What Makes FortiGate the Core Driver of Fortinet's Product Growth?

Core Insights - Fortinet's FortiGate platform is central to its secure networking strategy, driving hardware adoption and facilitating expansion into other solutions [1][10] - The launch of the FortiGate 700G series enhances performance and energy efficiency, appealing to mid-sized businesses and distributed enterprises [3][10] - Fortinet's product revenues grew 12% year-over-year in Q1 2025, with FortiGate hardware being the primary growth driver [4] Product and Market Performance - FortiGate firewalls are often the first product for customers, leading to increased integration of Fortinet's other offerings [2][10] - In Q1 2025, FortiGate hardware outpaced overall product growth, expanding in the mid-teens [4] - The company estimates product revenues for 2025 to reach $2.14 billion, indicating a 12.3% year-over-year growth [4] Competitive Landscape - Fortinet faces stiff competition from Palo Alto Networks and Check Point Software, both of which are experiencing strong adoption of their firewall capabilities [5] - Palo Alto Networks reported a 20% year-over-year growth in Software Firewall ARR, driven by public cloud deployments [6] - Check Point Software saw a 14% year-over-year rise in product and license revenues, with expectations of continued momentum through 2026 [7] Stock Performance and Valuation - Fortinet's shares have risen 11.1% year-to-date, underperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 23.4% [8] - The stock is currently trading at a Price/Book ratio of 40.17X, compared to the industry's 24.88X, indicating a lower valuation score [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Q2 2025 earnings is 59 cents per share, reflecting a 3.51% year-over-year growth [15]