Core Viewpoint - CyberArk Software Ltd. has been downgraded by Citizens JMP analyst Trevor Walsh from Market Outperform to Market Perform due to the pending acquisition by Palo Alto Networks (PANW) [1][2] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The downgrade is attributed to the acquisition offer from Palo Alto Networks, which includes $45 in cash and 2.2005 PANW shares for each CyberArk share [2] - Both boards have approved the acquisition, and it is expected to close according to the noted timeline [1][2] Group 2: Valuation and Market Position - CyberArk is currently trading at a CY26E EV/revenue multiple of 15.9x, which is a premium compared to the mean multiple of 15.0x for its peer group [2] - The shares are trading modestly above the previous price target of $480, indicating a fair valuation at this time [2] Group 3: Investment Perspective - While CyberArk has potential as an investment, certain AI stocks are viewed as having greater upside potential and less downside risk [3]

Upgrades - Jefferies upgraded Onto Innovation (ONTO) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $170, up from $100, citing expected growth reacceleration in the second half of 2026 [2] - Bernstein upgraded United Rentals (URI) to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target of $1,128, up from $885, indicating a 20% upside from current levels, viewing it as a cyclical rebound and portfolio transition story [2] - Guggenheim upgraded Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $206, up from $167, expressing confidence in the company's navigation of Stelara's loss of exclusivity and anticipating growth from its Innovative Medicine business [3] - Wells Fargo upgraded Omnicom (OMC) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $91, up from $78, highlighting compelling upside potential near the close of the Interpublic Group merger [4] - Wells Fargo also upgraded CoreWeave (CRWV) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $170, up from $105, noting the company's positioning to benefit from elevated build cycles and hyperscaler industry shortages into 2026 [5] - Melius Research upgraded CoreWeave to Buy from Hold with a price target of $165, up from $128 [5] Downgrades - Baird downgraded Lululemon (LULU) to Neutral from Outperform with a price target of $195, down from $225, due to low near-term confidence in growth and margin trajectory [6] - KeyBanc downgraded Lam Research (LRCX) to Sector Weight from Overweight without a price target, believing strong memory pricing may take time to drive new tool demand [6] - Citizens JMP downgraded CyberArk (CYBR) to Market Perform from Outperform without a price target, citing the pending acquisition by Palo Alto Networks and not anticipating a superior proposal [6] - Seaport Research downgraded Oklo (OKLO) to Neutral from Buy without a price target, acknowledging positives in business development but stepping aside based on valuation [6] - Jefferies downgraded Vistra (VST) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $230, down from $241, following a 160% stock run-up attributed to expectations of a Comanche Peak nuclear deal [6]

CyberArk (CYBR) closed the most recent trading day at $485.95, moving +1.21% from the previous trading session. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.48%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.27%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.94%. Shares of the maker of software that detects attacks on privileged accounts have appreciated by 9.45% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 5.46%, and the S&P 500's gain of 2 ...

NEWTON, Mass. & PETACH TIKVA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CyberArk (NASDAQ: CYBR), the global leader in identity security, today announced two executive appointments to strengthen its leadership team and support the company's growth and innovation strategy. Omer Grossman, who has served as CyberArk's Chief Information Officer since late 2022, has been appointed to the newly created role of Chief Trust Officer and Head of CYBR Unit. Ariel Pisetzky will succeed Grossman as Chief Information Officer,. ...

