Group 1 - Zscaler's share price has increased nearly 40% this year, indicating strong market performance [1] - The market perceives Zscaler as a fast-growing niche vendor rather than a platform leader in the zero-trust space [1] Group 2 - The company is positioned at a strategic crossroads within the zero-trust framework, suggesting potential for further growth and influence in the industry [1]

Core Insights - Zscaler (ZS) achieved $2.9 billion in annual recurring revenues (ARR) for Q3 fiscal 2025, marking a 23% year-over-year growth for the third consecutive quarter, with a target of reaching $3 billion ARR by the end of Q4 fiscal 2025 [1][10] Group 1: Growth Drivers - The Z-Flex purchasing program, launched in Q3, simplified procurement and generated $65 million in total contract value (TCV) bookings, with significant ARR increases from major clients [2] - Zscaler's strategic focus on three pillars—Zero Trust Everywhere, Data Security Everywhere, and Agentic Operations—contributes nearly $1 billion in ARR [3] Group 2: Customer Expansion - The Zero Trust Everywhere initiative saw a 60% increase in enterprise customers, growing from 130 to over 210, with a goal to reach over 390 by the end of fiscal 2026 [4] - Zscaler has 642 customers generating over $1 million in ARR and 3,363 customers with ARR exceeding $100,000, indicating strong retention and expansion within existing accounts [5] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Competitors like CyberArk and SentinelOne are also experiencing growth, with CyberArk reporting $1.215 billion in ARR (50% year-over-year increase) and SentinelOne reaching $948 million in ARR (24% year-over-year increase) [6][7] Group 4: Stock Performance and Valuation - Zscaler's shares have increased by 66.3% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 22% [8] - The forward price-to-sales ratio for Zscaler is 15.21, slightly above the industry average of 14.77 [15]

Core Insights - Cybersecurity companies like Zscaler, CyberArk, and Cloudflare are positioned to benefit from ongoing trends in digital security, remaining resilient against macroeconomic challenges [1][2] Group 1: Zscaler - Zscaler employs "zero trust" systems, treating all network users as potential threats and providing cloud-native services that are easier to scale and maintain [4] - The company serves over 7,500 customers globally and secures more than 500 billion transactions daily [4] - Analysts project Zscaler's revenue to grow at a compound annual rate of 21% from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2027, with profitability expected by 2027 [5] - Zscaler plans to triple its zero trust deployments, expand its AI-powered ZDX Copilot platform, and integrate with larger cybersecurity firms [5] - The zero trust market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual rate of 16.7% from 2025 to 2032, indicating significant growth potential for Zscaler [6] Group 2: CyberArk - CyberArk is a leader in the privileged access management (PAM) market, focusing on internal threats rather than external ones [7] - The company serves over 10,000 customers across 110 countries [7] - Analysts expect CyberArk's revenue to grow at a compound annual rate of 24% from 2024 to 2027, with profitability anticipated in 2026 [8] - Growth drivers include the acquisition of Venafi, expansion of cloud-based subscriptions, and diversification into new security services [8] - The PAM market is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 21.4% from 2024 to 2033, supporting CyberArk's high valuation of 15 times this year's sales [9] Group 3: Cloudflare - Cloudflare enhances digital media delivery and protects clients from bot-based attacks through its content delivery network (CDN) [10] - The company serves data to users in 330 metropolitan areas across over 125 countries, processing an average of 78 million HTTP requests per second [10] - Analysts forecast Cloudflare's revenue to grow at a compound annual rate of 27% from 2024 to 2027, with narrowing net losses [11] - Key growth factors include the deployment of Nvidia's GPUs, expansion of the "Workers AI" platform, and growth of its Cloudforce One security platform [11] - The global CDN market is expected to expand at a compound annual rate of 17.7% from 2024 to 2030, providing Cloudflare with opportunities for continued growth [12]

The Nasdaq-100 measures the performance of 100 large non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Year to date, the three best-performing stocks in the index are Palantir Technologies (PLTR 3.36%), Zscaler (ZS -0.98%), and MercadoLibre (MELI -1.25%) as of June 8. But forecasts from Wall Street show downside in two of the three tickers, as detailed below: The median target prices listed above imply investors should sell Palantir and Zscaler, but buy MercadoLibre. Here are the important detail ...

