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    CRWD
    Earnings call· Apr 2025(Q1 FY26)

    CrowdStrike Holdings Q1 FY26 earnings call CRWD

    Jun 3, 2025 Source

    Executive summary

    CrowdStrike Q1 FY26 — Strong Falcon Flex Momentum Drives Net New ARR Beat and Reacceleration Outlook

    CrowdStrike delivered a strong Q1 FY26, exceeding expectations for net new ARR and demonstrating robust platform adoption driven by the Falcon Flex model. The company anticipates sequential net new ARR growth in Q2 and reacceleration in the second half of FY26, fueled by continued innovation in areas like Next-Gen SIEM and AI-native security, despite temporary revenue recognition impacts from prior programs. Management expressed high confidence in future growth and profitability, authorizing a $1 billion share repurchase program.

    Highlights

    5
    • Q1 net new ARR of $194 million, double-digit millions ahead of expectations.

    • Ending ARR surpassed $4.4 billion, growing 22% year-over-year.

    • Subscription gross margin reached 80%, demonstrating AI platform efficiency.

    • Free cash flow was $279 million, or 25% of revenue, with double-digit quarter-on-quarter growth.

    • Total Falcon Flex account value grew to $3.2 billion, up 31% sequentially and more than 6x year-over-year.

    Concerns

    3
    • GAAP net loss attributable to CrowdStrike was $110.2 million, including $39.7 million for outage and related matters.

    • CCP-related programs are expected to cause a temporary near-term separation between ARR and subscription revenue recognition, impacting revenue by $10 million to $15 million per quarter for the remainder of FY26.

    • Q2 free cash flow is expected to be impacted by approximately $29 million for outage and related expenses.

    Guidance & targets

    13
    CategoryTargetConfidence
    Total Revenue
    $1,144.7 million to $1,151.6 million
    high materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Income from Operations
    $226.9 million to $233.1 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Net Income
    $209.1 million to $213.8 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Diluted EPS
    $0.82 to $0.84
    high materiality
    High
    Total Revenue
    $4,743.5 million to $4,805.5 million
    high materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Income from Operations
    $970.8 million to $1,010.8 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Net Income
    $878.7 million and $909.7 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Diluted EPS
    $3.44 to $3.56
    high materiality
    High
    Non-GAAP Operating Margin
    at least 24%
    high materiality
    High
    Free Cash Flow Margin
    more than 30%
    high materiality
    High
    Net New ARR Growth Rate
    at least double over what we saw from Q1 to Q2 in the prior fiscal year
    high materiality
    High
    Net New ARR
    acceleration
    high materiality
    High
    Share Repurchase Authorization
    up to $1 billion
    high materiality
    High

    Segment performance

    2
    SegmentRevenueYoYQoQMargin
    U.S.
    Geographic mix of total revenue.
    67%
    International
    Geographic mix of total revenue.
    33%

    Operational metrics

    21
    Net new ARR
    $194Mdouble-digit millions ahead of expectations
    Q1 FY26

    Exceeded expectations for the quarter.

    Subscription gross margin
    80%
    Q1 FY26

    Best in class, demonstrating AI platform efficiency.

    Gross retention
    97%sustained
    Q1 FY26

    Customers remain firmly committed to Falcon.

    Total Falcon Flex account value
    $3.2Bup 31% sequentially and more than 6x year-over-year
    Q1 FY26

    Value across accounts that have adopted the Falcon Flex subscription model.

    Falcon Flex customers
    >820
    Q1 FY26

    Number of accounts that have adopted the Falcon Flex subscription model.

    Average Flex customer deal size
    >$1M
    Q1 FY26

    Average deal size for Falcon Flex customers.

    Average Flex subscription length
    31 months
    Q1 FY26

    Average duration of Falcon Flex subscriptions.

    Flex contracts deployed
    >75%
    Q1 FY26

    Percentage of Flex contracts already deployed.

    Re-Flex customers
    39
    Q1 FY26

    Customers who deployed initial contract demand plan and returned for more Falcon platform modules.