Group 1: Agentic Browsers and Enterprise Concerns - The CEO of Palo Alto Networks, Nikesh Arora, expressed that enterprises may not be comfortable with agentic artificial intelligence browsers unless they have built-in controls for credentials and security [1][2] - Arora highlighted that while he appreciates the consumer benefits of agentic browsers, their autonomy raises concerns for enterprises, which may be hesitant to adopt them [2] - He predicted that major tech companies will invest billions in developing agentic browsers, but these technologies may conflict with enterprise security needs [2] Group 2: CyberArk Acquisition - Palo Alto Networks plans to acquire CyberArk, an Israeli identity security provider, in a deal valued at $25 billion, marking the largest acquisition in the company's history [3] - Arora noted that a significant majority of security breaches are due to credential theft, emphasizing the need for better protection of employee access to sensitive information [3] - The acquisition aims to enhance the management of privileged access with minimal intrusion and latency, addressing the security of "crown jewels" within organizations [4]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is that CYBR (CYBR.US) has received an upgrade in its MSCI ESG rating from AA to AAA as of August 26, 2025 [1] Group 2 - The upgrade reflects an improvement in the company's environmental, social, and governance practices, indicating a stronger commitment to sustainability [1] - The news highlights the increasing importance of ESG ratings in investment decisions and corporate reputation [1] - The article suggests that this upgrade may enhance CYBR's attractiveness to socially responsible investors [1]

Core Insights - CyberArk (CYBR) and Qualys (QLYS) are significant players in the cybersecurity sector, focusing on different areas: CyberArk on privileged access management and identity security, while Qualys specializes in vulnerability management and compliance monitoring [1][2] CyberArk Overview - CyberArk is witnessing growth in its identity security offerings, particularly due to the increasing ratio of machine identities to human identities, now exceeding 80 to 1, compared to 45 to 1 a year ago [3] - The company is innovating with AI-based products such as Secure AI Agents and CORA AI, aimed at protecting AI agents from various security threats [4] - However, CyberArk's near-term growth is impacted by changing customer spending behaviors, with companies opting for phased investments in cybersecurity solutions [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate projects CyberArk's revenue growth rates of 32.3% for 2025 and 18.8% for 2026, with earnings growth rates of 27.4% and 25% respectively [6] Qualys Overview - Qualys has over 10,000 customers and a net dollar expansion rate of 104%, indicating strong customer retention and acquisition [10][12] - The company is enhancing its product offerings, including the launch of the first Risk Operations Center and Qualys TotalAI to mitigate risks associated with generative AI [13] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate anticipates revenue growth rates of 8% for 2025 and 6.5% for 2026, with earnings growth rates of 3.6% and 5.5% respectively [14] Market Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, CyberArk shares have increased by 30.6%, while Qualys shares have decreased by 4.6% [16] - CyberArk is trading at a forward sales multiple of 14.7X, which is significantly higher than Qualys' 7.09X, indicating that CyberArk may be overvalued compared to Qualys [17] Investment Recommendation - Given the current market conditions, Qualys is recommended as a stronger investment option due to its robust growth and customer acquisition strategy, while CyberArk faces near-term challenges [19]

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]

Company Performance - CyberArk Software (CYBR) shares have increased by 27.2% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 7.2% [1][7] - In Q2 2025, CyberArk's subscription revenues reached $264 million, marking a year-over-year growth of 66% [4] Growth Drivers - CyberArk's identity security offerings have surpassed 10,000 active users globally, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44% projected from 2020 to 2024 [4] - The company anticipates a total addressable market of $80 billion, indicating substantial growth potential [4] - CyberArk has implemented AI solutions, including CyberArk Secure AI Agents Solution and CORA AI, enhancing its identity security platform [5] - Strategic partnerships with major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud have bolstered CyberArk's market position [9][10] Acquisitions and Market Position - CyberArk has expanded its capabilities through acquisitions, including Zilla Security and Venafi, which have improved its expertise in identity governance and machine identity [6] - The identity security and access management market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2024 to 2029, positioning CyberArk favorably [6] - CyberArk serves over 5,400 global businesses, including more than 50% of the Fortune 500 and 35% of the Global 2000 companies [9] Financial Outlook - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CyberArk's 2025 earnings is $3.86, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 27.4% [6][8] - CyberArk trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 14.14X, which is above the industry average of 11.95X [14] Competitive Landscape - The identity security market is competitive, with players like CrowdStrike, Okta, and Cisco also integrating AI into their offerings [12][13] - CyberArk has invested significantly in enhancing its sales and marketing capabilities to maintain its competitive edge [13]

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]