Core Insights - The implementation of a zero trust architecture could potentially reduce global annual economic losses from cyber incidents by up to $465 billion, representing a reduction of up to 31% in overall cyber losses [1][8] - North America has experienced significantly more cyber incidents compared to Europe, with nearly four times the number of incidents, yet a higher percentage of European incidents (41%) could have been mitigated by zero trust compared to North America (31%) [2] - The rise in ransomware incidents, which increased by 126% in one year, has heightened the proportion of events that zero trust could have mitigated globally [3] Company Insights - Zscaler's Risk360 service provides organizations with a comprehensive cyber risk profile, enabling them to quantify business risk and potentially receive more favorable cyber insurance policies [5][6] - The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform is designed to protect users, devices, and applications from cyberattacks, leveraging a large network of over 160 data centers globally [9] Industry Insights - The report emphasizes the importance of zero trust as a fundamental cybersecurity control that enhances cyber hygiene and reduces risk exposure by requiring continuous verification of users, applications, and devices [4] - Companies with over $1 billion in annual revenue are identified as standing to benefit the most from zero trust implementation, with 60% of attacks deemed mitigable [3]

Core Insights - Zscaler (ZS) and Qualys (QLYS) are significant players in the cybersecurity sector, both competing in the vulnerability management space [1][2] - The cybersecurity market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.63% from 2025 to 2030, driven by increasing cyberattacks [2] Zscaler Overview - Zscaler provides a wide range of enterprise network security solutions, including web security, antivirus, and vulnerability management [4] - The company integrates over 150 data sources for unified vulnerability management, enhancing automation in risk mitigation [5] - Zscaler is focusing on privileged access security due to digital transformation trends and has a diverse industry presence, which helps mitigate macroeconomic risks [6] - The integration of AI in Zscaler's offerings enhances its capabilities in threat detection and mitigation [7] - However, rising sales and marketing expenses, along with increased R&D investment, are leading to margin compression, with fiscal 2025 earnings projected at $3.18 per share, a decline of 0.31% year-over-year [8][10] Qualys Overview - Qualys is a leader in Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR) solutions, with a growing customer base and product enhancements [11] - The company has a strong channel partner program that accelerates revenue growth, particularly through cloud-based security solutions [12] - Qualys reported a 16% year-over-year growth in international revenue, indicating successful organic expansion [13] - The total addressable market for Qualys is projected to reach $72 billion by 2027, growing at approximately 13% annually [14] - Fiscal 2025 revenues for Qualys are estimated at $652.2 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 7.34%, with earnings projected at $6.17 per share, a growth of 0.65% [15] Stock Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, Zscaler shares have returned 68%, while Qualys shares have returned 1.2% [17] - Zscaler trades at a forward sales multiple of 15.21X, above the industry average of 14.77X, while Qualys trades at a lower multiple of 7.69X [19] - Qualys is currently rated as a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), making it a more attractive investment compared to Zscaler, which holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [20]

On the weekly charts, Zscaler (ZS) is currently in the 10th Phase of its 18 Phase Adhishthana Cycle. Since entering this phase, the stock has already rallied by approximately 33%. What's driving this move, and where could it go from here? Phase 4 began at $191.14, and the stock surged to a high of $376.11. However, this rally was not participated in by our clients, as this phase typically presents illusory gains. As expected, in Phase 5, a phase of renunciation, Zscaler gave up all its Phase 4 gains and eve ...

Core Viewpoint - Despite macroeconomic uncertainties causing market volatility, investors should focus on high-quality stocks that can deliver substantial long-term returns, as identified by top analysts based on solid fundamentals and growth potential [1] Group 1: Nvidia - Nvidia reported results for Q1 FY2026 that significantly exceeded market expectations, maintaining confidence in AI infrastructure demand despite chip export restrictions [2] - Analyst Harlan Sur from JPMorgan reiterated a "Buy" rating with a target price of $170, noting that while H20 chip export restrictions impacted some sales, overall revenue remained robust [2] - The anticipated 16% quarter-over-quarter growth in data center revenue for the July quarter is driven by increased customer investment in AI and accelerated computing projects [2] - Nvidia's strong demand for the Blackwell platform is expected to lead to supply shortages in upcoming quarters, supported by partnerships with large data centers in regions like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan [2] Group 2: Zscaler - Zscaler's Q3 performance surpassed expectations, driven by increased demand for its zero-trust exchange platform and AI security solutions [4] - Analyst Brian Essex raised the target price from $275 to $292 while maintaining a "Buy" rating, highlighting Zscaler's strong quarterly performance amid macro pressures faced by peers [4] - The company has raised its annual revenue, profit, and billing guidance, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) nearing $1 billion, driven by emerging products like "full-domain zero trust" and "intelligent operations" [4] - Zscaler's customer growth momentum remains strong, with a 23% year-over-year increase in customers with ARR exceeding $1 million [4] Group 3: Salesforce - Salesforce reported Q1 FY2026 revenue and earnings that exceeded expectations and raised its full-year guidance, while announcing an $8 billion acquisition of data management firm Informatica [5] - Analyst Derrick Wood from TD Cowen reiterated a "Buy" rating with a target price of $375, noting strong signals of demand from the expansion of the sales team [5] - The company is experiencing rapid growth in AI applications, with data cloud and AI-related ARR increasing over 120% year-over-year, and 30% of new orders coming from existing customers [5] - Salesforce is reinvesting cost savings from AI into growth areas, with a notable increase in the sales pipeline growing at a double-digit rate [6]

