NEW YORK, March 4, 2026, 18:26 EST
- Shares dipped in after-hours trading—even though the stock closed higher—after the company forecast FY2027 revenue above what analysts had penciled in.
- Fourth-quarter revenue surged 23%, while annual recurring revenue climbed to $5.25 billion. The company also hit a new high for net new ARR in the quarter.
- Annual costs climbed after the July 2024 Windows outage. Still, the company is pressing ahead with its search for bolt-on acquisitions.
CrowdStrike on Tuesday aimed for fiscal 2027 revenue ahead of what Wall Street had penciled in, betting demand for its AI-powered security offerings isn’t letting up.
The stock closed up 1.7%, only to slip 0.8% in late trading. Cybersecurity stocks have taken some hits recently, as investors worry over Anthropic’s Claude Code Security tool. Truist Securities analyst Junaid Siddiqui described the muted move as “a good outcome.”
CrowdStrike said costs tied to the July 19, 2024 Windows outage hit $117.7 million for fiscal 2026. That number dropped sharply to $16.2 million in the January quarter. The company also pointed to two acquisitions unveiled in January.
The outlook is everything right now. Jittery investors are picking over software names for any hint that AI might pinch margins or knock products down to basic features. Cybersecurity has been a partial refuge, but it only protects so much.
CrowdStrike sits at the center of a changing landscape for buyers. Large clients want to deal with fewer security vendors, streamline the number of agents installed on their machines, and dial up identity protections — still the main target for attackers chasing login credentials.
The key figure: annual recurring revenue, or ARR. That’s the snapshot of contracted subscription dollars set to arrive over the next year. It usually moves ahead of reported revenue, giving Wall Street an early signal on customer spending habits—well before invoices are even sent.
After the bell, the Austin-based company posted fourth-quarter revenue of $1.31 billion, up 23%. Annual recurring revenue reached $5.25 billion, a 24% increase. Net new ARR totaled $330.7 million.
CrowdStrike turned in a GAAP net income of $38.7 million, sticking to standard U.S. accounting rules, with adjusted EPS hitting $1.12. CEO George Kurtz is already pointing to fiscal 2026 as the company’s “best year yet.”
The company put its fiscal 2027 revenue projection between $5.87 billion and $5.93 billion, and revealed post-year-end stock buybacks totaling roughly $50.6 million. CFO Burt Podbere said he has “strong conviction” as the firm boosts its FY2027 ARR forecast. Business Wire
The argument over what’s stripped from those “adjusted” figures isn’t dying down. Firms often toss out items like stock-based pay and special charges, aiming to showcase their core operations. But as markets get tougher, the gulf between GAAP and non-GAAP grabs sharper focus.
CrowdStrike finds itself in a tough field, squaring off with Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and SentinelOne for both endpoint and cloud security share. On the identity and log analytics front, the company contends with a wide cast of niche competitors, and the roster keeps changing. AI-powered tools are speeding up the pace, letting new security features roll out nearly overnight.
The company wants customers buying straight from its platform, often packaging products together in multi-product deals. Another tactic: Falcon Flex, which lets clients set their budget in advance and shift funds between CrowdStrike offerings as their needs evolve.
Still, the issues remain. Sluggish deal cycles and the aftershocks of the 2024 outage may squeeze renewal rates, jack up legal bills, and drag out the trust-rebuilding process—leaving that product headache unresolved.
CrowdStrike kicked off the submission window Wednesday for its Day Zero Threat Research Summit, an invite-only event scheduled for Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Las Vegas during the Fal.Con conference. “Defense starts with knowing your adversary,” said Adam Meyers, who leads counter adversary operations at the company. CrowdStrike
Investors are watching closely to see if the first-quarter pipeline turns into real signed deals. The noise about AI competition is still swirling—question is, will fresh bookings in the next round be enough to quiet those concerns?
