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Cloudflare (NET)
NYSE:NET

Cloudflare (NET) AI Stock Analysis

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NE

Cloudflare

(NYSE:NET)

55Neutral
Cloudflare's strong revenue and cash flow growth are overshadowed by persistent profitability challenges and balance sheet concerns. While technical indicators show bearish trends, positive earnings call sentiment and strategic corporate events provide some optimism. The overall score reflects the need for improved financial stability and profitability to enhance stock performance.
Positive Factors
AI-as-a-Service Leadership
Cloudflare is expected to become the leader in AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), which is anticipated to be the preferred AI consumption method for enterprises.
Developer Platform Growth
Cloudflare's Act 3 solutions, featuring its Workers developer platform, saw significant momentum with an impressive increase in developer adoption.
Security Enhancements
Cloudflare is gaining momentum in network security, particularly SASE, which should accelerate as firewall refresh cycles near and enterprises look to modernize with software-based security solutions.
Negative Factors
Macroeconomic Volatility
Confidence in 2H upside is a concern due to volatile broader macroeconomic signals and SMB confidence, with valuation still screening expensive.
Revenue Target Delay
The company's goal to reach $5B in ARR has been pushed out by one year to 2028, indicating a delay in achieving this target.
Valuation Concerns
Near-term stock momentum is likely curbed due to the premium valuation embedding some of the enthusiasm.

Cloudflare (NET) vs. S&P 500 (SPY)

Cloudflare Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionCloudflare, Inc. (NET) is a leading American web infrastructure and website security company that provides content delivery network (CDN) services, internet security, and distributed domain name server services. Cloudflare's platform aims to improve the performance and security of its clients' websites, applications, and APIs by protecting them from cyber threats, enhancing load times, and ensuring reliable web experiences. The company operates globally, serving millions of websites and providing a diverse range of products for developers, businesses, and enterprises.
How the Company Makes MoneyCloudflare makes money primarily through a subscription-based revenue model, offering a variety of tiered service plans. These plans range from free basic services to premium packages for enterprise clients, which include advanced security features, enhanced performance optimizations, and dedicated support. Revenue is generated through recurring fees charged for these service subscriptions. Additionally, Cloudflare monetizes by providing pay-as-you-go services for specific features and usage-based billing for certain products, such as its serverless computing platform, Workers. Partnerships with major technology companies and integrations with platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud also help Cloudflare expand its reach and customer base, contributing to its overall earnings.

Cloudflare Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Cloudflare shows strong revenue and cash flow growth, with revenue increasing by 28.8% and a robust cash-generating capability. However, persistent net losses and a concerning balance sheet with negative total assets and equity pose risks.
Income Statement
65
Positive
Cloudflare has demonstrated solid revenue growth with a revenue increase from $1.30 billion in 2023 to $1.67 billion in 2024, representing a 28.8% growth rate. The gross profit margin remains strong at 77.3% in 2024. However, the company continues to report net losses, with a net profit margin of -4.7% in 2024, indicating ongoing profitability challenges.
Balance Sheet
40
Negative
The company's balance sheet reveals a negative equity, with total assets at -$256.2 million and stockholders' equity at $19.8 million in 2024, indicating a potentially concerning financial position. The debt-to-equity ratio is unfavorable due to the negative equity, suggesting high leverage. Despite a significant cash position, the negative total assets require attention.
Cash Flow
72
Positive
Operating cash flow improved significantly to $380.4 million in 2024, and free cash flow also increased to $195.4 million, reflecting robust cash-generating capabilities. The free cash flow growth rate is substantial at 63.5% year-over-year, indicating strong cash flow management despite net losses.
Breakdown
Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income StatementTotal Revenue
1.67B1.30B975.24M656.43M431.06M
Gross Profit
1.29B989.74M742.63M509.29M330.00M
EBIT
-154.76M-185.49M-201.20M-127.68M-106.77M
EBITDA
62.05M-36.17M-92.13M-127.68M-50.62M
Net Income Common Stockholders
-78.80M-183.95M-193.38M-260.31M-119.37M
Balance SheetCash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
1.86B1.67B1.65B1.82B1.03B
Total Assets
3.30B2.76B2.59B2.37B1.38B
Total Debt
1.46B1.44B1.58B1.29B428.30M
Net Debt
1.32B1.35B1.37B979.43M319.41M
Total Liabilities
2.25B2.00B1.96B1.56B563.71M
Stockholders Equity
19.80M763.05M623.96M815.80M816.94M
Cash FlowFree Cash Flow
195.39M119.46M-39.77M-43.09M-92.09M
Operating Cash Flow
380.43M254.41M123.59M64.65M-17.13M
Investing Cash Flow
-330.22M-186.20M-235.70M-709.32M-515.27M
Financing Cash Flow
12.79M-192.19M6.35M847.49M504.91M

Cloudflare Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price98.36
Price Trends
50DMA
134.95
Negative
100DMA
121.89
Negative
200DMA
102.24
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-5.71
Negative
RSI
39.44
Neutral
STOCH
25.36
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For NET, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 98.36 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 115.60, below the 50-day MA of 134.95, and below the 200-day MA of 102.24, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -5.71 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 39.44 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 25.36 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for NET.

