Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup raised Check Point Software Technologies’ price target from $130 to $145 but maintained a neutral rating, implying roughly 3% upside. The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average target of $151.68.
• Check Point slightly exceeded third-quarter EPS expectations at $2.49 versus $2.48, but revenue fell 1.1% year over year to $669.8 million and missed estimates. Products and licenses revenue declined 19%, highlighting continued pressure on the business.
• The company’s outlook remains mixed: cloud subscriptions, cash flow and full-year EPS guidance are encouraging, while below-consensus fourth-quarter revenue guidance suggests management expects a gradual recovery.

Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Citigroup from $130.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the technology company's stock. Citigroup's price objective indicates a potential upside of 3.03% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Yorkville Ives started coverage on Check Point Software Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $148.00 price objective on shares of Check Point Software Technologies in a report on Monday. Roth Capital set a $105.00 target price on shares of Check Point Software Technologies in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Check Point Software Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Check Point Software Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Check Point Software Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.68.

Check Point Software Technologies Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of CHKP stock traded down $0.76 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $140.74. 890,954 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,351,524. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $137.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.52. Check Point Software Technologies has a 52-week low of $112.23 and a 52-week high of $206.43.

Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The technology company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $669.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $672.06 million. Check Point Software Technologies had a return on equity of 38.80% and a net margin of 37.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.94 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Check Point Software Technologies will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Check Point Software Technologies news, insider Nataly Kremer sold 3,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.08, for a total transaction of $478,004.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 19,347 shares in the company, valued at $2,903,597.76. This represents a 14.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 29.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its position in Check Point Software Technologies by 90.0% in the 2nd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 190 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Check Point Software Technologies during the first quarter worth $30,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Check Point Software Technologies by 42.7% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 254 shares of the technology company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Check Point Software Technologies in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new stake in shares of Check Point Software Technologies in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.51% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Check Point Software Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Check Point Software Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Check Point reported third-quarter EPS of $2.49, slightly above the $2.48 consensus estimate. Analysts also pointed to 11% growth in cloud-based subscription segments, strong cash flow and signs that the company’s business turnaround may be approaching. Check Point's Turnaround Could Be Closer Than Investors Think
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $10.25–$10.37 is above the $10.04 analyst consensus, suggesting profitability may remain resilient despite slower sales growth.
• Positive Sentiment: The appointment of Adam Ely as chief business officer is intended to accelerate company-wide growth, particularly around Check Point’s AI Security business and enterprise AI adoption. Check Point Appoints Adam Ely as Chief Business Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions were mixed: Barclays, UBS and RBC raised targets, while JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Baird lowered theirs. Ratings generally remained neutral, equal weight or sector perform, although Baird maintained an outperform view. Targets now range from $131 to $170, indicating uncertainty about the pace of recovery.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue was $669.8 million, below the $672.1 million consensus and down 1.1% year over year. EPS fell sharply from $3.94 a year earlier, while products and licenses revenue declined 19%, raising concerns about future maintenance revenue. Check Point Software Reports 2026 Third Quarter Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $720 million–$770 million is below the $787.3 million consensus, and the EPS range of $2.71–$2.83 only narrowly brackets expectations. Management characterized the recovery as gradual, weighing on sentiment.

Check Point Software Technologies Company Profile

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is a cybersecurity company that develops products and services designed to protect organizations, governments and consumers from cyber threats. Its offerings help secure networks, cloud environments, endpoints, mobile devices, data and remote access, with capabilities including threat prevention, firewall protection, intrusion prevention, email security and security management.

The company organizes its portfolio under platforms that include Quantum for network security, CloudGuard for cloud security and Harmony for user, endpoint and remote-access protection.

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