Core Viewpoint - The software sector is currently experiencing a significant selloff, which analysts believe is overblown and not reflective of the actual market conditions. Companies like Palantir, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Snowflake, and Salesforce are highlighted as potential investment opportunities despite the prevailing negative sentiment [3][4][30]. Group 1: Palantir (PLTR) - Palantir is recognized as a leading software company specializing in data integration and AI-driven decision platforms, with a market cap of $332.6 billion and a stock price increase of 20% over the past year [5][6]. - For Q4 2025, Palantir reported revenues of $1.4 billion, reflecting a 70.5% annual growth rate, and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.25, up 78.6% from the previous year [6]. - Analysts have rated PLTR stock as a "Moderate Buy" with a mean target price of $198.28, indicating an upside potential of about 52.5% from current levels [8]. Group 2: Microsoft (MSFT) - Microsoft, valued at $3.1 trillion, is a major player in the software industry, although its stock has decreased by 5% over the past year [10]. - For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Microsoft reported revenues of $81.3 billion, a 16.7% increase year-over-year, with cloud business revenues rising by 26% to $51.5 billion [12]. - Analysts have assigned a "Strong Buy" rating to MSFT stock, with a mean target price of $602.57, suggesting an upside potential of roughly 53% [14]. Group 3: CrowdStrike (CRWD) - CrowdStrike is a leading cybersecurity technology company with a market cap of $104.7 billion, although its shares are down 10% over the past year [16]. - The company reported Q3 revenues of $1.23 billion, up 22% year-over-year, and EPS of $0.96, which exceeded the consensus estimate [17]. - Analysts have rated CRWD stock as a "Moderate Buy," with a mean target price of $559.21, indicating an upside potential of about 48% [19]. Group 4: Snowflake (SNOW) - Snowflake operates a cloud-based data platform and has a market cap of $56.6 billion, with its stock down 13% over the past year [21]. - In Q3 2025, Snowflake reported revenues of $1.21 billion, reflecting a 28.5% annual growth, and EPS of $0.35, up 75% from the previous year [22]. - Analysts have given SNOW stock a "Strong Buy" rating, with a mean target price of $277.07, suggesting an upside potential of about 77% [24]. Group 5: Salesforce (CRM) - Salesforce, a pioneer in cloud-based CRM software, has a market cap of $418.6 billion and has seen its stock decline by 43% over the past year [26]. - For the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, Salesforce reported revenues of $10.3 billion, a 9% increase year-over-year, and EPS of $3.25, surpassing estimates [27]. - Analysts have assigned a "Strong Buy" rating to CRM stock, with a mean target price of $329.27, indicating an upside potential of about 73% [29].

Company Overview - CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) provides cloud-native endpoint security, threat intelligence, and cyberattack response services through its Falcon platform [4] - Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, the company is expanding its platform towards identity protection and next-generation security capabilities [4] Market Insights - Citi raised its price target on CrowdStrike to $610 from $595 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting continued enterprise focus on cybersecurity amid complex threat environments [1] - The update is based on a survey of chief information security officers, indicating a strong emphasis on cybersecurity priorities [1] Leadership Perspective - CEO George Kurtz highlighted rising risks associated with expanded AI adoption within corporate systems, warning that unconstrained AI agents could create new security vulnerabilities [3] - Kurtz emphasized the need for sophisticated tools to manage and control access to sensitive systems by both humans and AI, aligning with broader enterprise security spending trends [3]

Core Viewpoint - The software sector is experiencing a significant downturn, referred to as a "SaaSapocalypse," driven by a rapid sell-off in the market [1] Group 1: Market Conditions - The panic in the software sector intensified this week, particularly following the introduction of AI startup "Anthropic" [1]

