Okta (OKTA) closed the most recent trading day at $97.84, moving -3.22% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.02%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.14%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.33%. Coming into today, shares of the cloud identity management company had gained 2.71% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector gained 6.31%, while the S&P 500 gained 4.93%. The investment community will be closely monitoring t ...

Company Overview - Okta (OKTA) shares increased by 3.3% to $101.1 in the last trading session, with a higher-than-average trading volume, contrasting with a 0.2% loss over the past four weeks [1] - The company is experiencing growth due to an expanding partner base, a strong backlog, and an innovative product portfolio [1] Earnings Expectations - Okta is projected to report quarterly earnings of $0.84 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 16.7% [2] - Expected revenues for the upcoming quarter are $711.04 million, which is a 10.1% increase compared to the same quarter last year [2] Stock Performance Insights - The consensus EPS estimate for Okta has remained unchanged over the last 30 days, indicating that stock price movements may not sustain without trends in earnings estimate revisions [3] - Okta currently holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), suggesting positive market sentiment [3] Industry Comparison - Okta is part of the Zacks Security industry, where another company, SentinelOne (S), closed 0.5% higher at $19.56, with an 8.1% return over the past month [3] - SentinelOne's consensus EPS estimate for its upcoming report is $0.03, representing a significant year-over-year increase of 200%, and it holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [4]

Industry Overview - Cybersecurity involves comprehensive measures to protect systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks aimed at accessing, altering, or destroying sensitive information, extorting money, or disrupting business operations [2] - The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), IoT devices, and increased digitization has heightened vulnerabilities, necessitating advanced security solutions [4] Company Analysis CyberArk Software Ltd. (CYBR) - CyberArk is experiencing increased demand for cybersecurity and privileged access security solutions due to rising data breaches and digital transformation strategies [7] - The company has a strong presence in various sectors, including banking, healthcare, and government, which helps mitigate the impact of softening IT spending [8] - CyberArk's strategic shift towards software-as-a-service (SaaS) and subscription-based solutions is driving revenue growth, with an expected revenue growth rate of 31.9% and earnings growth rate of 26.4% for the current year [12] - The company has successfully closed several large seven-figure deals, contributing to increased deferred revenues and visibility [10][11] Okta Inc. (OKTA) - Okta operates as an identity partner, offering products for managing and securing identities, including Single Sign-On and Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication [13][14] - The company has expected revenue and earnings growth rates of 9.4% and 16.7%, respectively, for the current year ending January 2026 [15] Fortinet Inc. (FTNT) - Fortinet is benefiting from rising demand from large enterprise customers and growth in security subscriptions, with expected net sales to rise 13.1% from 2024 [16][17] - The company has a strong balance sheet and focuses on enhancing its unified threat management portfolio through product development and acquisitions, with expected revenue and earnings growth rates of 13.3% and 4.6%, respectively, for the current year [17]

Core Insights - Okta shares closed at $95.63, approximately 25% below the 52-week high of $127.57, with a year-to-date appreciation of 21.3%, outperforming the Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the Zacks Security industry [1][9] - The company has a strong liquidity position with $2.73 billion in cash and investments, and a free cash flow margin guidance raised to roughly 27% for fiscal 2026 [7][9] - Okta's innovative product portfolio and extensive partner base are driving customer growth and revenue, with over 20,000 customers and a significant increase in high-value contracts [15][16] Performance Comparison - Okta has outperformed peers such as CyberArk, Cisco, and Microsoft year to date, with respective share price appreciations of 12.9%, 15.9%, and 20% [2] - In terms of valuation, Okta is trading at a forward Price/Cash Flow of 22.51X, which is higher than the broader sector's 22.03X but lower than CyberArk's 73.58X and Microsoft’s 28.88X [8][10] Product and Market Position - The company is benefiting from strong demand for its new products, including Identity Governance and AI-powered capabilities, which enhance security and user experience [3][9] - Okta's new protocol, Cross App Access, aims to secure AI agents and improve security compliance, reflecting the company's commitment to protecting customers deploying AI [14] Financial Guidance - For fiscal 2026, Okta expects revenues between $2.85 billion and $2.86 billion, indicating a growth of 9-10% from fiscal 2025, with non-GAAP earnings guidance raised to $3.23-$3.28 per share [17][18] - The second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue guidance is between $710 million and $712 million, suggesting a 10% year-over-year growth [19][20] Conclusion - Despite facing macroeconomic challenges and a competitive landscape, Okta's innovative portfolio and expanding customer base position it favorably for growth, supported by a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) and a Growth Score of A [21]

