NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 19:42 ET — After-hours
- CrowdStrike shares were down about 1.5% after the bell at $468.76.
- A newly filed 8-K detailed a performance-based equity award for CEO George Kurtz tied to S&P 500-relative returns through 2028. 1
- Wedbush’s Dan Ives reiterated a $600 price target and flagged CrowdStrike as a key AI-linked cyber play for 2026. 2
CrowdStrike Holdings shares slipped about 1.5% in after-hours trading on Wednesday, leaving the cybersecurity firm at $468.76.
The move capped a soft finish for U.S. equities as investors closed the books on 2025, a year fueled by euphoria around AI-focused stocks, Reuters reported. 3
CrowdStrike drew fresh attention this week after it filed an 8-K describing a new, long-term performance stock unit award for CEO George Kurtz, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission filing. 1
Performance stock units are equity awards that pay out only if targets are met. CrowdStrike said the award’s performance period runs from December 22, 2025 through December 22, 2028. 4
The payout is tied to total shareholder return (TSR) — stock price gains plus dividends reinvested — relative to the companies in the S&P 500, the filing and award agreement show. 4
At target, Kurtz received 300,000 performance units, with a sliding scale from zero to a maximum 600,000 shares if CrowdStrike’s TSR ranks at the 90th percentile or higher versus S&P 500 peers, the agreement shows. 5
CrowdStrike said the award is intended to retain Kurtz and align incentives with shareholders as the company pursues an ambition to reach $20 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a subscription metric that tracks contracted revenue expected each year. 4
Bullish analyst commentary also stayed in the mix. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives reiterated a $600 price target and wrote: “CrowdStrike remains one of our favorite tech names,” according to a Business Insider summary of his note. 2
In the regular session, CrowdStrike traded between $468.48 and $476.84, with about 1.66 million shares changing hands, market data showed.
Cybersecurity peers were also lower late in the day. Palo Alto Networks fell about 1.4%, Zscaler was down about 1.1% and Fortinet slipped about 1.1%.
A separate Form 4 filing showed Chief Accounting Officer Anurag Saha sold 836 shares on December 24 at $476.83 under a Rule 10b5-1 plan — a pre-arranged trading plan that allows insiders to sell shares on a set schedule. 6
Broader risk appetite remained cautious into the close. The S&P 500 fell 0.74% and the Nasdaq lost 0.76% in the year’s final session, Reuters reported, adding that U.S. markets are closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day. 3
What investors watch next is whether CrowdStrike holds the mid-$460s area when liquidity returns on Friday, and how the stock tracks versus the broader market as Kurtz’s new award ties future payouts to S&P 500-relative performance. The company’s fiscal year ends January 31, and earnings calendars are already pointing to early March for the next results update, though CrowdStrike has not announced a date. 1
