How does CrowdStrikeâs performance compare to peers in the cybersecurity sector for the same period?
Answer
The press release youâve shared only tells us that CrowdStrike (CRWD) will announce its fiscal Q2âŻ2026 results onâŻAugustâŻ27âŻ2025 (the quarter endedâŻJulyâŻ31âŻ2025). It does not contain the actual financial figuresârevenue, earnings, bookings, margin, cashâflow, or any other performance metricsâso we canât directly compare CrowdStrikeâs results to those of its cybersecurity peers for the same period at this moment.
1. What we can say right now
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Financial results | Not yet released; will be disclosed after the market close onâŻAugustâŻ27âŻ2025. |
| Conference call | Scheduled forâŻ2âŻp.m. PT /âŻ5âŻp.m. ET on the same day. |
| Peerâgroup context | No quantitative data in the announcement, so a performance comparison cannot be calculated today. |
2. How to evaluate CrowdStrike versus its peers once the data is public
When the Q2âŻ2026 results are finally posted, analysts typically benchmark a companyâs performance against the sameâperiod results of the leading cybersecurity rivals. Below is a stepâbyâstep framework you can use (or that analysts will likely follow) to gauge how CrowdStrike is faring relative to the broader sector:
| Metric | Why it matters | Typical peerâset for CrowdStrike |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (or billings) growth | Shows topâline momentum and market demand. | Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Zscaler (ZS), SentinelOne (SENTINEL), Fortinet (FTNT), Microsoft Defender (Microsoftâs broader security segment). |
| Quarterly bookings (new contracts) | Early indicator of future revenue; especially important for SaaSâbased security firms. | Same as above. |
| GAAP / NonâGAAP net income (or loss) & EPS | Reflects profitability and costâstructure efficiency. | |
| Gross margin | Indicates pricing power and costâofâgoods efficiency (e.g., cloudâinfrastructure spend). | |
| Operating margin (or adjusted operating margin) | Shows how well SG&A and R&D are managed relative to growth. | |
| Free cash flow (FCF) | Cashâgeneration capacity for reinvestment, acquisitions, or shareholder returns. | |
| Retention / renewal rates (e.g., net dollar retention) | Measures the stickiness of the platform and upsell success. | |
| Customerâcount growth & enterpriseâvsâSMB mix | Highlights market penetration and scaling of the sales engine. | |
| Guidance vs. consensus | Forwardâlooking view; whether the company is raising or lowering expectations relative to analysts. | |
| Valuation multiples (EV/Revenue, EV/EBITDA, P/E) | Places the companyâs market price in context of growth and profitability. |
Example of a comparative table (once data is available)
| Company | Q2âŻ2026 Revenue (USâŻ$B) | YoY Revenue Growth | Q2âŻ2026 Gross Margin | Net Income (USâŻ$M) | FYâGuidance Rev Growth | EV/Rev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrowdStrike | 1.45 | +38% | 78% | (â) 45 | 30% FYâ24 rev growth | 12Ă |
| Palo Alto Networks | 1.30 | +24% | 71% | 120 | 20% FYâ24 rev growth | 9Ă |
| Zscaler | 0.78 | +31% | 73% | 15 | 28% FYâ24 rev growth | 11Ă |
| SentinelOne | 0.42 | +45% | 66% | (â) 12 | 35% FYâ24 rev growth | 13Ă |
The numbers above are illustrative only; you would replace them with the actual figures from the earnings releases.
3. Sources youâll need after AugustâŻ27âŻ2025
- CrowdStrikeâs earnings release (FormâŻ8âK) & investor presentation â contains the detailed financial tables and management commentary.
- Peer earnings releases for the same quarter â most public cybersecurity companies report on a similar schedule (often within a few days of each other).
- Consensus estimates from Bloomberg, Refinitiv, FactSet, or S&P Capital IQ â to see whether each company beat, missed, or met expectations.
- Analyst research notes â they often provide âpeerâgroupâ tables that already line up the key metrics.
4. What to watch for in the CrowdStrike call
Even before the numbers are in the press release, the conference call can give clues about relative performance:
| Cue | Potential implication for peer comparison |
|---|---|
| âWeâre seeing doubleâdigit growth in enterprise bookingsâ â suggests outâofâline expansion vs. peers that may still be focused on SMB. | |
| âGross margin expansion driven by higherâmargin cloud servicesâ â could indicate a margin advantage over peers still reliant on onâprem licensing. | |
| âWeâre raising FYâ2026 guidanceâ â may position CrowdStrike ahead of consensus for the sector. | |
| âStrategic acquisitions to broaden XDR capabilitiesâ â could foreshadow future revenue acceleration relative to peers that are not expanding via M&A. | |
| âRetention rates at 115% net dollar retentionâ â signals a very sticky platform, often higher than the 100â110% range seen at many competitors. |
5. Quick takeâaway (until the results are out)
- No quantitative comparison can be drawn today because the release contains only a futureâdate announcement.
- Once the Q2âŻ2026 results are public, you can evaluate CrowdStrikeâs performance against peers by looking at the standard set of SaaSâsecurity metrics listed above.
- Key peer companies to line up sideâbyâside are Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, SentinelOne, Fortinet, and the broader Microsoft Defender segment.
- The conference call will be the first place to hear managementâs narrative on how the quarter stacks up against the competition, even before the numbers are fully digested.
Bottom line
At this moment we canât provide a performance comparison because the actual financial results havenât been released. However, the framework above will let you (or any analyst) quickly assess CrowdStrikeâs relative standing once the AugustâŻ27âŻ2025 earnings data and peer results are available. Keep an eye on the press release, the SEC filing, and the conferenceâcall transcript on that date, then populate the comparative tables with the real numbers to see whether CrowdStrike is outâperforming, keeping pace with, or lagging behind its cybersecurity peers.