Is CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) The Best Performing Cybersecurity Stock So Far in 2025?
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) stands against other best performing cybersecurity stocks so far in 2025.
While the Trump administration's shifting tariff policy, which includes the announcement of steep tariffs followed by a 90-day pause on many import taxes, has prompted some economists to predict a recession within the next year, financial analysts believe the cybersecurity sector could prove to be relatively resilient. Wedbush Securities analysts see cybersecurity as a 'defensive' investment that can help investors weather what they call an impending 'Category 5 storm.' Another tailwind for the industry comes in the form of increased cyberthreat activities following economic downturns. These add to the momentum of rising cyberattacks expected by analysts for this year.
Although tariffs are projected to have a minimal direct impact on cybersecurity, as most of companies in the industry focus on services rather than physical products, Sonu Shankar, chief product officer of Phosphorus Cybersecurity, an IoT security company, points out that as other industries suffer financial strain and restrict their budgets, spending on security may also face cuts.
As companies go through an increasingly complicated cyber threat landscape, keeping up with developing cybersecurity trends has become critical. According to McKinsey, global spending on cybersecurity products and services hit the $200 billion mark in 2024, a significant increase from $140 billion in 2020, as the number and sophistication of attacks increase. In addition, the cybersecurity industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 12.4% between 2024 and 2027, surpassing historical growth rates as firms ramp up efforts to combat evolving threats.
Cybersecurity has undoubtedly grown in relevance as more government services and data become digitized, according to Samir Jain, vice president of policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a non-profit that promotes digital rights and freedom of speech. Moreover, as cyber attacks become more complex, the demand for trained workers has increased drastically, with cybersecurity companies forecasting that over 3.5 million cybersecurity roles would remain vacant by 2025. As a result, there are calls for broadening recruiting processes to expand the candidate pool.
For this list, we sifted through financial media reports and identified cybersecurity stocks that were popular among elite hedge funds and favored by analysts. We then checked their year-to-date performance and selected the 11 best performing stocks from our initial pool of 35 popular stocks. The names on this list appear in ascending order of their year-to-date performance, as of April 25.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points ().
Security personnel at their consoles, monitoring a global network of threats in real-time.
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) specializes in cybersecurity solutions, including identity management, threat intelligence, and detection. The company sets itself apart from competitors with its cloud-based Falcon extended detection and response (XDR) platform, which integrates several protection categories (endpoint, cloud workloads, threat intelligence, identity security, and more) into a single ecosystem.
On April 1, Stephens began coverage of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) with an Overweight rating and a $450 price target. Analysts at the firm noted the cybersecurity company's transition from a leading supplier of modern endpoint security solutions to one of the largest cybersecurity platform providers, noting the company's scale as a competitive advantage.
According to CrowdStrike's latest reports, the company's total revenues increased 25% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Notably, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) is seeing hyper-growth in categories such as next-generation Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), identity security, and cloud security, with total category ARR growing by 50% from fiscal 2024.
Aristotle Atlantic Large Cap Growth Strategy stated the following regarding CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
'CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) provides cybersecurity products and services that offer endpoint protection and threat intelligence solutions, enabling customers to prevent damage from targeted attacks, detect advanced malware and search all endpoints. The company's open cloud architecture enables it and third-party partners to rapidly innovate, build and deploy new cloud modules that can provide customers with enhanced functionality across a myriad of use cases.
Overall, CRWD ranks 3rd on our list of best performing cybersecurity stocks so far in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential for CRWD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CRWD but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this .
READ NEXT: and .
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at .
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Celsius Holdings Stock a Buy Now?