Core Viewpoint - Market volatility driven by macro uncertainty necessitates a focus on stocks with strong long-term return potential, supported by top Wall Street analysts' recommendations [1][2] Group 1: Nvidia (NVDA) - Nvidia reported market-beating results for Q1 of fiscal 2026, maintaining confidence in AI infrastructure demand despite chip export restrictions [3][4] - JPMorgan analyst Harlan Sur reiterated a buy rating with a price target of $170, noting solid revenue despite a $4.5 billion write-down related to H20 inventory [4][6] - Excluding H20 shipments, data center revenue is projected to grow 16% quarter over quarter, driven by strong customer spending on AI projects [5][6] - Demand for Nvidia's Blackwell platform is strong, expected to exceed supply for several quarters, supported by mega data center deals [6][7] Group 2: Zscaler (ZS) - Zscaler's fiscal Q3 results surpassed expectations, driven by demand for its Zero Trust Exchange platform and AI security needs [8][9] - JPMorgan analyst Brian Essex reaffirmed a buy rating and raised the price target to $292, highlighting the company's raised full-year outlook for revenue and profitability [9][11] - The number of customers with over $1 million in annual recurring revenue increased by 23% year over year, positioning Zscaler to exceed $3 billion in ARR [11][12] - The acquisition of Red Canary is viewed positively, expected to enhance Zscaler's IP and threat intelligence capabilities [12] Group 3: Salesforce (CRM) - Salesforce reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings for Q1 of fiscal 2026 and raised its full-year forecast, alongside an $8 billion acquisition of Informatica [13][14] - TD Cowen analyst Derrick Wood reiterated a buy rating with a price target of $375, noting strong demand signals from the company's renewed focus on sales capacity growth [14][16] - AI adoption is accelerating, with Data Cloud and AI ARR rising over 120% year over year, indicating strong traction for the Agentforce offering [15][16] - Salesforce is increasing its workforce aggressively, signaling positive demand and growing sales pipelines [16][17]

Core Insights - Zscaler is experiencing significant growth in its ITOps and SecOps operations, driven by the introduction of ZDX Copilot and agentic operations across various security modules [1][3][10] ITOps Summary - The launch of ZDX Copilot has resulted in a 70% year-over-year increase in bookings for the ZDX Advanced Plus package, reaching $75 million since its introduction [2][10] SecOps Summary - Zscaler's SecOps business has seen a remarkable 120% year-over-year growth in annual contract value due to the integration of agentic operations [3][10] New Growth Categories Summary - The New Growth Categories (NGC), which include Zero Trust Everywhere, Data Security Everywhere, and Agentic Operations, have achieved approximately $1 billion in annual recurring revenues (ARR), contributing to Zscaler's total ARR of $2.9 billion in Q3 fiscal 2025 [3][10] Competitive Landscape Summary - Competitors like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike are also expanding their capabilities in agentic operations, with Palo Alto Networks deploying Cortex XSIAM and CrowdStrike introducing Falcon Next-Gen SIEM and Charlotte AI [5][6] Market Dynamics Summary - The agentic operations market is still expanding, providing ample growth opportunities for multiple players, including Zscaler, which has established a strong position in this emerging market [7] Price Performance Summary - Zscaler's shares have increased by 66.8% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 20.6% [8] Valuation Summary - Zscaler currently trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 15.16X, which is higher than the industry average of 14.6X [11] Earnings Estimates Summary - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Zscaler's fiscal 2025 earnings indicates a slight decline of 0.31%, while the estimate for fiscal 2026 suggests an 11.86% growth, with recent upward revisions in estimates for both years [12]