Core Viewpoint - The software sector in the US stock market has recently faced significant sell-offs due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), but Wedbush believes the market is overreacting to these concerns, labeling the situation as an exaggerated "doomsday scenario" for the software industry [1][2] Group 1: Market Sentiment and Analysis - The IGV index, which measures software industry performance, has dropped approximately 18% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 index has remained relatively stable, indicating a market pricing in worst-case scenarios for the software sector [2] - Concerns about AI potentially disrupting traditional SaaS models have led to widespread investor panic, especially following the launch of AI tools by companies like Anthropic [3] - Approximately 80% of CIOs currently prioritize AI and machine learning in their IT budgets, raising fears that software budgets may be squeezed by AI investments [3] Group 2: Company-Specific Insights - Microsoft is maintained with a target price of $575, with expectations that its Azure cloud business and AI commercialization will accelerate, potentially marking a key turning point by 2026 [4] - Palantir is given a target price of $230, with its AI platform AIP showing strong demand in commercial and government sectors, particularly in critical applications [4] - Snowflake is assigned a target price of $270, as it is seen as a crucial intermediary for connecting enterprise data with external AI models, emphasizing the importance of data governance and security [4] - Salesforce is maintained with a target price of $375, with its high-quality enterprise data assets viewed as irreplaceable in the AI era [5] - CrowdStrike is given a target price of $600, with the belief that the rise of AI will enhance the importance of cybersecurity, positioning its AI-driven security operations platform as a leading solution [5] Group 3: Long-Term Investment Perspective - Despite the current negative sentiment surrounding the software sector, Wedbush suggests that this "software doomsday" scenario presents a unique opportunity for long-term investors to position themselves favorably [6]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) stock has experienced a significant decline of 21.9% over the past three months, underperforming the Zacks Security industry's decline of 19.2% [1][7] Group 1: Stock Performance - CrowdStrike shares have underperformed compared to industry peers such as Fortinet (FTNT), Check Point Software (CHKP), and Okta Inc. (OKTA), with Fortinet's shares increasing by 0.2%, while Check Point and Okta have decreased by 10.2% and 2.7%, respectively [1][7] - The stock has dipped below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating a bearish trend and potential for continued downward pressure in the short term [19] Group 2: Revenue Growth - CrowdStrike's revenue growth has slowed, with a decrease from over 35% year-over-year growth until fiscal 2024 to 29% in fiscal 2025, and expectations of further deceleration to around 21% for fiscal 2026 [6][21] - For fiscal 2026, CrowdStrike anticipates total revenues between $4.797 billion and $4.807 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 21% to 22% [6] Group 3: Cost Pressures - The company faces margin pressure due to rising research and development (R&D) and sales and marketing (S&M) costs, with R&D expenses increasing twelvefold over the last six fiscal years [9][10] - S&M expenses have also surged nearly ninefold to $1.52 billion in fiscal 2025 from $173 million in fiscal 2019, with year-over-year increases of 20.2% and 23.3% for S&M and R&D expenses, respectively, in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 [10][11] Group 4: Profitability Outlook - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 bottom line is projected at $3.72 per share, indicating a year-over-year decline of 5.3% [12] - The company is currently trading at a high price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 22.09X, significantly above the Zacks Security industry's forward 12-month P/S ratio of 11.07X, suggesting that CRWD stock is overvalued [15][18]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. is positioning itself for significant growth by acquiring SGNL for $740 million to enhance its cybersecurity offerings against AI-driven threats [1][7]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition of SGNL focuses on its continuous identity technology, which conducts real-time evaluations to prevent identity exploitation by hackers [1]. - SGNL's technology will be integrated into the CrowdStrike Falcon ecosystem, enhancing CrowdStrike's identity business, which has already achieved over $435 million in annual recurring revenue [2]. - The integration aims to transition from static access models to dynamic, context-aware authorization, allowing for immediate privilege adjustments based on changing threat conditions [3]. Group 2: Strategic Implications - This acquisition aligns with CrowdStrike's broader strategy for 2026, which includes utilizing autonomous AI agents in its security operations center to significantly reduce the time required for complex security tasks [3]. - SGNL's team is expected to join CrowdStrike without planned layoffs following the transaction's anticipated closure in the first quarter of 2027 [3]. Group 3: Company Overview - CrowdStrike provides cybersecurity solutions both in the US and internationally, offering a unified platform for cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity, and data through a SaaS subscription model [4].

