Advertisement
CRWD vs FTNT
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CrowdStrike (CRWD) vs. Fortinet (FTNT) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Both CRWD and FTNT are cybersecurity leaders riding strong AI-driven demand, yet their business models differ sharply: CrowdStrike is a cloud-native software platform, while Fortinet blends hardware appliances with subscription services.
- CrowdStrike posted record net new annual recurring revenue (ARR) and pulled its long-term ARR targets forward, while Fortinet raised full-year 2026 guidance on a firewall refresh cycle and surging SASE adoption.
- Fortinet trades at a substantially lower forward price-to-sales multiple (roughly 13x) than CrowdStrike (above 30x), reflecting different growth and profitability profiles.
- Both stocks have delivered exceptional relative performance in recent months, with CrowdStrike up more than 150% since late March and Fortinet up nearly 100% year to date.
- Fortinet offers established GAAP profitability and cash generation, while CrowdStrike pairs faster top-line growth with a premium valuation and stronger platform-consolidation momentum.
Introduction
Cybersecurity has become one of the market's most closely watched sectors as enterprises treat AI-era threats as an urgent spending priority. This stock comparison examines two prominent names that attack the same opportunity from different angles: CrowdStrike Holdings, a cloud-native endpoint and security-operations platform, and Fortinet, a converged networking and security vendor built around its FortiGate firewall hardware. For traders and investors evaluating relative performance and market positioning, the contrast between a high-growth, premium-priced software franchise and a more diversified, hardware-anchored platform offers a useful lens on how to allocate within the sector.
CRWD Overview and Recent Performance
CRWD, the parent of the Falcon platform, sells cloud-delivered endpoint, cloud, identity, and security-operations software on a subscription basis. In its most recent quarter, revenue rose about 26% year over year to roughly $1.47 billion, exceeding consensus, while ending ARR reached about $5.84 billion. A record $333 million in net new ARR, up 51% year over year, underscored accelerating demand as customers adopt more modules under the Falcon Flex consumption model. Management cited AI-driven cyber threats as a key catalyst, with AI Detection and Response (AIDR) ARR nearly tripling sequentially and Next-Gen SIEM ARR surpassing $695 million, up over 60%.
Recent market activity has been notably strong: shares climbed more than 150% since late March and reached the $260 range in late September, supported by raised full-year guidance and pulled-forward long-term ARR targets. The stock trades above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, a bullish technical signal. The trade-off is valuation, with a forward price-to-sales multiple well above 30x that leaves little room for execution missteps.
FTNT Overview and Recent Performance
FTNT provides a broad portfolio of over 50 enterprise products anchored by FortiGate firewalls, running on its proprietary FortiOS operating system and purpose-built FortiASIC chips. The company converges networking and security, positioning its "SASE Firewall" offering as a single platform for on-premises, edge, and cloud deployment. In its latest quarter, revenue rose about 26% year over year to $2.05 billion, with product revenue surging 52% and billings expanding 33%. Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to roughly $8.02–$8.18 billion and targeted a non-GAAP operating margin of 35%–37%.
Shares have gained nearly 100% year to date, outperforming the broader security industry, as investors reward the firewall refresh cycle and AI-linked initiatives such as FortiSOC and FortiEndpoint. A planned acquisition of Virtue AI and a chip-development collaboration with Intel signal continued investment in AI-era security. Fortinet carries a more modest forward price-to-sales ratio near 13x, reflecting its mix of lower-margin hardware revenue alongside growing subscription services.
Trending AI Robots
For traders seeking a systematic edge in fast-moving names like CRWD and FTNT, Tickeron's Trending AI Robots page offers a curated view of automated strategies. Tickeron hosts hundreds of AI trading bots that collectively trade thousands of different tickers, each with its own trading style, timeframe, performance statistics, and set of covered symbols. Because conditions shift constantly, only the strongest and most suitable bots for the current market environment earn a place in this rotating selection, which highlights metrics such as historical returns, drawdowns, and trade frequency. Browsing the section can help investors identify which automated approaches are currently gaining traction across equities like these. Explore the Trending AI Robots list to see which strategies are performing best right now.
Head-to-Head Comparison
The core contrast is business-model economics. CRWD is an almost purely subscription software company with a roughly 79% non-GAAP gross margin and a land-and-expand platform strategy; its growth is faster and its retention-driven ARR is highly visible, but it commands a premium multiple and remains early in its GAAP profitability journey. FTNT blends appliance hardware (which carries inventory and lower gross margin) with higher-margin FortiCare and FortiGuard subscription services, generating established GAAP earnings and strong cash flow at a lower valuation multiple.