    Subscription revenue
    $1.05Bup 20% YoY
    Q1 FY26

    Subscription revenue for the quarter.

    Professional service revenue
    $52.7M
    Q1 FY26

    Record professional service revenue for the quarter.

    Total gross margin
    78%
    Q1 FY26

    Total non-GAAP gross margin.

    Non-GAAP operating expenses
    $656.0M
    Q1 FY26

    Total non-GAAP operating expenses.

    Non-GAAP operating income
    $201.1M
    Q1 FY26

    Exceeded guidance.

    Non-GAAP net income
    $184.7M
    Q1 FY26

    Non-GAAP net income attributable to CrowdStrike.

    Non-GAAP diluted EPS
    $0.73
    Q1 FY26

    Exceeded guidance.

    CCP-related revenue impact
    ~$11M
    Q1 FY26

    Impact on subscription revenue recognition due to CCP programs and a limited special partner program, causing a temporary divergence between ARR and subscription revenue.

    Strategic realignment cash charges
    ~$26M
    Q2 FY26

    Expected cash charges in connection with the strategic realignment plan announced in early May.

    MSSP business deal value
    >15%
    Q1 FY26

    Percentage of Q1 annual deal value sourced by MSSP channel.

    Module retention rate
    ~95%
    Q1 FY26

    Approximate module retention rate, indicating customer stickiness.

    Next-Gen SIEM ending ARR growth
    triple-digit
    Q1 FY26

    Next-Gen SIEM delivered triple-digit ending ARR growth.

    Industry KPIs

    12
    MetricValueDetails
    EPS$0.73USD
    Gross margin80%%
    Free cash flow$279.4MUSD
    Operating margin18%%
    Operating expenses$656.0MUSD
    Operating cash flow$384.1MUSD
    Revenue growth rate$1.10BUSD
    Customer account count>820accounts
    Cash investments balance$4.61BUSD
    Rpo backlog bookings orders$4.44BUSD
    Share buyback capital return$1BUSD
    Segment end market revenue mix67% U.S., 33% International%

    Orderbook & backlog

    3
    Ending ARR$4.44BQ1 FY26

    up 22% YoY

    Net new ARR$194MQ1 FY26

    double-digit millions ahead of expectations

    Total Falcon Flex account value$3.2BQ1 FY26

    up 31% QoQ and >6x YoY

    Total deal value across accounts that have adopted the Falcon Flex subscription model.

    Product announcements

    5
    ProductTypeDetails
    Cloud Data Protectionlaunch
    AI Model Scanninglaunch
    AI Security Dashboardlaunch
    Falcon Adversary OverWatch for Next-Gen SIEMlaunch
    Falcon Privileged Accesslaunch

    Deals & partnerships

    3
    GuidePointChannel partner achieving significant sales milestone.$1B

    GuidePoint joined CrowdStrike's $1 billion partner ranks, becoming the fifth partner to achieve this milestone, alongside AWS, Optiv, CDW, and SHI.

    NVIDIAIntegration of Falcon as the cybersecurity standard for NVIDIA's Enterprise AI Factory.

    NVIDIA's recently announced Enterprise AI Factory, their reference AI architecture, integrates Falcon as the cybersecurity standard for securing NVIDIA's hardware and software.

    MicrosoftJoint threat actor strategic collaboration to map adversary naming conventions.

    Announced yesterday (June 2, 2025), this "Rosetta Stone collaboration" aims to unite defenders by providing clarity on adversary attribution using both CrowdStrike's and Microsoft's nomenclature for joint customers and the broader market.

    Risks & headwinds

    2
    DOJ and SEC requests for informationOngoing

    $39.7 million of expenses for outage and related matters included in Q1 GAAP net loss; approximately $29 million expected impact on Q2 free cash flow for outage and related expenses.

    Mitigation: Implied cooperation with requests.

    CCP-related revenue recognition impactQ1 FY26 through Q4 FY26

    Approximately $11 million impact on Q1 subscription revenue; expected $10 million to $15 million impact in each remaining quarter of FY26.

