CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) ended the holiday-shortened Christmas Eve session slightly lower, and after-hours trading has remained relatively calm so far.
At the close (1:00 p.m. ET), CRWD finished at $477.11, down 0.36%. In after-hours trading, shares were last indicated around $476.17 (down about 0.20%) as of 4:59 p.m. ET. [1]
Because today’s session ended early—and with U.S. markets closed tomorrow for Christmas—investors are heading into the next tradable session with less near-term liquidity, fewer catalysts, and more “headline sensitivity” than usual.
First, the calendar matters: “tomorrow” isn’t a normal trading day
If you’re planning for “tomorrow’s open,” here’s the key point:
- U.S. stock markets closed early today (Christmas Eve) and will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day).
- They’re scheduled to reopen on Friday, Dec. 26. [2]
That means the practical setup for CRWD investors is less about a Thursday morning gap and more about what can develop between now and Friday’s reopening—especially any late-breaking cybersecurity headlines or analyst notes that hit during a low-liquidity window.
CrowdStrike stock performance recap: quiet price action, thin holiday volume
Even with a modest down day, CRWD’s intraday range still showed some movement:
- Open: $476.83
- High: $478.00
- Low: $470.67
- Close: $477.11
- Volume: ~722K shares (notably light vs. prior full sessions) [3]
Holiday sessions can exaggerate price moves because fewer participants are active. So, while the “close-to-after-hours” change is worth tracking, it’s also a day where one or two larger orders can make the tape look more dramatic than the underlying sentiment really is. [4]
The broader market backdrop was supportive—even if CRWD didn’t surge
Today’s U.S. session closed with major indexes higher (and at record closes for the Dow and S&P 500 in Reuters’ report), reinforcing the narrative of a seasonal year-end “Santa rally” starting to take shape. [5]
For a premium-valued cybersecurity leader like CrowdStrike, that matters because:
- In risk-on tape, investors are often willing to pay up for durable growth stories.
- In risk-off tape, high-multiple software names can get hit hard on valuation alone.
CRWD didn’t meaningfully ride today’s broad-market wave, but the macro environment isn’t currently screaming “panic” either—at least based on today’s index-level close. [6]
Today’s CrowdStrike news: what actually crossed the wires on Dec. 24
Here are the most notable CRWD-related items published today (Dec. 24, 2025), and why they matter going into Friday.
1) A fresh long-range forecast piece put CRWD back in the spotlight
A new 24/7 Wall St. forecast article published today revisited CrowdStrike’s longer-term narrative (platform consolidation, cloud security tailwinds, and multi-year growth expectations). It also referenced CRWD being down from a recent peak near $566.90 and included a 2026 year-end projection (presented as a model-driven estimate rather than a Wall Street consensus). [7]
Why it matters before the next open:
- These forecast-style pieces can reignite retail attention and affect sentiment, especially when liquidity is thin.
- But they’re not the same as an earnings update or a company filing—treat them as opinion/analysis, not a new fundamental catalyst.
2) Institutional positioning headlines: fund stake changes and “who owns CRWD”
Two MarketBeat items published today focused on institutional holdings shifts based on reported filings (Form 13F data) and paired that with commentary around valuation and insider selling:
- One piece highlighted Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increasing its CRWD stake during Q3 (as reported in its filing). [8]
- Another highlighted Enclave Advisors LLC trimming its CRWD position during Q3. [9]
Why it matters:
- Institutional ownership and flows can influence medium-term price action.
- However, 13F data is backward-looking (Q3 filings are not real-time positioning), so this is more about sentiment framing than a live flow signal.
3) Insider-selling headlines resurfaced again today
The same MarketBeat coverage also emphasized that recent insider sales have been notable in dollar terms, including a sale attributed to CEO George Kurtz reported as occurring on Dec. 22 and additional references to insider selling totals over a recent lookback window. [10]
Separately, MarketScreener’s running feed highlighted early-morning items about insider sales based on SEC filings (some items are paywalled, but the headlines and context are visible). [11]
Why it matters before Friday:
- Insider selling can pressure near-term sentiment, particularly for a stock that many investors already view through a valuation lens.
- It can also be interpreted many ways (pre-planned selling, tax obligations, diversification). The important part for traders is that these headlines can move the tape quickly in low-liquidity sessions.
4) AI security narrative gained more attention today: “prompts are the new malware”
A tech-news brief published today focused on CrowdStrike’s Falcon AI Detection and Response (AIDR) positioning—specifically the idea that the AI prompt and agent interaction layer is an emerging attack surface (prompt injection, jailbreak tactics, hidden instructions, data leakage risks). [12]
This connects directly to CrowdStrike’s own communications about Falcon AIDR and what it’s designed to secure (visibility and controls across AI usage and development, including prompt-layer protections). [13]
Why it matters:
- Investors have been rewarding “AI-adjacent” platform stories—but they’re also demanding proof of monetization.
