Fortinet shares closed at a record high Friday. The cybersecurity stock kept climbing as investors continued to buy after its earnings rally, even as U.S. tech stocks broadly fell.
Fortinet jumped 12.3% ahead of the bell Thursday, after the cybersecurity name came through with first-quarter numbers that beat Wall Street, and dialed up its 2026 forecast on stronger demand for network-security offerings. Adjusted earnings landed at 82 cents per share on $1.85 billion in revenue, topping consensus calls for 62 cents and $1.73 billion.
Fortinet Inc. jumped up to 24% after hours, lifted by a hike in its full-year revenue outlook and billings growth not seen in more than three years. The cybersecurity name returned to focus, delivering a quarter that cleared Wall Street’s bars on revenue, profit, and sales commitments.
CrowdStrike Holdings shares picked up 4.9% to finish at $395.50 on Friday, the cybersecurity firm riding a broader bounce in U.S. equities following a tough stretch for software stocks.
Fortinet, Inc shares jumped 2.8% to $81.11 in premarket trading Friday, following a quarterly beat and stronger guidance, despite recent weakness in tech stocks. The cybersecurity company posted adjusted earnings of 81 cents per share and revenue of $1.91 billion, with billings rising to $2.37 billion. It also forecast first-quarter earnings between 59 and 63 cents per share.
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. shares fell 1.5% on Wednesday, closing at $415.36. This marked the sixth consecutive day of declines as investors continued to shy away from high-multiple software stocks. Volume climbed to about 4.7 million shares. The stock now sits roughly 27% below its November 12 peak of $566.90.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. shares dropped Thursday following the completion of its acquisition of Chronosphere, a provider of observability platforms. The stock ended the day down 4.8% at $174.85 and was last seen at $176.20 in after-hours trading.
Palo Alto Networks climbed roughly 2.2% to $184.19 in late Monday trading, following a broader uptick in cybersecurity stocks. The stock fluctuated between $179.88 and $185.59, with about 5.3 million shares traded.
Shares of Palo Alto Networks Inc ticked up 0.44% to $182.27 on Thursday, riding the wave of a broader U.S. equity rally. The S&P 500 added 0.55%, while cybersecurity peers made bigger moves—Fortinet surged 2.47% and CrowdStrike gained 1.77%.
Broadcom shares dropped 4.1% to $340.03 in early trading Wednesday following a Reuters report that Chinese regulators instructed local firms to halt use of cybersecurity software from about a dozen U.S. and Israeli companies, including VMware, which is owned by Broadcom.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. shares swung in premarket Wednesday after Reuters reported that Chinese authorities instructed local firms to halt use of cybersecurity software from around a dozen U.S. and Israeli providers. The list includes Palo Alto, VMware, Fortinet, and Israel’s Check Point Software. Palo Alto’s stock was last up roughly 1%, trading at $190.85.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Cisco Systems’ appeal in a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of aiding China in tracking down Falun Gong practitioners. This development adds a new layer of legal uncertainty as Cisco’s shares prepare to trade next week. A Cisco spokesperson said the company is “pleased” the court will consider the case and anticipates the oral arguments ahead.
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. shares slid 3.2% in after-hours trading on Friday to $453.58, extending a weak start to 2026 for the cybersecurity bellwether.
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. shares were last down 1.5% at $468.76 in extended trading after closing at $475.69 on Wednesday, as U.S. markets paused for the New Year’s Day holiday. New York Stock Exchange
The final full stretch of 2025 trading arrives with a familiar contradiction: holiday-shortened markets, but no shortage of cybersecurity catalysts. With U.S. stock markets scheduled to close early on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and remain closed on Thursday, Dec. 25, liquidity is expected to thin out—often amplifying single-headline moves in high-momentum groups like cybersecurity. Nasdaq+2New York Stock Exchange+2
December 17, 2025 — Arista Networks, Inc. is back in focus for investors on Wednesday as a mix of AI-infrastructure headlines, analyst updates, and technical commentary reshapes the near-term narrative around one of the market’s most closely watched data-center networking names.