Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: “Hold.” Thirty-one analysts cover Fortinet (4 sell, 21 hold, 5 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $87.72.
• Recent results beat estimates. Fortinet reported Q4 EPS $0.81 vs. $0.74 expected and revenue $1.91B vs. $1.86B, guided Q1 2026 EPS to $0.590–0.630 and FY2026 to $2.940–3.000 (sell‑side average FY EPS ~2.63).
• Institutional investors own 83.71% of the stock and many large holders have increased positions, while Fortinet’s 2026 report cites a surge in AI‑enabled cybercrime boosting demand for its security products; however, recent insider/institutional selling and a price pullback could pressure sentiment.

Shares of Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $87.72.

Several brokerages have weighed in on FTNT. Barclays set a $88.00 price target on Fortinet in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore set a $80.00 price target on Fortinet in a report on Friday, February 6th. Freedom Capital downgraded Fortinet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $90.00 price target on Fortinet in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Fortinet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd.

Fortinet Price Performance

FTNT stock opened at $86.29 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $63.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.92. Fortinet has a 12-month low of $70.12 and a 12-month high of $109.33. The business's fifty day moving average price is $81.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.72.

Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The software maker reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Fortinet had a return on equity of 124.21% and a net margin of 27.26%.The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.74 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Fortinet has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.590-0.630 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.940-3.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fortinet will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fortinet

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FTNT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Fortinet by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,581,275 shares of the software maker's stock worth $6,354,874,000 after acquiring an additional 2,894,355 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Fortinet by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,660,558 shares of the software maker's stock worth $2,493,860,000 after acquiring an additional 477,397 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Fortinet during the 4th quarter worth about $1,152,917,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Fortinet by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,504,597 shares of the software maker's stock worth $1,151,810,000 after acquiring an additional 893,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Fortinet by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,816,519 shares of the software maker's stock worth $909,453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,568,337 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.71% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Fortinet

Here are the key news stories impacting Fortinet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum — FTNT outperformed peers on a strong trading day, signaling fresh buyer interest and short-term rotation into the stock. Fortinet Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day
• Positive Sentiment: Product/market positioning — Fortinet released its 2026 Global Threat Landscape Report highlighting a large surge in AI-enabled cybercrime and a 389% rise in ransomware victims, which supports longer-term demand for Fortinet’s FortiGuard/AI security products and reinforces leadership in threat intelligence. The Fortinet 2026 Global Threat Landscape Report Reveals a Surge in AI-Enabled Cybercrime
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings watch — preview pieces from Yahoo/Zacks outline Wall Street forecasts and key metric expectations ahead of Fortinet’s Q1 results; investors are focused on billings, product vs. services mix and any guide changes. Upcoming results/guidance will likely be the next major catalyst. Countdown to Fortinet (FTNT) Q1 Earnings: Wall Street Forecasts for Key Metrics (Yahoo) Countdown to Fortinet Q1 Earnings (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector signals — Check Point’s mixed quarter (EPS beat but revenue & billings miss) sent CHKP lower; investor reaction to peers’ execution can shift relative flows into FTNT if Fortinet posts cleaner top-line or billings metrics. Check Point Earnings Beat, But Revenue, Billings Miss (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent price weakness and selling signals — FTNT had a pullback on April 30 and some data sources note heavy insider sales and sizable institutional reductions (e.g., large UBS trimming), which could pressure sentiment if sustained. Fortinet (FTNT) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts QuiverQuant summary with insider/institutional activity

About Fortinet

Fortinet, Inc NASDAQ: FTNT is a multinational cybersecurity company that develops and delivers integrated security solutions for enterprise, service provider and government customers worldwide. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, the company was co‑founded by Ken Xie and Michael Xie. Ken Xie serves as chairman and chief executive officer, and the company operates through a global sales, channel and services organization to support customers across the Americas, EMEA and Asia‑Pacific.

Fortinet's product portfolio centers on network security appliances and software, with its FortiGate next‑generation firewalls and the FortiOS operating system forming a core platform.

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