New York, February 13, 2026, 18:36 EST — After-hours
- CrowdStrike finished the session up 4.4% at $429.64, with shares seeing minimal movement in after-hours trading.
- HSBC bumped the cybersecurity firm up to Buy, putting the price target at $446.
- U.S. markets will be closed Monday. CrowdStrike is set to announce results on March 3.
HSBC’s upgrade sent CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD.O) up 4.4% on Friday, giving the cybersecurity stock a bump despite investors’ ongoing caution toward software. The shares finished at $429.64, barely moving once after-hours trading kicked in.
This rally stands out, as software stocks have been whipsawed by a new storyline: AI—artificial intelligence—threatening to erase pieces of the subscription model. CrowdStrike’s in the thick of it, shedding roughly 12% in 2026, even factoring in a pop on Friday.
The mood has shifted, with what one strategist dubbed an “AI scare trade” now hitting sectors beyond just software this week. Barclays equity strategist Emmanuel Cau described the market as being in “sell first think later” territory. Over at Dakota Wealth, senior portfolio manager Robert Pavlik said the short-term “replacement” narrative is running a bit ahead of reality. 1
HSBC lifted its rating on CrowdStrike to Buy from Hold and bumped the price target to $446, Investing.com reported. Analysts called out the company’s “mission-critical” role in cybersecurity, emphasizing CrowdStrike’s cloud-native design—engineered for cloud data centers—and its edge in scaling AI and machine learning for threat detection. 2
CrowdStrike saw brisk activity, with volume hitting about 3.4 million shares—well ahead of its 50-day average. The stock still sits roughly 24% off the 52-week peak it set back in November, according to MarketWatch data. 3
CrowdStrike goes up against Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet in both endpoint and cloud security. Investors have turned to the cybersecurity group as a kind of barometer for “must-have” enterprise spending, especially as the broader economy shows signs of uneven slowing.
The company rolled out some positive corporate updates over the past day. CrowdStrike announced on Thursday that it landed a Customers’ Choice spot in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer” report for user authentication—part of its strategy around identity security. “Identity is the front line of modern attacks,” CTO Elia Zaitsev said. 4
Focus swings to the numbers again. With CrowdStrike’s next results, traders tend to zero in on annual recurring revenue, or ARR—the yearly total of subscription deals—plus fresh ARR for the quarter, margins, and customer retention rates.
The stock’s lofty valuation has its downsides too. Should AI disruption jitters continue to weigh or management decides to take a more guarded stance on demand, don’t expect the rebound to stick. Fast money is still bouncing around the sector on every headline.
With U.S. stock markets shut Monday for Presidents Day, investors have an extra day before trading returns Tuesday. That leaves some time to take in HSBC’s latest call and the ongoing AI-fueled repricing that’s been roiling software stocks. 5
CrowdStrike plans to release its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year numbers after the U.S. market wraps up on March 3, according to the company. A conference call is set for 5 p.m. ET. That announcement marks the next notable event for the stock. 6