On growth drivers, CrowdStrike leans on AI-native security, cloud, identity, and security operations consolidation, while Fortinet's momentum is tied to firewall refresh cycles, SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) adoption, and networking-security convergence. Risk profiles also differ: CrowdStrike faces concentration in high-growth software and intense competition from platform rivals, whereas Fortinet is more exposed to hardware spending cycles and supply-chain dynamics. In terms of momentum, both stocks are in strong uptrends, though CrowdStrike's run has outpaced even the broader security sector.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors, Tickeron's AI would likely favor CRWD on a trend-consistency basis, given its accelerating ARR growth, record net new ARR, raised guidance, and persistent position above key moving averages. Fortinet's steadier profitability, broader cash generation, and lower valuation, however, give it a stability edge that could appeal to more conservative positioning. In probabilistic terms, the current setup tilts toward CrowdStrike for momentum-oriented and growth-focused strategies, while Fortinet may present a more balanced risk-reward profile for investors weighing valuation against durable cash flow. Neither outcome is guaranteed, and relative positioning could shift quickly with the next earnings cycle.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CRWD is a Buy and FTNT is a StrongBuy.
CRWD | FTNT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 50 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 100 Overvalued | 92 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 6 | 11 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 89 | 12 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 34 | 8 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 7 | 9 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
FTNT's Valuation (92) in the Computer Communications industry is in the same range as CRWD (100) in the null industry. This means that FTNT’s stock grew similarly to CRWD’s over the last 12 months.
CRWD's Profit vs Risk Rating (6) in the null industry is in the same range as FTNT (11) in the Computer Communications industry. This means that CRWD’s stock grew similarly to FTNT’s over the last 12 months.
FTNT's SMR Rating (12) in the Computer Communications industry is significantly better than the same rating for CRWD (89) in the null industry. This means that FTNT’s stock grew significantly faster than CRWD’s over the last 12 months.
FTNT's Price Growth Rating (8) in the Computer Communications industry is in the same range as CRWD (34) in the null industry. This means that FTNT’s stock grew similarly to CRWD’s over the last 12 months.
CRWD's P/E Growth Rating (7) in the null industry is in the same range as FTNT (9) in the Computer Communications industry. This means that CRWD’s stock grew similarly to FTNT’s over the last 12 months.
| CRWD | FTNT | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 77% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 74% | 4 days ago 68% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 81% | 4 days ago 70% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 88% | 4 days ago 68% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 82% | 4 days ago 70% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 85% | 4 days ago 70% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 82% | 14 days ago 70% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 72% | 4 days ago 63% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 89% | 4 days ago 72% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 83% | 4 days ago 70% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CRWD’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green while FTNT’s FA Score has 4 green FA rating(s).
- CRWD’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- FTNT’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CRWD’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while FTNT’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CRWD’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 3 bearish.
- FTNT’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 3 bearish.
Price Growth
CRWD (@Computer Communications) experienced а +6.09% price change this week, while FTNT (@Computer Communications) price change was +2.13% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Computer Communications industry was -0.35%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.17%, and the average quarterly price growth was +25.24%.
Reported Earning Dates
CRWD is expected to report earnings on Dec 01, 2026.
FTNT is expected to report earnings on Oct 29, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Computer Communications (-0.35% weekly)Computer communications industry develops technology that allows computing devices to exchange data with each other using connections/data links between nodes. Common types of computer network include Cloud (IAN), Internet, Wide (WAN, Local (LAN)/Wireless(WLAN) etc. The industry is an ever-more important part of technology, and is set to become even bigger as the Internet of Things (IoT) rapidly forays into the various aspects of our lives. Cisco Systems, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and Arista Networks, Inc., Fortinet, Inc. are some of the major computer communications companies.
Advertisement
CRWD and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CRWD has been closely correlated with PANW. These tickers have moved in lockstep 85% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if CRWD jumps, then PANW could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To CRWD | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRWD | 100% | -2.90% | ||
| PANW - CRWD | 85% Closely correlated | -3.89% | ||
| OKTA - CRWD | 77% Closely correlated | -5.54% | ||
| FTNT - CRWD | 74% Closely correlated | -2.92% | ||
| RBRK - CRWD | 71% Closely correlated | -3.73% | ||
| TENB - CRWD | 71% Closely correlated | -6.66% | ||
More | ||||