Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) stock has declined approximately 19% since its all-time high in early June, approaching correction territory ahead of its earnings report on August 27 [1][2] Company Overview - The recent stock decline is attributed to profit-taking as many investors consider the stock overvalued, despite the strong performance of the cybersecurity sector [2] - CrowdStrike is experiencing a broader sell-off in technology stocks, indicating that the stock's performance is not solely company-specific [3] Strategic Expansion - CrowdStrike's expansion into identity protection through its Falcon platform is a strategic move aimed at growth beyond its core endpoint security business [4] - The company launched Falcon Next-Gen Identity Security in June 2024, targeting the rapidly growing area of user credential and access protection, which is a significant cause of breaches today [4] Market Potential - CrowdStrike forecasts a $10 billion total addressable market for identity protection, although it does not provide detailed revenue breakdowns for this segment [5] - The focus remains on total annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth and platform adoption as key metrics for assessing the company's performance [6] Growth Indicators - Identity security is still in the early adoption stage, serving as an incremental growth lever that enhances the overall platform and creates cross-selling opportunities [7] - The company reported a strong 22% year-over-year growth in ending ARR, but also an 8% year-over-year decline in net new ARR, indicating mixed signals regarding growth sustainability [9] Customer Adoption Trends - A rising number of multi-module customers serves as a proxy for platform stickiness and adoption, with 48% of customers using six or more modules [11] - Anecdotal evidence or case studies regarding Falcon Identity Security adoption can provide insights into its growth trajectory [10] Stock Performance and Forecast - CrowdStrike stock is currently trading around $415, below its 50-day moving average of $467, indicating a bearish trend [12] - Analysts have a 12-month stock price forecast of $460.81, suggesting an 11.29% upside potential, with a Moderate Buy rating based on 46 analyst ratings [8]

CrowdStrike (CRWD -1.25%) has been a market favorite in 2025. There's a lot to like. Its business performance has been strong, and demand for modern security, in general, remains robust. These factors, at least in part, help explain some of the stock's wild 57% year-to-date gain. But because of a recent sell-off in the stock, this gain is much lower than it was in early July, when shares were up about 90% year to date. The stock's pullback from these levels comes as investors have had some time to digest th ...

1. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing At first glance, a chipmaker like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM -1.71%) might not seem like an AI company, but it's just as important to the technology as virtually any other company you can name. TSMC, as it's also known, is at the source of the AI pipeline, producing the chips that power some of the most crucial components. When you think of companies like Nvidia, which designs the graphics processing units (GPUs) and accelerators for the data centers that m ...

Core Insights - The cybersecurity industry is undergoing a critical transformation with a shift in customer demand towards data security governance and AI security systems, while traditional security product procurement is declining [1] - Tianrongxin (002212) has successfully established a new balance between technological iteration and market demand adaptation through dual-driven innovation in intelligent computing and security [1] - The company reported a significant milestone in its strategic transformation with a 8.72% year-on-year revenue growth in Q2 2025, achieving profitability [1] Industry Trends - The global AI cybersecurity market is projected to reach $39.8 billion by 2025 and exceed $134 billion by 2030, indicating a period of accelerated growth in the industry [2] - New threats such as API interface brute force attacks and training data leaks are becoming significant pain points for the industry, necessitating robust security measures [2] Company Developments - Tianrongxin has built a comprehensive protection system for large model security, launching products like the large model security gateway and data security monitoring system [3] - The company has established a full-cycle risk management system for model training, deployment, and application, enhancing its competitive edge in the AI security domain [3] - Tianrongxin's intelligent computing cloud business is emerging as a new growth driver, addressing the compound demand for "computing power + security" in digital transformation [5][6] Market Positioning - The company has successfully secured projects in the automotive cybersecurity sector, showcasing its ability to adapt its technology across industries [4] - Tianrongxin's intelligent computing platform has achieved significant sales growth, with over $200 million in signed orders, indicating strong market acceptance [7] - The company is positioned to redefine industry value boundaries by integrating security and computing power, which is expected to create significant long-term value growth opportunities [9]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike (CRWD) is expanding its focus to secure the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in enterprises, addressing new risks associated with AI agents in business operations [1][2] Group 1: Company Strategy and Innovations - CrowdStrike views the security of AI agents and systems as a significant growth opportunity, launching initiatives to enhance its offerings in this area [2] - The company has expanded Falcon Shield to secure AI agents developed with OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex, enabling organizations to monitor AI activities and mitigate risks [2][10] - A new AI detection engine, Signal, has been introduced to identify unusual patterns in customer environments, aiming to catch threats that traditional systems may overlook [3][10] - CrowdStrike has also enhanced its AI Security Services with new offerings, including AI Systems Security Assessment and AI for SecOps Readiness, to help organizations assess AI risks and prepare security teams for safe AI integration [4][10] Group 2: Market Position and Competitors - As AI adoption increases, CrowdStrike's strategy of expanding its product portfolio and focusing on platform innovation is expected to drive revenue growth, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.78 billion for fiscal 2026, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 20.9% [5] - Competitors like Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and SentinelOne (S) are also expanding their platforms and innovating with AI, with PANW reporting a 32% year-over-year increase in its Next-Gen Security annual recurring revenue [6] - SentinelOne achieved a 24% year-over-year growth in its annual recurring revenue, driven by the adoption of its AI-first Singularity platform [7] Group 3: Financial Performance and Valuation - CrowdStrike's shares have increased by 22.4% year to date, outperforming the Security industry's growth of 7.4% [8] - The company trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 19.53X, significantly higher than the industry's average of 11.96X [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 10.9%, while fiscal 2027 earnings are expected to grow by 34.7% [14]

