Key Takeaways
- Fortinet tumbled after its billings and product revenue fell even as first-quarter results beat forecasts.
- The cybersecurity firm's product revenue sank 18.3%.
- Cybersecurity firms like Fortinet are suffering as companies keep a tight lid on their budgets.
Fortinet (FTNT) shares tumbled as the cybersecu🍬rity firm’s billings and product revenue declined, outweighing higher-than-forecast results for the firstౠ quarter.
Billings, a measure that includes unrealized revenue which the company uses to help indicate future business, dropped 6.4% to $1.41 billion. However, overall revenue advanced 7.2% to $1.35 billion, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.43. Both exceeded estimates.
Founder and CEO Ken Xie said Fortinet capitalized on the “fast-growing” Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) which is VPN and cloud security-related. ♈However, analysts at Mizuho said competition in the cybersecurity space is fierce and the new initiatives may not be enough to set them apart.
Despite the droll billings reading, the com🌞pany raised full-year guidance of adjusted EPS to a range of $1.73 to $1.79, and revenue at $5.75 billion to $5.85 billion.
Competition🙈 in Cyౠbersecurity Pushes Down Rivals Too
Fortinet wasn't the only cybersecurity firm that posted lower results as companies grapple with enterprise customers tightening their budgets amid an uncertain macroeconomic outlook and intense competition.
Shares in global cloud services provider Cloudflare (NET) also plunged Friday after the company issued a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:soft current-quarter sales outlook.
Fortinet shares were down 8.5% at $59.68 each as of about 12:07 p.m. ET, while those of Cloudflare were 18% lower at $73.36.
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