Important takeaways from CrowdStrike’s Q1 2026 earnings report

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) this week reported mixed results for the first quarter of FY26, with revenues growing sharply and adjusted profit declining from the year-ago period. The cybersecurity company’s stock dropped soon after the announcement on Wednesday as the management’s weaker-than-expected sales guidance dampened investor sentiment. The tech firm looks poised to stay on the growth path, leveraging the growing demand for cybersecurity solutions and IT consolidation trends across industries.

After making steady gains last year, CrowdStrike’s stock entered 2025 on a high note, but lost momentum in the early months of the year. After going through a series of ups and downs since then, it bounced back and climbed to an all-time high earlier this week. The shares have gained an impressive 37% since the beginning of the year, reaching a valuation that looks relatively expensive.

Mixed Outcome

In the first three months of fiscal 2026, adjusted earnings declined 8% annually to $0.73 per share. On an unadjusted basis, the company reported a net loss of $110.2 million or $0.44 per share for the first quarter, compared to a profit of $42.8 million or $0.17 per share in the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2025.

Quarterly earnings have consistently beaten analysts’ estimates for nearly five years. The company said it is looking for adjusted earnings of $0.82-0.84 per share for the second quarter of FY26. The guidance for full-year net income, excluding special items, is between $3.44 per share and $3.56 per share.

Guidance

Total revenue increased 20% year-over-year to $1.10 billion in the April quarter. Subscription and Professional Services revenues grew 20% and 8% respectively. For the second quarter, the CrowdStrike leadership expects sales to be in the range of $1.145 billion to $1.152 billion, and full-year sales to be between $4.744 billion and $4.806 billion. The company’s board of directors approved a stock repurchase program of up to $1 billion of shares.

“CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is best positioned to protect the workloads, identities, data, and infrastructure for the AIH and the superhuman AI agents themselves. Our FalconFlex subscription model is accelerating the platform at a faster pace than we’ve ever seen before. And our execution is delivering speed and efficiency across the business. Excitement in our future. It’s all of these elements together that give me confidence and that’s why the company has authorized up to $1 billion in share repurchases,” CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz said in the earnings call.

Falcon Power

Through ongoing AI-driven innovation, the company has positioned itself to tap into the growing demand for advanced security solutions and IT consolidation trends. CrowdStrike’s cloud-native Falcon platform allows for quicker threat detection and response compared to traditional security solutions, giving the company a competitive edge over other players like Cisco and SentinelOne. The adoption and retention of Falcon has been strong since its rollout, underscoring the high demand for consolidated cyber security solutions.

In recent weeks, CrowdStrike’s stock has traded well above its 52-week average price of $350.09. Recovering from the post-earnings downturn, CRWD traded higher during Friday’s session.