Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-six ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eighteen have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $150.9091.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FTNT shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective (up from $160.00) on shares of Fortinet in a report on Monday, July 13th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Fortinet from $115.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Fortinet from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $135.00 price target on shares of Fortinet and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Fortinet in a research note on Thursday, July 30th.

Fortinet Price Performance

Shares of FTNT opened at $158.01 on Wednesday. Fortinet has a twelve month low of $73.55 and a twelve month high of $172.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $155.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.93 billion, a PE ratio of 55.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software maker reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. Fortinet had a return on equity of 191.54% and a net margin of 28.17%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Fortinet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.410-3.470 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.830-0.870 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Fortinet will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Fortinet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Fortinet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Virtue AI acquisition strengthens AI security offering: Fortinet acquired Virtue AI to add continuous validation, monitoring and runtime protection for AI agents across their lifecycle. The technology is intended to expand Fortinet’s AI-Native Security Fabric as companies move enterprise AI applications into production. Fortinet Advances Continuous AI Protection with the Acquisition of Virtue AI
• Positive Sentiment: AI acquisitions support cloud-platform ambitions: Coverage highlights Fortinet’s broader push to build a cloud-based security platform through AI-related acquisitions. Investors may view the strategy as a way to accelerate growth in AI infrastructure, agent security and cloud security. Fortinet, IBD Stock of the Day, Steps Up AI Acquisitions to Build Cloud Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst comparisons remain favorable: A Zacks analysis gives Fortinet an edge over CrowdStrike, citing SASE momentum, steadier execution and a relatively lower valuation. Other commentary points to projected revenue growth of roughly 19% this year and continued earnings growth, while Fortinet was also identified as a potential earnings-beat candidate. CRWD vs. FTNT: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and expectations are elevated: Fortinet has gained nearly 100% in 2026 and trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the stock sensitive to any slowdown in growth or disappointment from future AI investments. Recent quarterly results exceeded estimates, providing support, but investors will need evidence that the acquisition strategy converts into sustainable revenue growth.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fortinet news, CEO Ken Xie sold 161,482 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.66, for a total transaction of $26,266,662.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,972,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,616,486,029.52. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO John Whittle sold 146,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.41, for a total transaction of $18,749,786.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 94,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,163,508.84. This trade represents a 60.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 475,157 shares of company stock valued at $69,480,964. Corporate insiders own 17.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fortinet

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Fortinet in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $58,588,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in Fortinet during the second quarter worth $2,382,000. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Fortinet in the second quarter valued at $638,000. RB Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Fortinet in the second quarter valued at $2,657,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fortinet in the second quarter valued at $2,105,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fortinet Company Profile

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.