NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 23:01 ET — Market closed
- CrowdStrike shares closed Friday up about 0.8% at $481.19.
- Wedbush reiterated an “Outperform” rating and a $600 price target, citing AI-driven momentum. [1]
- MarketBeat reported Zacks Research lowered its rating on the stock to “hold.” [2]
CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) shares closed Friday up $4, or about 0.8%, at $481.19, in light post-holiday trading.
The stock has become a year-end battleground for investors trying to price how much of the “cyber meets AI” trade is already in the shares, after a sharp run this year. Research notes can move sentiment quickly when volumes thin out into the final trading days of December. [3]
Macro remains a swing factor for high-growth software names, with markets looking ahead to the Federal Reserve’s minutes from its December meeting this week. Investors also have fresh housing data on deck on Monday. [4]
Wedbush, in a note cited by Stocktwits, kept its “Outperform” rating and a $600 price target, calling CrowdStrike a leading way to play the intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. A price target is an analyst’s estimate of where a stock could trade over the next 12 months. [5]
“CrowdStrike remains one of our favorite tech names,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote, pointing to deal momentum and AI as a tailwind. [6]
The firm said adoption across CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform and related modules was supporting its bullish view into 2026, according to the report. [7]
On the more cautious side, MarketBeat reported that Zacks Research lowered its rating on CrowdStrike to “hold,” a move that can temper momentum trading late in the year. [8]
CrowdStrike has been pushing deeper into AI security. The company said on Dec. 15 it made Falcon AI Detection and Response (AIDR) generally available to secure “prompt and agent” interactions — the layer where users and software agents interact with AI models. [9]
The last major company catalyst came earlier this month. CrowdStrike forecast fourth-quarter revenue above estimates and raised its full-year revenue outlook on Dec. 2, citing demand for AI-integrated security tools, Reuters reported. [10]
The broader market backdrop has been supportive into year-end, though volumes have been thin. U.S. stocks ended marginally lower on Friday after the holiday, as investors looked toward rate policy and 2026 positioning, Reuters reported. [11]
Before Monday’s opening, traders will watch the National Association of Realtors’ pending home sales report due at 10 a.m. ET. Pending home sales track signed contracts for existing homes and can move rate-sensitive sectors. [12]
Later in the week, the Fed’s calendar shows minutes from the Dec. 9–10 meeting due on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. ET — a potential catalyst for high-valuation tech if rates expectations shift. [13]
Technically, traders will be watching whether CrowdStrike holds above Friday’s low near $475 and whether it can push through resistance near $482, Friday’s high.
For the next company-specific catalyst, TipRanks lists CrowdStrike’s next earnings report date as March 10, 2026 after the close. Investors typically focus on subscription growth, annual recurring revenue — a measure of revenue expected to repeat — and operating margin trends in results. [14]
References
1. stocktwits.com, 2. www.marketbeat.com, 3. stocktwits.com, 4. www.federalreserve.gov, 5. stocktwits.com, 6. stocktwits.com, 7. stocktwits.com, 8. www.marketbeat.com, 9. ir.crowdstrike.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.nar.realtor, 13. www.federalreserve.gov, 14. www.tipranks.com