Celsius stock is up over 50% this year. The company acquired competitor Alani Nu in April. Celsius' revenue growth is set to recover, but mostly because of its purchase of Alani Nu. 10 stocks we like better than Celsius › After massive declines in the second half of last year, Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH) stock may finally be ready for a comeback. The company's rapid growth came to a sudden halt (at least temporarily) as sluggish demand led one of its major distributors (likely PepsiCo) to dramatically scale back its orders. The beverage stock is down over 60% since its peak in early 2024. Still, it is up over 50% since the beginning of the year. The question for investors is whether that recovery signifies the beginnings of a Celsius comeback, or whether investors need to stay on the sidelines. Celsius has carved out a compelling, lucrative niche within the energy drink industry. Instead of pursuing customers like its larger competitors, Red Bull and Monster Beverage, Celsius targeted fitness enthusiasts. It also participated in clinical studies to validate the health benefits of its beverages. Celsius' beverages first became available in 2009. However, it was its distribution agreement with PepsiCo in August 2022 that helped sales take off. Since that agreement in the third quarter of 2022, quarterly revenues have increased by 75% even after the recent slowdown in sales. Additionally, that figure does not account for Celsius' takeover of Alani Nu, which occurred in the second quarter of this year. Before that purchase, Celsius also claimed approximately 11% of the market share, putting it in third place in the energy drink market. Still, investors should remember that it leads the health and fitness-oriented niche in the market, which will likely make it a major force in this industry. Amid the stock's partial recovery, Celsius sells at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 127. Nonetheless, since it is recovering from last year's slump, the forward P/E ratio of 50 may better reflect the company's valuation, a level coming off historical lows. It is also well below the forward P/E ratio of 125 from the stock's peak in early 2024. That forward multiple arguably brings the stock price more in line with its current growth. Unfortunately, investors may still balk at Celsius' valuation as they brace for slower growth. In the first quarter of 2025, revenue of $329 million dropped by 7% yearly. That's a dramatic improvement over the 31% decline in Q3. Still, it is well below the 102% revenue gain in 2023. The falling revenue also led to a comprehensive income in Q1 of $37 million, well below the $63 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue growth should improve in the near term due in part to the Alani Nu takeover. In 2025, analysts forecast 60% revenue growth. But once Celsius benefits from that one-time bump, they expect the revenue increase rate to slow to 21% in 2026. Knowing that, the most significant hope for bulls may lie in the company's potential internationally, where 96% of the world's population resides. Even though international sales made up 7% of revenue in Q1 2025, that part of the market grew revenue by 41% annually. Moreover, that revenue share was only 4% one year ago. Assuming it can continue to increase the proportion of international sales significantly, Celsius stock could deliver higher returns if revenue growth abroad remains strong. Over the long term, Celsius stock likely remains a buy. Admittedly, the 50 forward P/E ratio could point to some overvaluation in the near term. Furthermore, the immediate recovery in revenue will probably happen because of the buyout of Alani Nu, rather than an organic increase in Celsius brand products. Nonetheless, the 21% forecasted revenue increase in 2026 is an indication that demand will rise over time. Additionally, even though international growth will take some time, sales outside of North America are likely to become the company's primary revenue driver over time. Such potential indicates that Celsius' growth story is far from over, meaning its stock could still be positioned for huge gains. Before you buy stock in Celsius, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Celsius wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Will Healy has positions in Celsius. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Celsius and Monster Beverage. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Celsius Holdings Stock a Buy Now? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Stock Market Is in Ultra-Rarified Territory and Doing Something for Only the 3rd Time in 154 Years -- and History Is Crystal Clear What Happens Next
Outsized volatility in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite has investors looking to history for guidance. An encompassing valuation tool with a perfect track record of predicting the future when back-tested to 1871 offers a warning to Wall Street. The stock market is a simple numbers game that rewards long-term investors who maintain perspective. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › There are a lot of ways for investors to grow their wealth, including purchasing Treasury bonds, buying certificates of deposit from their local bank or credit union, acquiring real estate, or investing in commodities such as gold, silver, and oil. But none of these other asset classes has held a candle to the annualized return of stocks over the last century. However, there's a catch to putting your money to work in the greatest wealth creator on the planet: Stocks are inherently volatile. Although the ageless Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and innovation-inspired Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) have all decisively risen over multiple decades, their performance over shorter timelines is no more certain than a coin flip. Through the first five months of 2025, we've observed the broad-based S&P 500 launch to a fresh record closing high, which was followed by corrections in the Dow Jones and S&P 500 