Benzinga - by Anusuya Lahiri, Benzinga Editor.
BofA Securities analyst Tal Liani upgraded SentinelOne Inc (NYSE:S) from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target from $26.50 to $35. The stock gained over 4% on Wednesday.
This re-rating stems from anticipated near-term profitability and free cash flow (FCF) generation, an acceleration in net new Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) growth, long-term industry tailwinds, and improving market conditions.
The analyst’s positive channel checks further bolster the near-term outlook for SentinelOne, which has seen a significant 78% stock performance improvement over the last three months, outshining peers like CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ:CRWD), Palo Alto Networks, Inc (NASDAQ:PANW), and Zscaler, Inc (NASDAQ:ZS).
Despite intense competition, SentinelOne will continue its momentum into the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, with revised estimates reflecting a more positive stance on the company’s market share gains in endpoint security and adjacent markets, the analyst stated.
The analyst said that the firm’s revenue growth will likely slow from 106% YoY in 2022 to around 46% in 2023 due to the law of large numbers, weaker macroeconomic conditions, and competitive dynamics.
Nonetheless, an improving macroeconomic landscape, strong cybersecurity spending forecasted for 2024, and EDR’s prioritization among CISOs support a reacceleration of nnARR growth to +10% in 2024.
SentinelOne’s potential is underscored by opportunities for top-line and nnARR upside from cross-selling, better net retention rates, robust partner relationships, and international expansion.
Despite its prospects, the company trades at a discount (approximately 7.5x CY25E EV/Sales) compared to its peers, offering a valuation upside.
However, challenges like stiff competition from larger platforms like CrowdStrike and aggressive pricing strategies from Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), Palo Alto Networks, and Fortinet, Inc (NASDAQ:FTNT) pose risks.
For SentinelOne, the analyst projected fourth-quarter revenue and EPS of $169.26 million and $(0.04).
Price Action: S shares traded higher by 4.51% at $30.30 on the last check Wednesday.
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