Industry Overview - Cybersecurity has evolved into a major business priority due to the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, which can result in significant financial losses and brand damage [1][2] - The global cybersecurity market is projected to grow from $193.73 billion in 2024 to $562.72 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.3% [2] Technological Advancements - Traditional security tools are becoming inadequate against modern threats, leading to a shift towards artificial intelligence (AI) for proactive threat detection and response [3] - AI technologies are being integrated into cybersecurity solutions to automate detection processes and enhance threat intelligence capabilities [10] Key Companies CyberArk - CyberArk focuses on identity security solutions and is leveraging AI to enhance its offerings, particularly with its Secure AI Agent solution [6][8] - The company’s unified platform provides critical capabilities for managing AI-driven identities, which positions it well in the identity security market [7] Fortinet - Fortinet is recognized as a leader in network security, offering a range of solutions including next-generation firewalls and AI-driven threat intelligence [9] - The FortiAI platform utilizes deep learning to automate threat detection, contributing to the company's strong financial performance and market share growth [10][11] Okta - Okta specializes in identity and access management, significantly enhancing its AI capabilities to address the complexities of digital identities [13] - The company’s Identity Threat Protection solution employs machine learning to monitor and mitigate identity risks in real time, focusing on non-human identities [14][15] - Okta has a growing customer base, with a notable increase in high-value contracts, indicating strong market traction [16]

Core Insights - Broadcom (AVGO) and Okta (OKTA) are significant players in the enterprise security software market, with Broadcom offering a wide range of security solutions and Okta focusing on cloud-based identity solutions [1][2] Industry Overview - Gartner projects enterprise spending on cybersecurity software and network security to grow by 14% in 2025, reaching $118.5 billion, driven by demand for Generative AI and cloud adoption [2] - IDC anticipates global cybersecurity spending to increase by 12.2% year over year in 2025, with security software spending expected to grow by 14.4% year over year [2] Company Performance - Broadcom's infrastructure software revenues rose by 25% year over year to $6.6 billion in Q2 of fiscal 2025, accounting for 44% of total revenues [7] - Okta's stock has appreciated 21.1% year to date, benefiting from strong demand for its innovative security products [3][11] Product Innovations - Broadcom has introduced several AI-powered security features, including updates to VMware vDefend and Incident Prediction, aimed at enhancing threat prevention and operational efficiency [9][10] - Okta's new protocol, Cross App Access, enhances security for AI agents and improves user experience by streamlining authorization processes [12][13] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Broadcom's fiscal 2025 earnings is $6.64 per share, indicating a 36.34% increase over fiscal 2024 [14] - Okta's fiscal 2026 earnings estimate remains steady at $3.28 per share, suggesting a 16.73% growth over fiscal 2025 [15] Valuation Metrics - Broadcom's shares are trading at a forward Price/Sales ratio of 18.55X, significantly higher than Okta's 5.6X, indicating that Okta is currently undervalued [17] - Both companies are considered overvalued based on their Value Scores, with Broadcom rated D and Okta rated F [18] Investment Outlook - Broadcom expects its AI revenues to increase by 60% year over year to $5.1 billion in Q3 of fiscal 2025, although it anticipates sluggishness in other business segments [22] - Okta's strong growth prospects are highlighted by its 20,000 customers and $4.084 billion in remaining performance obligations as of Q1 fiscal 2026 [23] - Okta is rated as a better buy compared to Broadcom, with a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) versus Broadcom's 3 (Hold) [24]

Industry Overview - The artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure space is gaining momentum, with previous concerns about DeepSeek being overstated. The global trend towards digitization is creating opportunities in markets such as 5G, blockchain, and AI. Companies are rapidly adopting generative AI, machine learning (ML), blockchain, and data science to secure a competitive edge [1] Company Recommendations - Five AI-focused stocks with favorable Zacks Ranks that have potential for double-digit returns in the short term are HubSpot Inc. (HUBS), Okta Inc. (OKTA), Adobe Inc. (ADBE), NICE Ltd. (NICE), and Teradata Corp. (TDC). Each stock carries either a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) [2] HubSpot Inc. (HUBS) - HubSpot provides a cloud-based customer relationship management platform and is experiencing steady multi-hub adoption from enterprise customers. Pricing optimization in its starter edition is leading to solid client additions [5][6] - The integration of HubSpot AI features is enhancing customer value, and its seat pricing model reduces barriers for customer engagement. The growing adoption of inbound applications is a positive factor [6] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for HubSpot are 15.4% and 15%, respectively, for the current year, with a slight improvement in earnings estimates [7] - The short-term average price target for HUBS indicates a potential increase of 39.7% from the last closing price of $542.41, with a maximum upside of 71.5% [8] Okta Inc. (OKTA) - Okta operates as an identity partner, offering a suite of products for identity management and security. The company leverages AI to enhance security and user experience [10][11] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Okta are 9.4% and 16.7%, respectively, for the current year, with an improvement in earnings estimates [13] - The average short-term price target for OKTA suggests a potential increase of 29.9% from the last closing price of $95.43, with a maximum upside of 55.1% [14] Adobe Inc. (ADBE) - Adobe has integrated AI applications across its flagship products and introduced generative AI-driven tools like Adobe Firefly. The company is diversifying into digital marketing services [15][16] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Adobe are 9.5% and 11.8%, respectively, for the current year, with a recent improvement in earnings estimates [17] - The average short-term price target for ADBE indicates a potential increase of 35.2% from the last closing price of $365.79, with a maximum upside of 65.4% [18] NICE Ltd. (NICE) - NICE is benefiting from the strength of its cloud business and the adoption of AI-powered solutions, enhancing customer experience through its CXone platform [19][20] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for NICE are 7% and 11.2%, respectively, for the current year, with an improvement in earnings estimates [21] - The average short-term price target for NICE suggests a potential increase of 33.9% from the last closing price of $153.41, with a maximum upside of 95.6% [22] Teradata Corp. (TDC) - Teradata is experiencing strong cloud annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth, supported by strategic partnerships and demand for its AI solutions [23][24] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Teradata are 2% and 8.3%, respectively, for the next year, with a slight improvement in earnings estimates [24] - The average short-term price target for TDC indicates a potential increase of 19.5% from the last closing price of $21.59, with a maximum upside of 62.1% [25]