and the first bear market in three years for the Nasdaq Composite. In fact, a one-week period in April produced the fifth-biggest two-day percentage slide for the S&P 500 in 75 years, as well as the largest single-day nominal point gain in the index's history. When the stock market swings wildly, investors commonly look to history for guidance. Even though no specific data point or event can guarantee with concrete accuracy what's to come next, some of these metrics and events correlate very strongly with directional moves in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite throughout history. One such ultra-rare indicator, which has surfaced only three times for the S&P 500 when back-tested over the last 154 years, has foreshadowed what happens next for stocks with pristine accuracy. Historical data has uncovered a number of stock market correlations in recent weeks, many of which point to strong upside for equities over the next year. However, one of the rarest indicators, which is focused on stock valuations, suggests quite the opposite. To preface the following discussion, "value" is a subjective term. What you perceive as expensive may be viewed as a phenomenal bargain by another investor. Nevertheless, one valuation tool has a knack for cutting through this subjectivity: the S&P 500's Shiller price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is also known as the cyclically adjusted P/E ratio, or CAPE ratio. The valuation tool investors are probably most comfortable and familiar with is the traditional P/E ratio, which divides a company's share price by its trailing-12-month earnings. While the P/E ratio is a fantastic measuring stick for mature businesses, it often gets tripped up by growth stocks and during periods of economic turbulence (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). In contrast, the Shiller P/E ratio is based on average inflation-adjusted earnings over the previous 10 years. Accounting for a decade's worth of earnings history and adjusting it for inflation offers the most apples-to-apples valuation comparison for investors. As of the closing bell on June 5, the S&P 500's Shiller P/E clocked in at a multiple of 36.52. For some context, this is more than double its historical average reading of 17.24 and slightly below its peak reading of 38.89 in December 2024 during the current bull market cycle. When back-tested to January 1871, there have been only three instances where the Shiller P/E has ever neared or surpassed 40: In December 1999, before the bursting of the dot-com bubble, the Shiller P/E peaked at its all-time high of 44.19. During the first week of January 2022, immediately prior to the start of the 2022 bear market, the S&P 500's Shiller P/E briefly touched 40. In recent months, the Shiller P/E has prominently vacillated between 35 and almost 39. The reason these specific figures are mentioned has to do with the correlation between Shiller P/E readings above 30 and the subsequent performance of equities. Including the above three instances, there have been six total occurrences since 1871 where the Shiller P/E has surpassed 30 and maintained this level for at least two months. Eventually (the keyword!), the Dow, S&P 500, and/or Nasdaq Composite lost between 20% and 89% of their value following these peaks. Even though the Shiller P/E is in no way a timing tool, it has foreshadowed the inability of the stock market to sustain an extended valuation over a long period, 100% of the time, spanning 154 years. Based on the current multiple of 36.52, significant downside in the major stock indexes is the expectation. Considering how strongly the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite have bounced back from their mini-crash in April, the prospect of a meaningful pullback in all three indexes probably isn't what investors want to hear. Thankfully, history is a two-sided and completely disproportionate coin that overwhelmingly favors optimistic, long-term investors. As much as we might dislike the unpredictability and velocity of moves lower in one or more of Wall Street's major stock indexes, corrections, bear markets, and even crashes are perfectly normal, healthy, and inevitable aspects of the investing cycle. No specific fiscal or monetary policy changes can prevent these largely emotion-driven events from occurring. What's important to recognize is that these cycles aren't linear. In June 2023, shortly after the broad-based S&P 500 officially entered a new bull market, the analysts at Bespoke Investment Group published a data set to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) where they calculated and compared the calendar day length of every S&P 500 bull and bear market since the start of the Great Depression (September 1929). On one end of the spectrum, the benchmark index's 27 bear markets have lasted an average of 286 calendar days (about 9.5 months) since September 1929. Further, the longest bear market on record for the S&P 500 endured for only 630 days in the mid-1970s. Flipping the proverbial coin shows the average S&P 500 bull market stuck around for 1,011 calendar days, or approximately 3.5 times as long as the typical bear market. Additionally, if the current bull market were extrapolated to the present day, more than half (14 out of 27) of all S&P 500 bull markets have lasted longer than the lengthiest bear market. Regardless of how dire any specific data set or correlative event might appear, downturns have consistently been short-lived and have, eventually, always given way to new all-time highs. Maintaining perspective and being optimistic is a formula that consistently grows stock investment portfolios on Wall Street. Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Stock Market Is in Ultra-Rarified Territory and Doing Something for Only the 3rd Time in 154 Years -- and History Is Crystal Clear What Happens Next was originally published by The Motley Fool
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Will visa delays and border fears keep international fans away from the Club World Cup in the US?
