On Tuesday, Citi maintained a Buy rating on shares of Zscaler (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:ZS), currently trading at $208.51 with a market capitalization of $32 billion, and increased the price target to $235 from $230.
The adjustment follows Zscaler's first-quarter performance, which surpassed expectations, leading to a slight upward revision in fiscal year 2025 billings and revenue guidance. According to InvestingPro analysis, Zscaler currently appears to be trading above its Fair Value, with analysts maintaining a bullish consensus on the stock.
Zscaler's F1Q25 results prompted Citi to revise its FY25 billings and revenue projections upward by approximately 0.6 percentage points and 1 percentage point at the midpoint, respectively. The forecast for F2Q25 billings remains consistent with previous expectations, projecting around $719 million, a 15% year-over-year increase at the midpoint.
InvestingPro subscribers can access 10+ additional exclusive insights about Zscaler's financial health, which has received a "GOOD" overall rating from our analytical tools. The company anticipates that billings for the first half of FY25 will account for between 39.3% and 39.5% of the full-year guidance, a slight increase from the earlier estimate of approximately 39% to 39.5%.
The analyst highlighted Zscaler's confidence in a billings ramp in the second half of FY25, driven by expected improvements in sales productivity due to robust demand momentum. This includes interest in new AI security offerings, an expanding sales pipeline, and enhanced sales capacity that is already demonstrating improved quality. The company also reported a successful quarter in hiring experienced account executives and achieving lower attrition rates.
From a product standpoint, Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange (ZPA) continues to be a significant growth factor for the company's FY25 estimates, supported by impressive revenue growth of 34% over the last twelve months and maintaining strong gross profit margins of 78%.
The operating margin guidance for FY25 was also modestly raised by 50 basis points at the midpoint, reflecting the strong performance in F1Q25. However, the free cash flow margin (FCFM) guidance of 23.5% to 24% remains unchanged, as Zscaler reiterated its expectation for data center capital expenditures to be around 3 percentage points higher compared to FY24 due to investments in cloud and AI infrastructure updates.
The company anticipates gross margins of 80% in F2Q25, compared to 80.6% in F1Q25, as new products continue to see robust growth and the company aims to optimize for faster go-to-market strategies over margins. Consequently, Citi has modestly increased its estimates, maintaining the out-year growth trajectory and raising the price target to reflect the solid first-quarter performance.
In other recent news, Zscaler has been making waves in the financial sector with its robust first-quarter performance. The cloud-based information security company saw a 13% year-over-year increase in total billings, slightly surpassing both Mizuho (NYSE:MFG)'s and Wall Street's expectations.
The company also reported impressive revenue growth of 34.07% and a gross profit margin of 78.08%. However, the company's CFO, Remo Canessa, announced his retirement, a development noted by Mizuho as significant.
In analyst news, several firms have maintained positive ratings on Zscaler. Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) reiterated an outperform rating, raising the target to $205, while Canaccord Genuity (TSX:CF) kept a buy rating, increasing the price target to $230. Truist Securities also reiterated a buy rating with a target of $260, and Evercore ISI maintained an outperform rating with a $245 target.
These recent developments highlight the confidence that these firms have in Zscaler's future growth and profitability, despite the upcoming retirement of their CFO. The company's strong financial performance, coupled with positive ratings from multiple analysts, indicates a positive outlook for Zscaler in the cybersecurity market.
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