New York, Feb 14, 2026, 16:10 EST — Market closed.
- CrowdStrike ended Friday’s session up 4.4%, settling at $429.64.
- HSBC bumped the cybersecurity firm up to a “buy” rating and set its price target at $446.
- With the long weekend coming up and earnings set for March 3, follow-through stays in the spotlight.
Shares of CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD.O) gained 4.4% Friday, finishing at $429.64 after an upgrade by HSBC sent the cybersecurity stock higher before the weekend. Trading volume came in around 3.4 million, topping the 50-day average. Still, the stock remains about 24% off its 52-week high. (MarketWatch)
Investors are still crowding into subscription software, even as jitters over AI’s threat to existing business models have fueled heavy selling. Since peaking in October, the S&P 500 Software & Services index has shed roughly $2 trillion, and Reuters noted that about half that loss hit in just the last two weeks. “Sell first think later,” Barclays equity strategist Emmanuel Cau told Reuters. Robert Pavlik at Dakota Wealth pointed to chatter that AI might soon take over “built‑out models.” (Reuters)
CrowdStrike’s in that tricky spot—cybersecurity spending gets priority, yet the stock still moves with broader software names whenever sentiment shifts.
HSBC bumped CrowdStrike up to buy from hold, putting a $446 price tag on the stock, Investing.com reported. The firm cited CrowdStrike’s cloud-native platform and sees non-GAAP EPS growing at an annual rate of 38.3% from fiscal 2026 through 2029, helped by gains in margins. (Investing.com)
Just two days back, CrowdStrike announced NordVPN picked its Threat Intelligence to back NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro for consumers. “Cybersecurity isn’t a malware problem – it’s an adversary problem,” said Daniel Bernard, chief business officer at CrowdStrike. For NordVPN, CTO Marijus Briedis pointed to the need for “intelligence we can trust” as a core element of their product. (CrowdStrike)
Cybersecurity stocks ended higher this Friday, with Palo Alto Networks climbing 2.5% and Fortinet up 1.5%, according to MarketWatch data. (MarketWatch)
U.S. stock trading takes a break Monday, Feb. 16 for Presidents Day, picking back up on Tuesday, Feb. 17. (New York Stock Exchange)
Still, Friday’s action leaves the bigger issue unresolved for software stocks: what’s the real price tag for growth when AI hype drives moves more than actual business results? Should sector weakness pick up again, or if CrowdStrike’s upcoming guidance doesn’t put growth fears to rest, that rally could lose steam in a hurry.
CrowdStrike plans to report its fourth-quarter and full-year numbers after the U.S. market shuts on Tuesday, March 3. The company has its conference call lined up for 5 p.m. ET, according to a statement. (businesswire.com)