As the United States readies for the FIFA Club World Cup, concern over such things as international travel, fan safety and even economic uncertainty threaten to diminish enthusiasm for the tournament. The United States will see the arrival of 32 professional club teams from around the globe to 11 cities for the tournament. There's a $1 billion prize pool. The Club World Cup is considered in many ways to be a dress rehearsal for the big event, the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. But there seems to be little buzz for the Club World Cup at home or abroad. The expansion of the field from seven to 32 teams has diminished the exclusivity of the event, and ticket sales appear slow. At the same time, the tournament is being played amid reports of foreign tourists being detained and visa processing delays. Chaotic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities and President Donald Trump's travel bans aren't exactly reassuring international fans, either. Wary travelers, visa woes Trump's policies appear to have already impacted travelers. The National Travel and Tourism Office released data showing visitors to the U.S. from foreign countries fell 9.7% in March compared to the same month last year. The travel forecasting company Tourism Economics has predicted that international arrivals would decline 9.4% this year. The U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit group that represents the travel industry, has urged the Trump administration to improve such things as visa processing and customs wait times ahead of a series of big sporting events on U.S. soil, including the Club World Cup beginning June 14, the Ryder Cup later this year, next summer's World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Association President Geoff Freeman said, for example, that the wait in Colombia for a visa interview appointment is upwards of 18 months — already putting the 2026 World Cup out of reach for some travelers. He said his organization is working with the White House's World Cup Task Force to address issues. 'They (the task force) recognize how important this event is: success is the only option. So we're eager to work with them to do whatever it is we need to do to ensure that we can welcome the millions of incremental visitors that we think are possible,' Freeman said. 'But these underlying issues of visa and customs, we've got to address.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing last month, suggested consular staff could be put on longer shifts and that artificial intelligence could be used to process visas. 'We want it to be a success. It's a priority for the president,' said Rubio. But the Trump administration may have added to the concerns for international visitors by issuing a ban on travelers from 12 countries, with restrictions on travel from nine more countries. Iran, one of the countries named, has qualified for the World Cup. The proclamation included an exemption for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.' It did not mention fans. Fan fears There are signs current immigration policies were already impacting soccer fans and spurring worries over safety. A Latin American supporters group in Nashville stayed away from a recent Major League Soccer game because of ICE activity in the city. The city's Geodis Park is set to host three Club World Cup matches. Danny Navarro, who offers travel advice to followers on his social media platforms under the moniker TravelFutbolFan, said the World Cup Task Force announcement did not allay fears about travel, especially when Vice President JD Vance said, 'We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem.' That insinuated fans visiting the United States for the World Cup could use it to stay in the country, which is nonsensical, Navarro maintained. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are broadly viewed as higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Navarro put the onus on FIFA. 'They must know that there is an anxiety among international travelers wanting to come in. They must know there's an anxiety among the U.S. fan base that is multicultural and wanting to go to all these places. Are they going to? Are they going to be harassed by ICE?' Navarro said. 'There is just a lot of uncertainty, I would say, too much uncertainty, that the fan base doesn't want to think about.' If you build it, will they come? It remains to be seen how outside factors will ultimately impact the Club World Cup, which is not the global spectacle or draw that the World Cup is. Ticket sales, which were based on a dynamic pricing model, appear to be slow, with lowered prices from earlier this year and a slew of recent promotions. For a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo at the Rose Bowl on June 19, there were wide swaths of available seats going for $33.45. FIFA created an incentive program that says fans who buy two or more tickets to the Club World Cup 'may' be guaranteed the right to purchase one ticket to the World Cup next summer. Navarro said economic uncertainty and fears of inflation may make fans hesitant to spend their money on the Club World Cup — when the more desirable World Cup is looming. In some host cities, there's little sign the Club World Cup is happening. A light rail station in Seattle had a lone sign advertising the event. The Seattle Sounders are among the teams playing in the tournament. Hans Hobson, executive director of the Tennessee State Soccer Association, suggested part of the problem is that, unlike the national teams that play in the World Cup, some of the club teams playing in Nashville are just not known to U.S. fans. 'It's not leagues that they watch. If it was the Premier League or the Bundesliga or something like that, then they'd go, 'Oh, I know players there. Let's go check it out,' Hobson said. There were tickets available to LAFC's match against Esperance Sportive de Tunisie in Nashville on June 20 for $24.45. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has traveled to several host cities to gin up enthusiasm. He has promised 'the world will be welcomed.' But some say the United States isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for visitors in the current climate. 'I could see trepidation for anyone looking to travel to the U.S. at this current political climate,' said Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsch. 'So it's a sad thing, I think, that we have to talk about visiting the U.S. in this way but I think everybody has to make decisions that are best for them and that fit best with what's going on in their life and their lifestyle.' ___ AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed to this report ___ AP soccer:
