Cloudflare (NET) Shares Down Amid Earnings and Revenue Guidance Miss

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4 days ago
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Cloudflare (NET, Financial) shares have experienced a notable decline, dropping by 5.14%. This movement comes after the company released its third-quarter earnings, which included revenue guidance for the next quarter that narrowly missed analysts' expectations by less than 1%. Furthermore, key growth metrics like billings also missed Wall Street's estimates. However, there was a silver lining with the improvement in cRPO, which showed an accelerated growth rate compared to the previous quarter. The company attributed some delays in closing large deals as a significant contributing factor to this performance.

Currently priced at $90.74, Cloudflare's (NET, Financial) market sentiment reflects some concerns following the earnings report. With a market capitalization of $31.14 billion, the company remains a major player in the software infrastructure industry. The stock’s enterprise value is reported at $32.49 billion. One standout positive is Cloudflare's Altman Z-Score, which at 9.82 indicates strong financial health. Additionally, its Beneish M-Score of -2.75 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator of financial statements, providing a level of reassurance to investors.

Despite some challenges, Cloudflare (NET, Financial) exhibits positive signs that could instill confidence. The operating margin is reportedly expanding, an encouraging sign of profitability improvement. However, it's worth noting the warning signs relating to insider selling, where 695,485 shares were sold over the past three months, with no corresponding insider purchases.

When it comes to valuation, Cloudflare is considered "Modestly Undervalued" according to the GF Value, which places its intrinsic value estimate at $102.33. This suggests an upside potential for investors who are willing to take a longer-term perspective on the stock. Additionally, the company's forward-looking growth estimates paint a positive picture, with expected total revenue growth over the next five years projected at 27.07%. This positions Cloudflare as a speculative growth stock with a promising outlook within the technology sector.

Disclosures

I/We may personally own shares in some of the companies mentioned above. However, those positions are not material to either the company or to my/our portfolios.