New York, February 24, 2026, 17:56 EST — After-hours
- CrowdStrike closed Tuesday just a tick lower, off 0.02%, and edged down a bit more after hours.
- Cybersecurity shares slid, with some on the Street pointing to concerns that fresh AI tech might start chipping away at areas of the security stack.
- Attention shifts to CrowdStrike’s results and forecast coming up March 3.
CrowdStrike Holdings ended Tuesday almost unchanged, dipping just 0.02% to $350.25. Shares slipped again after the bell, off about 0.2% to around $349.5.
Cybersecurity stocks stabilized by the close, but Monday’s session had already rattled investors, with sharp declines as they digested news of Anthropic’s security tool debut. “What you’re seeing today is really the continuation of a panic-driven, narrative-led selloff,” said Shrenik Kothari, security and infrastructure analyst at Robert W. Baird. He pointed out that the new offering doesn’t substitute for real-time defense measures like intrusion detection. Reuters
Analysts have flagged the same disconnect. According to CSO Online, Justin Greis, CEO at Acceligence, described “code security” as crucial for cybersecurity, though he noted it’s “far from the only one,” with essentials like endpoint detection and response (EDR) and identity controls also making up the stack. CSO Online
CrowdStrike dropped fresh numbers Tuesday, with its 2026 Global Threat Report pointing to an 89% jump in “AI-enabled adversaries” activity over 2025. The firm says “breakout time”—basically how long it takes attackers to dig deeper after first access—has slipped to 29 minutes on average. Fastest case? Just 27 seconds. “This is an AI arms race,” Adam Meyers, who heads up counter adversary operations, said in the statement. CrowdStrike
AI’s disruptive force isn’t just rattling cybersecurity. IBM shares plunged Monday, marking the company’s sharpest single-day fall in over 20 years, after Anthropic unveiled its Claude Code tool—which promises to speed up the modernization of COBOL, the mainframe workhorse.
Some analysts are tweaking their projections. TD Cowen cut its price target on CrowdStrike, dropping it to $480 from $580 but sticking with a Buy rating. The firm pointed to a shrinking market and thinks quarterly results should land roughly as expected, according to its preview.
Investors now face a key question: will the “AI can do it all” narrative hold up long enough to actually influence budgets? CrowdStrike’s long-running argument centers on the speed of breaches and customer demand for a single console covering endpoint, cloud, and identity risks.
But the risks are clear enough. Rapid adoption of AI-driven code scanning could spark a vendor scramble, pushing some sectors toward price cuts — despite ongoing appetite for instant results.
CrowdStrike faces pressure to prove customers are still renewing and ramping up subscriptions as fast as the stock’s price implies. If big deals hesitate or stall, it’s usually visible fast in annual recurring revenue (ARR), the subscription run-rate metric everyone watches.
The next significant event is just ahead. CrowdStrike plans to release its fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 numbers after the U.S. market wraps up on Tuesday, March 3. A conference call is on the calendar for 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
