Core Viewpoint - Analysts forecast a decline in CrowdStrike Holdings' earnings per share (EPS) while expecting revenue growth in the upcoming quarterly report [1]. Earnings Estimates - CrowdStrike is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.83 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 20.2% [1]. - The consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged over the past 30 days, indicating analysts' reassessment of their projections [2]. Revenue Projections - Anticipated revenues for the quarter are $1.15 billion, representing a 19.2% increase compared to the same quarter last year [1]. - Analysts predict 'Revenue- Subscription' to be $1.10 billion, indicating a 19.5% year-over-year change [5]. - The estimate for 'Revenue- Professional services' is $52.16 million, suggesting a 14.3% increase year over year [5]. Key Metrics - The 'Annual recurring revenue (ARR)' is projected to reach $4,640.75 million, up from $3,864.51 million in the same quarter last year [5]. - Analysts estimate 'Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO)' at $6.43 billion, compared to $4.90 billion in the same quarter of the previous year [6]. - 'Non-GAAP subscription gross profit' is expected to be $878.44 million, up from $740.47 million in the same quarter last year [6]. - 'Non-GAAP professional services gross profit' is forecasted at $18.24 million, compared to $15.47 million in the same quarter last year [7]. - 'GAAP professional services gross profit' is projected to reach $10.48 million, up from $8.12 million in the same quarter last year [7]. - 'GAAP subscription gross profit' is expected to be $853.61 million, contrasting with the year-ago figure of $718.35 million [8]. Stock Performance - CrowdStrike shares have decreased by 10.4% over the past month, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite has increased by 1.1% [8]. - The company holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating it is expected to closely follow overall market performance in the near term [8].

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) stock has declined approximately 19% since its all-time high in early June, approaching correction territory ahead of its earnings report on August 27 [1][2] Company Overview - The recent stock decline is attributed to profit-taking as many investors consider the stock overvalued, despite the strong performance of the cybersecurity sector [2] - CrowdStrike is experiencing a broader sell-off in technology stocks, indicating that the stock's performance is not solely company-specific [3] Strategic Expansion - CrowdStrike's expansion into identity protection through its Falcon platform is a strategic move aimed at growth beyond its core endpoint security business [4] - The company launched Falcon Next-Gen Identity Security in June 2024, targeting the rapidly growing area of user credential and access protection, which is a significant cause of breaches today [4] Market Potential - CrowdStrike forecasts a $10 billion total addressable market for identity protection, although it does not provide detailed revenue breakdowns for this segment [5] - The focus remains on total annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth and platform adoption as key metrics for assessing the company's performance [6] Growth Indicators - Identity security is still in the early adoption stage, serving as an incremental growth lever that enhances the overall platform and creates cross-selling opportunities [7] - The company reported a strong 22% year-over-year growth in ending ARR, but also an 8% year-over-year decline in net new ARR, indicating mixed signals regarding growth sustainability [9] Customer Adoption Trends - A rising number of multi-module customers serves as a proxy for platform stickiness and adoption, with 48% of customers using six or more modules [11] - Anecdotal evidence or case studies regarding Falcon Identity Security adoption can provide insights into its growth trajectory [10] Stock Performance and Forecast - CrowdStrike stock is currently trading around $415, below its 50-day moving average of $467, indicating a bearish trend [12] - Analysts have a 12-month stock price forecast of $460.81, suggesting an 11.29% upside potential, with a Moderate Buy rating based on 46 analyst ratings [8]

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike has experienced a significant stock price increase of 57% year-to-date, driven by strong business performance and robust demand for modern security solutions [1] - However, the stock's recent sell-off has reduced this gain to approximately 20% since early July, primarily due to disappointing revenue guidance for the fiscal second quarter [2][4] Financial Performance - In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, CrowdStrike reported revenue growth of 20% year-over-year, totaling $1.10 billion, which is below the 29% growth achieved in fiscal 2025 [6] - Subscription revenue increased by 20% to $1.05 billion, while trailing-12-month recurring revenue (ARR) reached $4.44 billion, up 22% from the previous year [6] - Free cash flow decreased to $279.4 million from $322.5 million in the same period last year, impacted by $61 million in expenses from a platform outage [7] Guidance and Valuation - For fiscal Q2, CrowdStrike projected revenue between $1.14 billion and $1.15 billion, indicating a midpoint growth of about 19%, which is slower than the previous quarter's growth [7] - The stock is currently trading at over 100 times forward earnings and about 25 times sales, suggesting a high valuation that requires sustained top-line growth and increasing free cash flow to justify [9] Competitive Landscape - Competition from companies like Microsoft poses a risk to CrowdStrike's market position, as Microsoft bundles advanced security solutions with its Microsoft 365 E5 offerings, potentially reducing the incremental cost for customers [10] Investment Considerations - Despite being a leader in the cybersecurity space with a strong platform, the current stock price reflects high expectations for flawless execution, making it vulnerable to any disappointments in performance or guidance [11] - With upcoming earnings on August 27, the risk-reward scenario appears unfavorable if management fails to demonstrate clear growth reacceleration [12]