Core Insights - The investor adopts a contrarian investment style, focusing on high-risk, illiquid options and shares, with a balanced portfolio of approximately 50% in each [1] - The investment strategy involves identifying stocks that have recently experienced sell-offs due to non-recurrent events, particularly when insiders are buying shares at lower prices [1] - Fundamental analysis is employed to assess the health of companies, their leverage, and to compare financial ratios with sector and industry averages [1] - Technical analysis is utilized to optimize entry and exit points, using multicolor lines for support and resistance levels on weekly charts [1] Investment Strategy - The investor's timeframe for holding positions typically ranges from 3 to 24 months [1] - A professional background check is conducted on each insider who purchased shares after a recent sell-off to ensure credibility [1] - The investor screens through thousands of stocks, primarily in the US, but may also invest in companies from less stable economies [1]

Back. Is the AI market in a bubble. That's what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is warning saying over the weekend investors are quote over excited about the AI trade.Joining me here post 9 is star Wed Bush analyst Dan Ies. He is as excited as his coat is bright, right. I mean, is Alman on to something or no.>> Look, I mean, I believe we're only in the second inning of a nine inning game. I mean, because it's our view on the enterprise side. It's just started to play out from use cases.I think as we go into the consu ...

Core Viewpoint - CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ: CRWD) is experiencing a mixed market response ahead of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report, with analysts divided on the company's near-term performance outlook [1][2][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance - As of midday Monday, CRWD stock is trading at $424.90, showing a year-to-date gain of 24% but has seen a pullback from August highs due to concerns raised by peer Fortinet's earnings [1]. - The stock price forecast from Evercore ISI has been lowered to $425 from $440, indicating a cautious stance ahead of earnings [3]. Group 2: Earnings Expectations - Analysts anticipate that CrowdStrike will report earnings of $0.83 per share on revenue of $1.15 billion for the fiscal second quarter, reflecting a 19% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year [2]. Group 3: Analyst Ratings and Outlook - Evercore ISI has placed CRWD on its tactical Underperform list, citing subdued channel checks and mixed feedback regarding the Falcon Complete Platform renewal cycle [3][4]. - In contrast, Cantor Fitzgerald maintains an Overweight rating, projecting an 8% year-over-year growth in new annual recurring revenue for fiscal 2026 [5]. - Citizens JMP has reaffirmed a Market Outperform rating, highlighting CrowdStrike's strong position in endpoint protection [5]. Group 4: Credit Ratings - Moody's Ratings has kept its Baa3 senior unsecured rating for CrowdStrike but upgraded its outlook to Positive from Stable, attributing this to accelerating subscription revenue and improvements in profitability [6]. Group 5: Market Sentiment - According to TipRanks, 40 Wall Street analysts rate CrowdStrike as a Moderate Buy, with an average 12-month price target of $496.59, suggesting a potential upside of about 16% from the current price [9]. - Jim Cramer has expressed a bullish sentiment towards the company, despite its high valuation [10].

Industry Overview - The cybersecurity market is projected to witness a CAGR of 12.63% from 2025 to 2030, driven by the rise of complex attacks such as credential theft and social engineering [2] Company Profiles CrowdStrike - CrowdStrike specializes in endpoint protection and extended detection and response (XDR) through its Falcon platform, which is recognized as the industry's first multi-tenant, cloud-native security solution [4] - The Falcon platform offers 29 cloud modules categorized under Endpoint Security, Security & IT Operations, and Threat Intelligence, with subscription-based sales increasing from 72% in fiscal 2017 to 95% in fiscal 2025 [5] - Despite robust revenue growth, CrowdStrike's growth rate has decelerated from over 35% year-over-year until fiscal 2024 to 29% in fiscal 2025, with further estimates suggesting a decline to around 21% for fiscal 2026 and 2027 [6] - Rising costs are a concern, with R&D expenses increasing 12-fold and S&M expenses nearly ninefold to $1.52 billion in fiscal 2025 from $173 million in fiscal 2019 [7] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 earnings indicates a year-over-year decline of 10.9% [8] Qualys - Qualys is a leading provider of Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR) solutions, with a growing customer base and a net dollar retention rate of 104% [11] - The company has expanded its portfolio with new product launches, including the Risk Operations Center and enhancements to its TotalAI solution [12] - Qualys' channel partner program has driven revenue growth, with channel revenues increasing 17% year-over-year compared to 4% growth from direct customers [13] - International revenue growth is at 15% year-over-year, representing 43% of total revenues, allowing for organic expansion without acquisition costs [14] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Qualys' 2025 earnings is pegged at $6.35 per share, indicating a year-over-year increase of 3.6% [14] Valuation and Performance - Year-to-date, CrowdStrike shares have appreciated 25.1%, while Qualys shares have declined by 7.9% [17] - Qualys is trading at a forward sales multiple of 6.82X, below the industry average of 11.97X, while CrowdStrike is trading at a forward sales multiple of 19.98X, indicating overvaluation [20] - Qualys holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), making it a more attractive investment compared to CrowdStrike, which has a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell) [24]

Group 1 - The current high stock market necessitates a selective approach to portfolio management, with a preference for selling rather than buying stocks [1] - The strategy involves reallocating proceeds into cash or small/mid-cap value stocks until more favorable market conditions arise [1] - The analyst has extensive experience in technology sectors, having worked on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, and has been advising seed-round startups [1]