- The key question for Friday and beyond: will “AI security” translate into accelerating module adoption, net retention strength, or stronger forward guidance—not just product headlines.
Wall Street forecasts and price targets: what the consensus is signaling now
On the Street-facing forecast side, what stands out heading into the next session is that analyst price targets still imply upside from current levels, even after CRWD’s strong run earlier this year.
One widely-circulated compilation shows:
- Average 12-month price target: about $555
- Low / high range: roughly $353 to $706 (depending on the firm/data set) [14]
Why that matters going into Friday:
- When the consensus target sits meaningfully above spot, dips sometimes attract “buy-the-pullback” attention.
- But the spread between low and high targets also tells you something important: there is still valuation disagreement on CRWD.
The fundamental anchor: CRWD’s most recent guidance still points to strong growth
The most important “fundamental” reference point for CRWD right now remains its most recent quarterly results and outlook.
In early December, Reuters reported CrowdStrike forecast Q4 revenue above analyst estimates and raised its full-year revenue outlook, tying the strength to growing adoption of AI-driven features across the Falcon platform. [15]
Key figures reported by Reuters included:
- Q4 revenue outlook: $1.29B–$1.30B
- Full-year revenue outlook: $4.80B–$4.81B [16]
Why it matters before the next open:
- In a market that’s increasingly focused on “durable growth + operating discipline,” guidance is the real scoreboard.
- Any incremental headline that suggests demand acceleration (large platform consolidations, big channel wins, major cloud partnerships) tends to matter more than generic “AI” commentary.
What to watch before the next tradable session (Friday, Dec. 26)
Here’s a practical checklist for CRWD investors and traders heading into the next open.
Watch 1: After-hours liquidity distortions and headline sensitivity
With the holiday schedule, pricing can look “clean” while actually being based on thin prints. The more important tell is whether any real institutional narrative emerges (upgrades/downgrades, major contracts, material cybersecurity events). [17]
Watch 2: Insider/filing headlines
Expect “insider sold shares” style headlines to keep circulating because they’re easy to publish and can travel fast. The market reaction often depends on:
- size relative to holdings,
- whether sales appear repetitive/pre-planned,
- whether they coincide with valuation debates. [18]
Watch 3: AI security momentum vs. monetization proof
Falcon AIDR strengthens CrowdStrike’s positioning around the AI-era attack surface (prompt/agent layer). What investors will want next is evidence of:
- adoption,
- attach rates,
- contribution to platform consolidation wins. [19]
Watch 4: The “valuation vs. execution” tug-of-war
Even bullish coverage today paired optimism with a valuation conversation (a recurring theme for CRWD when it’s priced like a best-in-class compounder). If the market stays risk-on, valuation concerns can fade; if macro sentiment wobbles, valuation often becomes the first lever investors pull. [20]
Next major catalyst: the next earnings date window
One of the cleanest “date-driven” items for planning is the next earnings release window. Zacks lists CRWD’s next earnings release as expected around March 3, 2026 (noted as an expectation rather than a confirmed company announcement). [21]
Why it matters now:
- As the calendar turns, investors often reposition around “next report risk,” especially for stocks where expectations are high.
- Options markets typically start repricing implied volatility as that date approaches.
Bottom line for Dec. 24 after-hours: calm tape, but headlines can matter more than usual
CrowdStrike stock is ending Christmas Eve in a quiet, slightly negative posture—$477.11 at the early close and hovering around the mid-$476 area after-hours. [22]
But the bigger message isn’t the pennies in after-hours. It’s the setup:
- Tomorrow (Dec. 25) the U.S. market is closed, so the next meaningful session is Friday (Dec. 26). [23]
- Today’s CRWD-related publications emphasized long-range forecasts, institutional ownership chatter, insider-selling headlines, and renewed attention on AI prompt-layer security (Falcon AIDR). [24]
- Going into Friday, watch for any new analyst action, any material cybersecurity incident headline, and any follow-through on the AI-security monetization narrative—because in thin post-holiday liquidity, those are the catalysts most likely to move CRWD quickly.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
References
1. finance.yahoo.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. 247wallst.com, 8. www.marketbeat.com, 9. www.marketbeat.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.marketscreener.com, 12. itbusinesstoday.com, 13. www.crowdstrike.com, 14. www.marketbeat.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.marketwatch.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.crowdstrike.com, 20. www.marketbeat.com, 21. www.zacks.com, 22. finance.yahoo.com, 23. www.marketwatch.com, 24. 247wallst.com