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Core Insights - CrowdStrike (CRWD) is expanding its focus to secure the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in enterprises, addressing new risks associated with AI agents in business operations [1][2] Group 1: Company Strategy and Innovations - CrowdStrike views the security of AI agents and systems as a significant growth opportunity, launching initiatives to enhance its offerings in this area [2] - The company has expanded Falcon Shield to secure AI agents developed with OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex, enabling organizations to monitor AI activities and mitigate risks [2][10] - A new AI detection engine, Signal, has been introduced to identify unusual patterns in customer environments, aiming to catch threats that traditional systems may overlook [3][10] - CrowdStrike has also enhanced its AI Security Services with new offerings, including AI Systems Security Assessment and AI for SecOps Readiness, to help organizations assess AI risks and prepare security teams for safe AI integration [4][10] Group 2: Market Position and Competitors - As AI adoption increases, CrowdStrike's strategy of expanding its product portfolio and focusing on platform innovation is expected to drive revenue growth, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.78 billion for fiscal 2026, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 20.9% [5] - Competitors like Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and SentinelOne (S) are also expanding their platforms and innovating with AI, with PANW reporting a 32% year-over-year increase in its Next-Gen Security annual recurring revenue [6] - SentinelOne achieved a 24% year-over-year growth in its annual recurring revenue, driven by the adoption of its AI-first Singularity platform [7] Group 3: Financial Performance and Valuation - CrowdStrike's shares have increased by 22.4% year to date, outperforming the Security industry's growth of 7.4% [8] - The company trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 19.53X, significantly higher than the industry's average of 11.96X [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 10.9%, while fiscal 2027 earnings are expected to grow by 34.7% [14]

Core Insights - Zscaler and CrowdStrike have expanded their partnership to modernize endpoint detection and response for customers, integrating their platforms to enhance security [1][4][5] - The collaboration aims to replace legacy endpoint products with a cloud-native architecture that features AI-powered detection and integrated security operations [3][5] - The combined solution is expected to improve threat detection accuracy and response times, providing a multi-layered defense against cyber threats [2][5] Company Developments - Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange™ platform will be integrated with CrowdStrike's Falcon platform and Red Canary's agentic-AI driven security operations to deliver enhanced protection [1][2] - The partnership is built on a successful multi-year collaboration, enhancing managed detection and response (MDR) services and optimizing security investments for customers [4][5] - The integration is designed to help organizations standardize their security architectures and improve operational efficiency [3][5] Industry Trends - Organizations are increasingly moving away from legacy endpoint vendors in favor of comprehensive platform solutions that offer elite protection [5] - The collaboration between Zscaler, CrowdStrike, and Red Canary represents a significant shift towards AI-driven security operations in the cybersecurity landscape [5]

Core Insights - The investor adopts a contrarian investment style, focusing on high-risk, illiquid options and shares, with a balanced portfolio of approximately 50% in each [1] - The investment strategy involves identifying stocks that have recently experienced sell-offs due to non-recurrent events, particularly when insiders are buying shares at lower prices [1] - Fundamental analysis is employed to assess the health of companies, their leverage, and to compare financial ratios with sector and industry averages [1] - Technical analysis is utilized to optimize entry and exit points, using multicolor lines for support and resistance levels on weekly charts [1] Investment Strategy - The investor's timeframe for holding positions typically ranges from 3 to 24 months [1] - A professional background check is conducted on each insider who purchased shares after a recent sell-off to ensure credibility [1] - The investor screens through thousands of stocks, primarily in the US, but may also invest in companies from less stable economies [1]

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]