Cloudflare Risk Analysis

Cloudflare disclosed 79 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Cloudflare reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Cloudflare Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (57)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
81
Outperform
$16.05B8.749.37%8.44%-0.26%107.20%
78
Outperform
$101.68B86.7623.38%13.86%-46.44%
ZSZS
73
Outperform
$27.03B-1.21%27.77%89.39%
73
Outperform
$79.72B721.64-0.69%29.39%-119.62%
67
Neutral
$10.77B22.5810.66%4.70%-7.33%
57
Neutral
$18.52B9.81-13.96%2.71%5.07%-23.65%
NENET
55
Neutral
$33.50B-8.71%28.76%58.13%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
NET
Cloudflare
98.36
3.03
3.18%
AKAM
Akamai
70.93
-34.89
-32.97%
EBR.B
Centrais Elc Braz Pfb B Elbras
7.35
-1.17
-13.73%
PANW
Palo Alto Networks
152.44
18.15
13.52%
ZS
Zscaler
180.06
-3.65
-1.99%
CRWD
CrowdStrike Holdings
324.36
10.63
3.39%

Cloudflare Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date: Feb 6, 2025 | % Change Since: -30.50% | Next Earnings Date: May 1, 2025
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The earnings call reflected a strong performance with significant revenue growth, record customer additions, and improved operating margins. However, there were some concerns regarding increased churn and gross margin decreases, as well as anticipated higher network CapEx. Overall, the positive aspects, particularly in revenue growth, customer expansion, and sales productivity, were more pronounced than the challenges.
Highlights
Strong Revenue Growth
Cloudflare, Inc. achieved revenue of $459.9 million for Q4 2024, representing a 27% year-over-year increase.
Record Addition of Large Customers
The company added a record number of new large customers, increasing to 3,497, which is up 27% year over year.
Operating Profit and Margin Improvement
Operating profit was $67.2 million, a 69% increase year over year, with an operating margin of 14.6%.
High Sales Productivity
The sales team achieved a fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit year-over-year increases in sales productivity.
Expansion in AI and Security
The company reported significant progress in AI and security, citing large contracts with major companies and strategic partnerships.
Successful Go-to-Market Strategy
The company highlighted an effective go-to-market execution, with a focus on enterprise account executives, leading to strong sales performance.
Lowlights
Gross Margin Decrease
Gross margin decreased 120 basis points sequentially and 130 basis points year over year to 77.6%.
Increased Churn Impact
There was mention of continued near-term headwinds from increased churn, impacting revenue recognition.
Network CapEx Increase
Network CapEx is expected to increase to 12% to 13% of revenue for full year 2025, up from 10% in 2024, due to investments in AI inference capacity.
Company Guidance
During the Cloudflare Q4 2024 earnings call, the company reported strong financial performance with revenue reaching $459.9 million, a 27% increase year-over-year. The company added 3,497 large customers, also marking a 27% annual increase, with these customers contributing 69% of the total revenue. Cloudflare's dollar-based net retention rate ticked up to 111%, while the gross margin was 77.6%. Operating profit stood at $67.2 million, reflecting an operating margin of 14.6%. The company also generated $47.8 million in free cash flow for the quarter. Looking forward, Cloudflare anticipates Q1 2025 revenue between $468 million and $469 million and full-year 2025 revenue in the range of $2.09 billion to $2.094 billion, representing a 25% increase year-over-year. The management highlighted continued investments in AI and go-to-market strategies as key drivers for future growth.

Cloudflare Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesBusiness Operations and Strategy
Cloudflare Announces New Board Appointments for 2025
Positive
Mar 27, 2025

On March 27, 2025, Cloudflare announced the resignation of Maria Eitel from its Board of Directors, effective March 27, 2025, and the appointment of three new board members: Stacey Cunningham, Karim Lakhani, and John Graham-Cumming. These appointments are expected to enhance Cloudflare’s strategic direction, with Cunningham bringing financial expertise, Lakhani offering insights into AI-driven business transformation, and Graham-Cumming providing deep technical knowledge. This change reflects Cloudflare’s commitment to driving innovation and growth as it continues to shape the future of Internet security and performance.

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Cloudflare Reports Strong Revenue Growth in Q4 2024
Positive
Feb 6, 2025

On February 6, 2025, Cloudflare announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024, revealing significant growth in revenue and customer base. The company reported a 27% increase in fourth-quarter revenue to $459.9 million and a 29% increase in fiscal year revenue to $1,669.6 million. Despite a GAAP loss from operations, Cloudflare achieved a non-GAAP income from operations of $67.2 million in the fourth quarter. Notably, the number of customers spending over $1 million annually grew by 47%, indicating strong market traction and positioning Cloudflare for continued growth in 2025.

Executive/Board Changes
Cloudflare Appoints Michelle Zatlyn as Co-Chair
Neutral
Feb 6, 2025

On February 5, 2025, Cloudflare’s Board of Directors appointed Michelle Zatlyn as Co-Chair of the Board, recognizing her significant contributions to the company’s growth. Despite this new role, Zatlyn will maintain her responsibilities as President while no longer being titled Chief Operating Officer, sharing board leadership with CEO Matthew Prince.

Glossary
OutperformA stock rated as "Outperform" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests that the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to the average returns of other stocks in the same sector or market index. Investors might consider this stock a good buying opportunity.
NeutralA stock rated as "Neutral" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly attractive nor unattractive for investment. Investors may consider holding onto the stock, as it is not expected to either significantly outperform or underperform the market.
UnderperformA stock rated as "Underperform" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests that the stock may deliver lower returns compared to the average returns of other stocks in the same sector or market index. Investors might consider selling the stock or avoiding it as an investment.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.