expected to bolster CrowdStrike's platform strategy and enhance adoption across its offerings, contributing to a projected revenue growth of around 21% year-over-year for fiscal 2026 and 2027 according to the Zacks Consensus Estimate [5] Competitive Landscape - Key competitors such as Palo Alto Networks and Okta are also focusing on acquisitions to enhance their platforms and drive AI innovation [6] - Palo Alto Networks is pursuing the acquisition of CyberArk Software to strengthen its identity-driven threat protection capabilities [7] - Okta's acquisition of Axiom Security aims to enhance its privileged access management tools [8] Financial Performance - CrowdStrike's shares have increased by 43.4% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 11.2% [9] - The company is currently trading at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 21.97, significantly higher than the industry average of 11.97 [13] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a projected earnings decline of 6.6% for fiscal 2026, followed by a growth of 29.3% for fiscal 2027, with estimates remaining unchanged over the past 60 days [16]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike and Fortinet are leading companies in the cybersecurity sector, focusing on protecting organizations from cyberattacks [1][2] - The cybersecurity market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.45% from 2025 to 2030, driven by increasing cyber threats [2] CrowdStrike Overview - CrowdStrike's Falcon platform is a cloud-native security solution that secures various environments and endpoints [4] - The platform offers 29 cloud modules under a SaaS subscription model, with subscription sales increasing from 72% in fiscal 2017 to 95% in fiscal 2025 [5] - The Falcon Flex subscription model has been a key driver of customer growth, with 48% of subscription customers using six or more modules by the end of Q2 fiscal 2026 [6] - In Q2, CrowdStrike added $221 million in net new annual recurring revenues (ARR), bringing total ARR to $4.66 billion, a 20% increase year-over-year [7] - The company expects revenues for fiscal 2026 and 2027 to be $4.78 billion and $5.80 billion, respectively, indicating a year-over-year increase of around 21% [9][10] Fortinet Overview - Fortinet's Q3 2025 results showed a 14% year-over-year growth in both billings and revenues, with a record operating margin of 37% [11] - The company's SASE business saw significant growth, with Unified SASE billings increasing by 19% and FortiSASE billings rising over 100% [12] - Fortinet's product revenues grew by 18%, driven by demand for hardware upgrades and operational technology security [13] - However, service revenues grew only 13%, indicating slower growth compared to product revenues [14] - For full-year 2025 and 2026, Fortinet's revenue estimates are $6.75 billion and $7.50 billion, reflecting year-over-year increases of approximately 13.3% and 11% [15][16] Price Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, CrowdStrike shares have increased by 43.4%, while Fortinet shares have decreased by 16.6% [17] - CrowdStrike is trading at a forward sales multiple of 21.97, while Fortinet is at 7.91, indicating higher growth expectations for CrowdStrike [19] - CrowdStrike's strong revenue visibility and growth prospects justify its higher valuation compared to Fortinet [22] Conclusion - CrowdStrike is recommended as a strong buy due to its leadership in the cybersecurity space and robust growth potential, while Fortinet is suggested for holding or waiting for better entry points [22][23]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. has announced strategic partnerships with Google, F5, and CoreWeave [1] Company Developments - The partnerships aim to enhance CrowdStrike's cybersecurity offerings and expand its market reach [1] - Collaborations with major tech companies like Google and F5 indicate a strong positioning in the cybersecurity landscape [1] Industry Implications - The strategic alliances may lead to improved technological integration and innovation within the cybersecurity sector [1] - These partnerships could potentially increase competition among cybersecurity firms, driving advancements in security solutions [1]

