Core Insights - Cloudflare (NET) is enhancing its sales and marketing efficiency, evidenced by a decrease in the S&M expense to revenue ratio, which fell to 38.28% in Q1 2025 from 41.4% in the same quarter last year [1][9] - The operating margin for Cloudflare reached 11.7% in Q1 2025, reflecting a 50-basis point year-over-year increase, driven by disciplined S&M spending and stable R&D and administrative expenses [2][9] - The company has seen a 19% year-over-year increase in headcount, totaling 4,400 employees, while maintaining operational efficiency and sales productivity [3] - Cloudflare achieved 250,819 paying customers by the end of Q1 2025, a 27% increase year-over-year, with 30 new customers contributing over $100,000 in annual revenues [4][9] - The company has a diversified portfolio of solutions across cloud-based security, CDN, and application performance, allowing it to meet enterprise needs effectively [5] - Akamai Technologies is a key competitor, offering a comprehensive suite of solutions similar to Cloudflare, while Zscaler is a dominant player in the cybersecurity space [6][7] - Cloudflare's stock has increased by 79.1% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Internet - Software industry's growth of 16.3% [8][9] - The forward price-to-sales ratio for Cloudflare is 28.13X, significantly higher than the industry average of 5.82X [10] - Earnings estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 indicate year-over-year growth of 5.33% and 31.64%, respectively, although recent revisions have been downward [11]

In this article NET Roughly 16% of global internet traffic goes directly through Cloudflare's CDN, the firm estimated in a 2023 report. "AI crawlers have been scraping content without limits. Our goal is to put the power back in the hands of creators, while still helping AI companies innovate," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, in a statement Tuesday. "This is about safeguarding the future of a free and vibrant Internet with a new model that works for everyone," he added. What are AI cr ...

Industry Overview - The cybersecurity market is experiencing significant growth, projected to increase from $215 billion last year to $697 billion by 2035, reflecting an annualized growth rate of 11.3% over the next decade [2] - The typical data breach can cost companies approximately $4.9 million in damages, highlighting the critical importance of cybersecurity in today's digital landscape [1] Company Highlights - **Palo Alto Networks** specializes in firewall technology and has expanded into cloud security and AI integration, with analysts estimating a long-term earnings growth of 20% annually as security spending increases [5][6] - **CrowdStrike Holdings** is recognized for its endpoint security and has developed a comprehensive security platform, achieving $4.4 billion in annual recurring revenue, with a price-to-sales ratio of 28, indicating strong growth potential [8][9] - **Cloudflare** operates one of the largest content delivery networks and mitigates DDoS threats, boasting over 250,000 paying customers and positioning itself in edge computing for future technologies like autonomous vehicles [10][11] - **SentinelOne** utilizes AI for autonomous threat detection and competes directly with CrowdStrike, currently valued at a price-to-sales ratio of 6.7, suggesting potential long-term upside despite being smaller and not yet profitable [12][13] - **Microsoft** is a major player in the cybersecurity space, integrating security products into its Windows operating system and benefiting from its diverse exposure to AI, cloud computing, and enterprise software, making it a solid investment in the tech sector [14][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]

Akamai (AKAM) FY Conference June 05, 2025 11:40 AM ET Speaker0 Excellent. Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us for our Growth Stock Conference and today's session with Akamai. My name is Jonathan Hoenn. I'm the cybersecurity analyst for William Blair and Company. Our speaker today is Ed McGowan, who is the chief financial officer of the company and has been with Akamai and is with Akamai. Before we begin, I'm required to inform you that a complete list of research disclosures or conflicts of intere ...

Market Overview - The stock market has experienced historic volatility, with the S&P 500 losing 10.5% in just two trading days, marking its fifth-largest two-day decline in 75 years [2] - President Trump's temporary reversal of tariff policies led to significant single-session gains for major indices on April 9, with the Dow Jones increasing by 2,963 points, S&P 500 by 474 points, and Nasdaq Composite by 1,857 points, all record highs [3] Investment Opportunities - Despite the market being historically pricey, price dislocations have emerged, allowing for the purchase of undervalued stocks [4] Pfizer - Pfizer is viewed as mispriced, with concerns over potential tariffs on pharmaceuticals being considered overblown; the company was nearing an 8% dividend yield [5] - Sales from COVID-19 therapies dropped from over $56 billion in 2022 to approximately $11 billion last year, yet Pfizer's net sales increased by 52% to $63.6 billion from 2020 to 2024 [6][7] - The acquisition of Seagen is expected to enhance Pfizer's growth, with a forward P/E ratio just above 7 being attractive [8] Sirius XM Holdings - Sirius XM is identified as having a price dislocation, with its unique position as the only licensed satellite-radio operator providing it with pricing power [9][10] - The company generates 76% of its net sales from subscriptions, making its cash flow more predictable during economic downturns; shares were trading at a forward P/E of 6, the lowest since going public [12] Intel - Intel's shares are trading below book value, presenting a buying opportunity despite challenges from competitors [13] - The company remains a dominant player in CPUs for laptops and desktops, and new CEO Lip-Bu Tan is expected to improve operations and margins [15] - Intel's potential in AI remains, despite current struggles in the market [16] Fastly - Fastly is recognized for its content delivery network and security solutions, with a compelling long-term outlook despite recent growth disappointments [18][19] - The company has a net retention rate of 102% and a consistent annual revenue retention rate above 99%, indicating customer loyalty [20] - Shares are trading below book value and at a low sales multiple, making it an attractive investment [21] BioMarin Pharmaceutical - BioMarin focuses on orphan-disease therapies, which leads to predictable demand and strong pricing power [23] - The company reported $2.85 billion in sales last year, an 18% increase, with its top-selling drug Voxzogo contributing significantly [24] - BioMarin's valuation is at historic lows, with a forecasted P/E of just over 10 for 2026 [25] PubMatic - PubMatic is positioned well in the digital advertising space, focusing on connected TV and mobile, with a significant growth segment [28] - The company has developed its own cloud infrastructure, which is expected to enhance margins as it scales [29] - With a strong cash position and positive operating cash flow for a decade, shares were valued at 10 times forecast EPS, presenting a clear price dislocation [30]