    Mitigation: This is an accounting impact from prior programs, subsiding in Q4 FY26.

    What to watch in Q2 FY26

    5

    Sequential Net New ARR Growth Rate

    next quarter (Q2 FY26)
    CurrentQ1 net new ARR $194M
    Targetat least double Q1 to Q2 FY25 rate

    Why it matters

    This indicates the company's ability to accelerate growth and meet its own guidance for Q2 and back-half reacceleration.

    our Q2 assumptions include the sequential net new ARR growth rate to be at least double over what we saw from Q1 to Q2 in the prior fiscal year.

    Q&A highlights

    6

    What products benefit most from Falcon Flex, and how is the sales motion evolving with its broader adoption?

    Falcon Flex has been a "game changer," driving adoption in Next-Gen SIEM, cloud, and identity. The sales motion is shifting from module-by-module to outcome-based demand planning, leading to faster license consumption and re-Flexes, with customers using more modules faster.

    The net of it is Falcon Flex has been a real home run for us, Saket, and as I said in my prepared remarks, a real game changer for adoption.

    asked by Saket Kalia · answered by George Kurtz

    2 min read6 chapters

    Detailed Narrative

    01

    Falcon Flex Momentum and Impact

    The Falcon Flex model is proving to be a significant "game changer" for CrowdStrike, accelerating platform adoption and increasing customer spend and commitment. In less than two years, it has closed over $3.2 billion in total account deal value across more than 820 accounts, with an average deal size exceeding $1 million in ending ARR and an average subscription length of 31 months. The company is observing

    02

    AI-Native Security and Agentic AI Opportunity

    CrowdStrike is capitalizing on the emerging necessity of agentic AI, which is dramatically expanding the enterprise attack surface. AI agents, acting as "superhuman identities," require protection for their access to data, systems, and workflows. As an AI-first company, CrowdStrike is uniquely positioned to secure these AI agents, models, and underlying infrastructure, thereby growing its total addressable market. Charlotte AI, functioning as an agentic security analyst, is already transforming SOC operations by delivering autonomous triage and response, saving time and improving security outcomes.

    03

    Cloud Security and Innovation

    The cloud business experienced a strong start to the year, with accelerating net new and total ARR growth. CrowdStrike launched new capabilities including cloud data protection, AI model scanning, and AI security dashboards, all integrated into its unified sensor. The company's innovation in cloud and application runtime security was recognized by Frost Radar, and recent M&A in the space has further enhanced its relevance as a hyperscaler-agnostic solution.

    04

    Next-Gen SIEM Disruption

    CrowdStrike's Next-Gen SIEM business delivered triple-digit ending ARR growth, actively displacing antiquated, expensive, and poor-performing legacy SIEM solutions such as Splunk and QRadar. Customers are drawn to its substantially faster query times, accelerated and customizable dashboarding, and significant cost savings. The integration of LogScale as a foundational component of the Falcon platform, along with Falcon Adversary OverWatch for Next-Gen SIEM, creates a turnkey AI-powered SOC with real-time intelligence and automation.

    05

    Identity and Exposure Management Expansion

    The identity business continues its rapid expansion in both coverage and functionality, highlighted by the general availability of Falcon Privileged Access. This offering provides just-in-time access and permissions for critical applications and services within CrowdStrike's AI-native platform. Similarly, the Exposure Management business, encompassing vulnerability and attack surface management, is evolving into a "scaled disruptor" with the launch of AI-powered network vulnerability assessment, enabling customers to consolidate legacy VM point products.

    06

    Ecosystem and Partner Acceleration

    CrowdStrike's ecosystem partners are significantly accelerating its growth, sourcing 60% of the Q1 annual deal value. GuidePoint joined the ranks of partners achieving $1 billion in business, and the MSSP business now accounts for over 15% of Q1 deal value. A notable strategic collaboration with Microsoft was announced, focusing on mapping adversary naming conventions to unite defenders and improve threat attribution for joint customers and the broader market.

    AI-generated summary of the company’s earnings call. Not investment advice.