Should You Buy, Hold, or Sell CrowdStrike Stock Ahead of Q2 Earnings?

Core Insights - CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) is set to announce its fiscal 2026 second-quarter earnings on August 27, with strong demand for security solutions noted on Wall Street [1] - The company has faced downward pressure on its stock due to disappointing revenue guidance for the second quarter, making the upcoming earnings report critical for its stock performance [2] Revenue Performance - For the fiscal first quarter, CrowdStrike reported a revenue of $1.10 billion, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 20%, which is lower than the 29% growth for the full fiscal year 2025 [3] - The anticipated revenue for the second quarter is projected to be between $1.14 billion and $1.15 billion, indicating a 19% year-over-year growth, which is a slowdown compared to the first quarter [4] Cash Flow and Valuation - Free cash flow decreased to $279.4 million in the fiscal first quarter from $322.5 million in the same period last year, attributed to $61 million in expenses from a platform outage [5] - CrowdStrike's forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is 21.9, significantly higher than the Security industry average of 13.7, suggesting caution for new investors [6] Competitive Landscape - The company faces pricing pressure from competitors like Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), which offers endpoint security as part of its Microsoft 365 E5 package, complicating CrowdStrike's market position [7] Long-term Outlook - CrowdStrike's annual recurring revenue (ARR) reached a record $4.4 billion in the fiscal first quarter, marking a 22% increase year-over-year, with management targeting $10 billion by fiscal 2031, representing a 127% increase from current levels [9][11] - The projected addressable market for CrowdStrike is $116 billion, indicating significant growth potential in the coming years [12]