New York, February 13, 2026, 18:36 EST — After-hours
- CrowdStrike shares closed up 4.4% at $429.64; little changed after the bell
- HSBC upgraded the cybersecurity firm to Buy and set a $446 price target
- U.S. markets are shut Monday; CrowdStrike reports results March 3
CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD.O) rose 4.4% on Friday after HSBC upgraded the cybersecurity company, lifting the stock even as investors stay edgy about software names. Shares ended at $429.64 and were little changed in after-hours trading.
The rally matters now because the market has been chopping up software on a fresh narrative: AI, short for artificial intelligence, will automate away parts of the subscription economy. CrowdStrike has been caught in that crossfire, down about 12% so far in 2026 despite Friday’s jump.
That anxiety has turned into what one strategist called an “AI scare trade,” spreading well beyond software this week. Barclays equity strategist Emmanuel Cau said investors were in “sell first think later” mode, while Robert Pavlik, a senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth, argued the near-term “replacement” thesis is getting ahead of itself. (Reuters)
HSBC upgraded CrowdStrike to Buy from Hold and set a price target of $446, according to an Investing.com report. The firm pointed to CrowdStrike’s position in “mission-critical” cybersecurity and highlighted its cloud-native architecture — built to run in cloud data centers — and scale advantages for using AI and machine learning to spot threats. (Investing)
Trading in CrowdStrike was active. About 3.4 million shares changed hands, above its 50-day average, and the stock remains roughly 24% below its 52-week high hit in November, MarketWatch data showed. (Marketwatch)
CrowdStrike competes with firms such as Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet across endpoint and cloud security, and investors have been using the cybersecurity group as a stress test for “must-have” enterprise spending in a slowing patchy economy.
The company also delivered some upbeat corporate messaging in the past day. CrowdStrike said on Thursday it was named a Customers’ Choice in a Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer” report for user authentication, part of its push in identity security. CTO Elia Zaitsev said, “Identity is the front line of modern attacks.” (Crowdstrike)
Investors now shift back to the numbers. On CrowdStrike’s next update, traders typically track annual recurring revenue, or ARR — the annualized value of subscription contracts — and how much new ARR the company adds in the quarter, alongside margins and customer retention.
But the stock’s premium valuation cuts both ways. If AI disruption fears keep dragging sentiment, or if management strikes a cautious tone on demand, the rebound can fade quickly — especially with fast money still trading the sector headline-to-headline.
U.S. stock markets are closed on Monday for Presidents Day, with trading set to resume Tuesday. That gives investors a long weekend to digest the HSBC call and the wider AI-driven repricing that’s been hitting software. (Nyse)
CrowdStrike is due to report fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year results after the U.S. market close on March 3 and host a conference call at 5 p.m. ET, the company said. That date is the next clear catalyst for the stock. (Crowdstrike)