Group 1: Company Strategy and Developments - Okta is enhancing its identity protection efforts by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its security strategy, enabling real-time detection and response to identity-based threats [1] - The company's AI approach supports a growing portfolio that includes Identity Governance, Privileged Access, Fine-Grained Authorization, Device Access, and Identity Security Posture Management, while also expanding tools to protect non-human identities like service accounts and bots [2] - A significant boost to Okta's AI-driven vision comes from a new partnership with Palo Alto Networks, creating a unified security architecture for automated threat detection and response [3][4] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Okta faces increasing competition in the identity and access management (IAM) space from CyberArk Software and Microsoft [5] - CyberArk has shown strong growth with a 43% revenue increase in Q1 2025, bolstered by acquisitions and a robust position in identity security [6] - Microsoft's Entra ID presents a significant challenge with over 900 million monthly active users and advanced IAM tools, reinforcing its dominance in secure identity solutions [7] Group 3: Financial Performance and Valuation - Okta's shares have appreciated 18.8% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Security industry's return of 15.6% [8] - The company is trading at a forward Price/Cash Flow ratio of 21.44, slightly below the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's 21.7X, with a Value Score of D [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Okta's Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings is 84 cents per share, indicating a 16.67% year-over-year growth, while the fiscal 2026 earnings estimate is $3.28 per share, suggesting a 16.73% growth over fiscal 2025 [13][15]

Core Insights - Okta's subscription business is experiencing significant growth, with subscription revenues increasing by 12% year-over-year to $673 million, accounting for 98% of total revenues in Q1 fiscal 2026 [1][9] - The company has seen a 21% year-over-year rise in remaining performance obligations (RPO), with current RPO (cRPO) up 14%, indicating a strong future revenue pipeline [1] Strategic Developments - Okta has expanded its identity platform with new modules such as Identity Governance, Privileged Access, and Device Access, which contributed to 15% of new bookings in Q1 fiscal 2026 [2][9] - The sales organization has been restructured to focus on distinct customer segments, leading to a 20% year-over-year increase in customers generating over $1 million in annual contract value (ACV) [3][9] Financial Performance - The company reported a 27% non-GAAP operating margin and 35% free cash flow, allowing for continued investment in product development and market initiatives [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings is set at 84 cents per share, reflecting a 16.67% year-over-year growth [11] Market Position - Okta's shares have appreciated by 16.2% year-to-date, slightly trailing the Zacks Security industry's return of 17% [7] - The company currently trades at a forward Price/Cash Flow ratio of 21.56, which is marginally higher than the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's 21.5X [10]

Group 1: Investment Recommendations - Jim Cramer recommended buying SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SOFI) as it plans to allow retail clients to invest in companies like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Epic Games [1] - Cramer expressed a preference for CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) over Okta, Inc. (OKTA), despite Okta's strong first-quarter revenue of $688 million, which exceeded analyst estimates [2] - Cramer suggested waiting for a pullback in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (LECO) shares before buying [4] Group 2: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Sanjay Sakhrani maintained an Outperform rating for American Express Company (AXP) and raised the price target from $360 to $371 [3] - Truist Securities also maintained a Buy rating for American Express and increased the price target from $335 to $340 [3] - BMO Capital analyst Ryan Griffin initiated coverage on Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) with an Outperform rating and set a price target of $2,000 [3] Group 3: Company Performance and Stock Movements - SoFi shares increased by 3.7% to settle at $20.97 [7] - Okta shares decreased by 4.8% to close at $94.41 [7] - American Express shares rose by 2.5% to close at $325.24 [7] - Fair Isaac shares fell by 0.5% to settle at $1,584.38 [7] - Lincoln Electric shares increased by 1.4% to close at $223.47 [7] - Campbell's Company (CPB) reported better-than-expected third-quarter results, although its shares slipped by 0.8% to settle at $30.49 [4][7]