Check Point shares plunge 19% on mixed first-quarter results

Shares of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. closed almost 20% lower today after it posted quarterly sales and guidance that missed expectations.

The cybersecurity company’s profit, in contrast, exceeded the consensus estimate by a comfortable margin.

Check Point’s sales rose 5% year-over-year in the first quarter, to $668.4 million, missing analyst expectations by a hair. The company attributed the shortfall to a 7% decrease in demand for its firewalls. According to Check Point, the slowdown was mainly caused by a recent overhaul of its sales organization that wasn’t implemented as smoothly as it had expected.

The company sells more than two dozen firewall appliances under the Quantum brand. There are models geared toward data centers that can scan more than 1 terabit of traffic per second. Check Point also offers more specialized systems, including ruggedized firewalls for edge locations that can withstand temperatures of up to 167 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the ruggedized models double as Wi-Fi access points.

There were also bright spots in Check Point’s sales numbers. The company generated $323 million in revenue from security software subscriptions, 11% more than a year earlier. Much of the growth was driven by Check Point’s inbox protection and CTEM products, which delivered a 96% increase in annualized revenue and 45% billings growth, respectively.

The company’s email security platform uses more than 50 artificial intelligence scanners to detect threats. It spots not only malware-laden messages but also data sharing practices that breach an organization’s internal policies. Furthermore, the software can protect files stored in collaboration services such as Box.

Check Point’s CTEM, or continuous threat exposure management, platform helps organizations find vulnerabilities in their infrastructure. It estimates each security issue’s severity based on factors such as whether it’s being actively targeted by hackers. After administrators apply a patch, the platform verifies that it has been implemented correctly.

Check Point generated an adjusted operating income of $265 million, which translated into adjusted earnings of $2.5 per share. Analysts had expected $2.42 per share.

For the current quarter, Check Point is forecasting adjusted earnings of $2.4 to $2.5 per share on sales of up to $690 million. That’s well below the $2.54 per share and $706 million forecasted by Wall Street. Additionally, Check Point has lowered its full-year revenue guidance to between $2.77 billion and $2.85 billion on account of the decreased firewall sales.

The company expects the go-to-market changes behind the demand lowdown to boost its financial performance in the long term. Executives stated today that Check Point’s firewall sales funnel has started “going back to normal.” 

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