Core Insights - CyberArk Software (CYBR) and Zscaler (ZS) are significant players in the cybersecurity sector, focusing on different aspects of security, with CyberArk specializing in privileged access management and identity security, while Zscaler excels in secure access service edge and cloud security [2] - The cybersecurity market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.63% from 2025 to 2030, driven by advanced attacks and the proliferation of AI [3] CyberArk Stock Analysis - CyberArk is witnessing a shift in identity security, with machine identities now outnumbering human identities at a ratio of over 80 to 1, up from 45 to 1 a year ago [5] - The company is innovating with AI-based products like Secure AI Agents and CORA AI, enhancing its identity security platform [6] - CyberArk's acquisitions of Zilla Security and Venafi have bolstered its expertise in identity governance and machine identity, contributing to recurring revenues and market share [7] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate predicts revenue growth rates of 31% for 2025 and 19% for 2026, with bottom line growth rates of 26.4% and 25% respectively [8] Zscaler Stock Analysis - Zscaler is implementing strategies such as Zero Trust Everywhere and agentic SecOps to leverage the growing cybersecurity market [11] - The company reported over 210 Zero Trust Everywhere enterprises in Q3 of fiscal 2025, marking a sequential growth of 60% [12] - Zscaler faces challenges with rising sales and marketing (S&M) and research and development (R&D) expenses, impacting near-term profitability [13] - The company's fiscal 2026 earnings are projected at $3.08, indicating a year-over-year decline of 3.5% [14] Performance and Valuation Comparison - Year-to-date, CyberArk shares have increased by 19.6%, while Zscaler shares have surged by 74.4% [16] - CyberArk is trading at a forward sales multiple of 13.6X, compared to Zscaler's 6.65X, reflecting higher growth expectations for CyberArk despite appearing pricier [17] Conclusion - CyberArk is positioned for robust growth through acquisitions and innovation in identity and AI security, while Zscaler is facing near-term challenges with rising operating expenses [18] - CyberArk holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating a stronger investment case compared to Zscaler, which has a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [19]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the industry, indicating an expected investment return exceeding the market benchmark by over 15% in the next 6-12 months [7]. Core Insights - The North American market is experiencing strong demand for AI inference, leading to significant stock performance among cybersecurity companies closely associated with AI and cloud security. From April 8, 2025, to June 16, 2025, the Nasdaq index rose by 26.3%, with stock price increases for Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Zscaler, Rubrik, and Cloudflare reaching 30.0%, 47.8%, 69.4%, 73.5%, and 82.3% respectively [2]. Summary by Sections Company Performance - CrowdStrike is leveraging platformization and AI-native capabilities, reporting a transaction value exceeding $3.2 billion in its Flex model, with next-generation SIEM ARR growth exceeding 100%. The AI-native XDR platform is projected to cover a market size of $116 billion [3]. - Palo Alto Networks has seen significant results from its AI security initiatives, with 60% of customers achieving a mean time to resolution (MTTR) of under 10 minutes, and an ARR growth of over 200% for its XSIAM platform. The Prisma AIRS platform targets a $15 billion AI security market [3]. - Cloudflare is successfully transitioning from a CDN to an AI security cloud service provider, with a 54% revenue growth in the Asia-Pacific region and a 27% increase in paid customers [4]. - Rubrik focuses on a rapid recovery engine, significantly reducing recovery time from weeks to hours, with a 60% ARR growth and a subscription ARR of $1.18 billion, up 38% year-over-year [4]. - Zscaler is advancing AI-driven network security, with significant ARR growth in its Zero Trust and data security initiatives, and a 70% year-over-year increase in ZDX Advanced bookings [5]. Investment Recommendations - The deep integration of AI and cloud security is reshaping the global cybersecurity landscape. Traditional leaders like CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks are enhancing their competitive advantages through continuous technological iterations, while companies like Cloudflare, Rubrik, and Zscaler are achieving rapid growth through cloud-native and AI-native architectures. The report recommends focusing on vendors with AI and cloud security product capabilities to capture the increasing demand in the cybersecurity sector during digital transformation [6]. Recommended stocks include CrowdStrike, with a watch on Rubrik, Cloudflare, and Zscaler [6].

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]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q2 was $648 million, representing a 23% year-over-year increase and a 3% sequential increase [39] - Annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 23% year-over-year to over $2.7 billion, with a net retention rate (NRR) improving to 115% [8][39] - Total calculated billings increased 18% year-over-year to $743 million, with unscheduled billings growing over 25% year-over-year [40] - Operating profit grew by 36%, leading to a 2 percentage point improvement in operating margin to nearly 22% [9][39] - Free cash flow margin reached a record of 22% [9] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Zero Trust Branch solution saw significant customer interest, with 57% of customers being new logo customers [17] - Data protection solutions experienced over 40% year-over-year growth in net new annual contract value (ACV) [19] - The number of customers with over $1 million in ARR grew by 25% year-over-year [17][41] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Geographic revenue distribution: Americas accounted for 54%, EMEA for 30%, and APJ for 16% [39] - The company ended Q2 with 620 customers generating over $1 million in ARR and 3,291 customers generating over $100,000 in ARR [41] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on the "Zero Trust Everywhere" initiative, aiming to triple the number of enterprises adopting this model within 18 months [14][36] - The strategy includes targeted campaigns to educate customers on transitioning from legacy security stacks to Zero Trust solutions [13][36] - The company is leveraging the upcoming hardware refresh cycle to promote its solutions, emphasizing cost savings and improved security [13][104] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that while there is ongoing scrutiny of large deals, the demand for cybersecurity solutions remains strong [104][110] - The company expects to achieve $3 billion or more in ARR by the end of the fiscal year, driven by strong demand and sales productivity [8][37] - Management highlighted the importance of partnerships with global system integrators (GSIs) in driving growth and closing deals [32][66] Other Important Information - The company is investing in AI solutions, with AI analytics driving strong growth and nearly doubling year-over-year [28][27] - The company has hired a new EVP of AI innovations to accelerate the development of AI solutions [29] Q&A Session Summary Question: How much of the business is coming from ZIA and Secure Web Gateway replacements versus broader platform products? - Management indicated that ZIA is often a starting point, but many customers are now adopting a broader platform that includes ZIA, ZPA, and CDx [52] Question: What proves that the go-to-market changes are making a difference? - Management cited the strength of the pipeline, double-digit growth in new ACV, and increased engagement with C-level executives as indicators of success [58] Question: Can you provide insight into the NRR improving to 115%? - Management noted that larger deals and upsells are contributing to the NRR, with expectations of continued growth in this area [75][76] Question: Can you elaborate on the 8-figure APAC government deal? - Management described it as a landmark deal focused on cybersecurity rather than ROI, with significant upsell opportunities in the government sector [81][83] Question: How is the company addressing the need for data classification? - Management explained that AI is being utilized for data classification, and the platform can work alongside other providers' classifications for policy enforcement [90][92] Question: What is the competitive landscape for Zero Trust solutions? - Management stated that competition primarily comes from legacy firewall vendors and that Zero Trust solutions eliminate the need for traditional security appliances [146]