Shares of Fortinet (FTNT) plummeted 15.10% in after-hours trading on Wednesday following the company's second-quarter earnings release. While the cybersecurity firm beat expectations for Q2, its guidance for the third quarter fell short of analyst estimates, raising concerns about future growth.
For Q2, Fortinet reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.64, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.59. Revenue came in at $1.63 billion, slightly above the expected $1.624 billion. However, the company's third-quarter revenue forecast of $1.67 billion to $1.73 billion fell below Wall Street's expectations of $1.71 billion, suggesting potential headwinds in the coming months.
The weaker-than-anticipated guidance appears to be the primary driver behind the stock's sharp decline. Investors are likely concerned about Fortinet's ability to maintain its growth trajectory in an increasingly competitive cybersecurity landscape. Despite the short-term setback, Fortinet remains optimistic about its long-term prospects, highlighting its leadership in network security and recent expansion of FortiCloud services, which include new offerings in identity management, secure file storage, and communication.