Core Insights - The article discusses the best long-term stocks to buy according to Reddit, highlighting the significant influence of retail traders in the current market environment [1][4]. Retail Trading Trends - Retail trading activity has surged by 50% compared to the previous year, surpassing levels seen during the GameStop frenzy in 2021, contributing to increased market volatility [2]. - In the first week of October, retail investors made net purchases of approximately $7 billion, a notable increase from the previous two months' average of $5.3 billion [3]. Stock Selection Methodology - The analysis involved reviewing various subreddits to identify stocks favored by Reddit users, focusing on companies with an average annual revenue growth exceeding 20% over the past five years [6]. - A final list of 15 stocks was compiled, all projected to have at least a 10% upside as of November 20 [6]. Company Highlights CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) - Projected upside potential of 10.09% as of November 20, with a five-year share price return of 244.02% [8][9]. - In fiscal Q2 2026, revenue grew by 21% year-over-year to approximately $1.17 billion, with subscription revenue increasing by 20% [11]. - The company reported a record net new annual recurring revenue of $221 million, contributing to a total annual recurring revenue of $4.66 billion, reflecting a 20% growth from the previous year [11]. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) - Projected upside potential of 10.1% as of November 20, with a five-year share price return of 216.7% [15]. - Exxon announced a joint venture to operate the Bahia natural gas liquids pipeline, acquiring a 40% stake for $650 million, with the project expected to be operational by Q4 2027 [16][17]. - The company plans to invest approximately $140 billion in major capital projects through 2030, aiming to generate an additional $20 billion in earnings and $30 billion in cash flow by that time [18]. McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) - Projected upside potential of 10.2% as of November 20, with a five-year share price return of 42.07% [20]. - McDonald's reported nearly $20 billion in revenue during the first three quarters of 2025, a 2% increase from the same period in 2024, with a 3% rise in third-quarter revenue [22]. - The company has maintained a consistent dividend growth strategy, marking its 49th consecutive year of increasing its dividend, with a new annual dividend of $7.44 per share, yielding approximately 2.41% [24].

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) stock has shown volatility, reaching new all-time highs but subsequently experiencing declines, including a nearly 10% drop recently. Analysts remain optimistic ahead of the upcoming earnings report, with many raising their price targets significantly above the current share price [3][8][10]. Analyst Sentiment - A notable increase in analyst price targets for CRWD stock has been observed, with 12 analysts raising their targets in November alone. The targets range from a low of $515 to a high of $800, indicating strong bullish sentiment [5][6]. - The consensus price target stands at $537.49, with the low target being the only one below this consensus [6]. Earnings Guidance - CrowdStrike's Q2 earnings report provided guidance for Q3 revenue between $1.208 billion and $1.28 billion, reflecting a 19% year-over-year increase. The company also guided for earnings per share (EPS) between 93 and 95 cents for Q3, which would be flat year-over-year at the low end [9]. - Analysts appear to be raising their targets in anticipation of a stronger earnings report than what CrowdStrike's own guidance suggests, which could lead to a reversal if actual results do not meet these heightened expectations [10]. Stock Performance and Trends - Despite recent volatility, CRWD stock has increased approximately 21% since the Q2 earnings release in August. The stock has maintained a long-term uptrend, with key support near $480, suggesting potential for solid long-term upside [8][9][11]. - The stock has been in a bull market since a significant pullback in February, indicating resilience in its performance [11].

Core Insights - Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike confirmed the termination of an employee for allegedly sharing sensitive information with a hacking group [1][3] - The hacking group Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters claimed to have gained insider access to CrowdStrike's systems through a breach at Gainsight, a CRM company [2][3] - CrowdStrike refuted these claims, stating that their systems were never compromised and that customer data remained secure throughout the incident [3] Company Actions - CrowdStrike fired the insider after determining that he shared images of his computer screen externally [3] - The company has reported the incident to relevant law enforcement agencies [3] Hacking Group Activities - Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters is a collective of hackers utilizing social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access to systems [4] - The group claimed to have stolen over 1 billion records from various companies relying on Salesforce for customer data management [5]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is experiencing positive momentum in the market, with Stifel raising its price target to $600 from $515 while maintaining a "Buy" rating ahead of the fiscal third-quarter earnings report scheduled for December 2 [1]. Group 1: Market Sentiment and Analyst Expectations - Stifel conducted a survey of 25 CrowdStrike's value-added resellers (VARs), revealing modest sequential improvements in quarterly year-over-year growth rates compared to the previous survey [2]. - The survey indicated a slight increase in VARs outperforming expectations and a decrease in those underperforming expectations, suggesting a more optimistic outlook for CrowdStrike's upcoming fiscal Q3 earnings [3]. Group 2: Growth Projections and AI Adoption - VARs are notably bullish on FY26 growth expectations, with a ratio of over 5:1, and most expect to achieve year-over-year growth between 10% and 30% in FY27 [4]. - A plurality of VARs anticipates that CrowdStrike's AI Security modules will see the highest level of adoption among its expanding portfolio over the next three years [4]. - The traction for CrowdStrike's Flex offerings remains encouraging, with an increasing percentage of VARs reporting sales and consumption exceeding expectations, as well as a majority expecting customers to engage in Re-Flex over time [4].