Core Viewpoint - The recent decline in software stocks is viewed as a buying opportunity rather than a catastrophic event for the industry, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives [1][2]. Industry Overview - The current market sentiment is overly pessimistic, with fears of an impending disaster for software companies being exaggerated [3]. - Concerns about AI's impact on earnings growth, competition, and enterprise adoption have resurfaced amid the sharp market pullback, which is the worst since the "Liberation Day" crash [2]. Company Summaries Microsoft Corp. - Microsoft closed at $414.19, down over 12% year-to-date, with its future tied to Azure cloud growth and its partnership with OpenAI [8]. - Ives projects a price target of $575, believing Microsoft will be a core winner in the AI revolution [9]. Palantir Technologies, Inc. - Palantir's stock has decreased more than 16% year-to-date, closing at $139.54, as it focuses on data analytics and AI software for governments and enterprises [10]. - Ives sets a price target of $230, suggesting Palantir has the potential to reach a trillion-dollar market cap [11]. Snowflake, Inc. - Snowflake has experienced a significant sell-off, dropping over 23% year-to-date, closing at $165.29, amid increased competition in cloud-based data storage and analytics [12]. - Ives expects Snowflake to outperform with a target price of $270, emphasizing its role as a trusted layer for enterprise data [13]. Salesforce, Inc. - Salesforce is down more than 21% year-to-date, closing at $199.44, as it integrates AI tools into its customer relationship management software [14]. - Ives believes Salesforce remains well-positioned for long-term success with a price target of $375, highlighting its strong market opportunity [15]. CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. - CrowdStrike closed at $415.36, down over 8% year-to-date, as it continues to address rising cybersecurity threats linked to AI and cloud adoption [16]. - Ives sets a price target of $600, asserting that CrowdStrike's position as a cybersecurity leader remains strong despite market challenges [18].

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer looked at recently. Cramer highlighted why the stock has been brought down and shared his thoughts on it, as he commented: Now, most of what we’ve seen today does seem like panic selling, with some buying of the companies that pay for software… But there are others who see this pattern, and they decide to avail themselves of ETFs that allow them to short the heck out of software such as the iShares expanded Tech Software Sector ETF o ...

Core Viewpoint - The market is currently favoring hardware and industrial companies while software companies are facing significant declines, driven by fears of obsolescence due to AI advancements [2][4][19]. Group 1: Market Trends - The Dow dropped 167 points, reflecting a broader market trend where software stocks are being heavily sold off, with the NASDAQ down 1.43% [2]. - High-quality enterprise software stocks like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Adobe reported strong earnings but still saw their stock prices decline significantly [4]. - The market sentiment indicates a collective belief that software companies are at risk of being replaced or diminished by AI technologies [5][16]. Group 2: Company Performance - Major software companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, and Adobe experienced stock declines ranging from 3% to 11% [10][11]. - Companies that utilize software, like Procter & Gamble and FedEx, are currently performing well despite their own earnings challenges [8]. - Private equity firms with stakes in enterprise software companies are also facing pressure, as the market for new public offerings in this sector appears to be closing [18]. Group 3: Investment Strategies - There is a growing trend of investors using ETFs to short software stocks, indicating a bearish outlook on the sector [9]. - Some analysts suggest that it may be prudent to take advantage of the current low prices of certain tech stocks that are being unfairly dragged down by the broader software sell-off [12]. - The shrinking price-to-earnings multiples for software companies suggest that investors are becoming increasingly cautious about future earnings potential [16][17].

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry but indicates a cautious outlook for enterprise SaaS multiples into 2026 due to global uncertainty and technological disruptions [6]. Core Insights - The median EV/TTM revenue multiple for public enterprise SaaS companies decreased to 5x at the end of Q4 2025, down from 5.3x in Q3 2025, and is expected to see limited upside into 2026 [6]. - Revenue growth rates for 2026 are anticipated to step down to high single digits or low double digits, with significant declines expected in several segments, while slight growth is expected in collaboration, productivity, and creative segments [9]. - The median gross margin for public enterprise SaaS companies increased to nearly 77% in 2025, with expectations of continued strength but limited substantial growth in 2026 [10]. - The median EBITDA margin rose to 19.8% in 2025, with expectations for further strengthening across most segments into 2026 [11]. Summary by Sections Revenue - Revenue growth rates for enterprise SaaS companies are projected to decline significantly in 2026, with the median growth rate barely in double digits, down from previous years' rates of 15% to 30% [9]. - The report highlights specific segments expected to experience declines, including CRM, sales, marketing & CX, finance, ERP, HR & payroll, and data, analytics & AI platforms [9]. Valuation - The report notes that valuation multiples have continued to decline, with 76 out of 102 tracked companies experiencing decreases in their EV/TTM revenue multiples from year-end 2024 to year-end 2025 [12]. - Notable companies that outperformed the broader SaaS decline include Unity, On24, and CS Disco, while companies like Ibotta and The Trade Desk saw significant decreases in their multiples [12]. Gross Margin and EBITDA - The median gross margin across public enterprise SaaS companies is projected to remain strong at 77% in 2026, with some segments like DevOps and vertical SaaS expected to see slight growth [10]. - The report anticipates that EBITDA margins will continue to improve, with the highest growth expected in data, analytics & AI platforms and collaboration, productivity & creative segments [11].