CrowdStrike (CRWD) is set to see improved demand due to rising cyberattacks, new products, and generative artificial intelligence tailwinds, Morgan Stanley said in a note Tuesday.
The analysts said they were upgrading the stock based on “improving demand, broader platform traction, and multiple product cycles still ramping up,” including Charlotte AI.
Ransomware attacks are on the rise, driving stronger demand for CrowdStrike’s incident response and endpoint security services, and boosting the company’s professional services revenue. This is one of the key indicators for stronger subscription demand and shows why CrowdStrike is set to outperform in 2024, the analysts said.
The company has also expanded from core endpoint protection to a broader platform as well as remains strongly positioned to leverage and monetize GenAI, given its leadership in securing endpoints, the analysts said, adding that they expect the recently launched Charlotte AI to add $100 million in annual recurring revenue by 2025.
The analysts said that they also expect improving earnings before interest and taxes to sustain a 30% to 35% free cash flow margin, “despite duration headwinds from customers shifting more multi-year to annual prepayments.”
Morgan Stanley upgraded CrowdStrike to overweight from equalweight and increased its price target to $304 from $203.