F5 (FFIV)

Information Technology · $18.1B market cap · SEC CIK 0001048695

Next reports on Jan 25, 2027, with analysts expecting $4.41 in earnings per share.

52-week range $223.76 to $483.30. 34% below its 52-week high and 42% above its low.

The case for FFIV

• Generated $906M of free cash flow in FY2025, 29% of revenue.
• 21% of revenue drops through to net profit.
• Revenue growing 10.6% year over year.
• Return on equity of 19%.
• Carries essentially no debt.
• Gross margin of 82% absorbs cost shocks.

The case against

• Growth is weak (42/100): revenue +10.6%, EPS +6.1%, +5.6% a year over five years.
• Its weakest area is the price trend (43/100): +29.3% over a year, −22.5% over three months, 34% below its 52-week high.

What the score is made of

Each factor is half a curve over reported figures and half a rank among the other Information Technology companies (momentum is judged against fixed thresholds only), and the five are blended by weight. The score is where that blend places it in the S&P 500. It describes the last filing and the current price. It is not a forecast.

• Each factor except momentum is half fixed thresholds, half rank among the 73 Information Technology companies.

The financials

The financials, five years deep

Pulled from F5's XBRL filings on SEC EDGAR. Italic rows are worked out from the others.

What F5 says it does

F5 is a multicloud application delivery and security provider committed to bringing a better digital world to life. F5 partners with the world’s largest, most advanced organizations to optimize and secure every application and Application Programming Interface ("API") anywhere, including on-premises, in the cloud, and at the network edge. F5 enables businesses to continuously stay ahead of threats while delivering exceptional, secure digital experiences for their customers. Our application delivery and security solutions are available in a range of deployment and consumption models. We sell packaged software in perpetual, subscription, and usage-based consumption models. We also sell our solutions in software-as-a-service ("SaaS") and managed services deployment models with subscription and usage-based consumption models. In addition, we sell high-performance systems, or hardware, as well as a broad range of global services including…

Risk factors FFIV lists in its 10-K

• The Cyber Incident has had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, customer, employee and partner relations, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows
• We are dependent on various information technology systems, and failures of or interruptions to those systems could harm our business
• Our success depends on our key personnel and our ability to hire, retain and motivate qualified executives, sales and marketing, operations, product development and professional services personnel
• Our success depends upon our ability to effectively plan and manage our resources and restructure our business
• Our business may be harmed if our contract manufacturers are not able to provide us with adequate supplies of our products or if a single source of hardware assembly is lost or impaired
• Our business could suffer if there are any interruptions or delays in the supply of hardware components from our third-party sources
• It is difficult to predict our future operating results because we have an unpredictable sales cycle
• We may not be able to sustain or develop new distribution relationships, and a reduction or delay in sales to significant distribution partners could hurt our business
• Reliance on fulfillment at the end of the quarter could cause our revenue for the applicable period to fall below expected levels
• Our operating results are exposed to risks associated with international commerce
• The average selling price of our products may decrease and our costs may increase, which may negatively impact revenues and profits
• Acquisitions present many risks and we may not realize the financial and strategic goals that are contemplated at the time of the transaction
• Our success depends on sales and continued innovation of our application delivery and security product lines
• Issues related to the development and use of artificial intelligence ("AI") could give rise to legal and/or regulatory action, damage our reputation or otherwise materially harm our business
• Our business could be adversely impacted by conditions affecting the markets in which we compete
• Industry consolidation may result in increased competition
• We may not be able to compete effectively in the application delivery and security market
• Misuse of our products could harm our reputation
• Our failure to adequately protect personal information could have a material adverse effect on our business
• A portion of our revenue is generated by sales to government entities, which are subject to a number of challenges and risks
• We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, and our products may infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties
• We are subject to governmental export and import controls that could subject us to liability or impair our ability to compete in international markets
• Changes in governmental regulations could negatively affect our revenues
• We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities
• We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations
• Changes in financial accounting standards may cause adverse unexpected revenue fluctuations and affect our reported results of operations
• If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected
• Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate in future periods, which may cause our stock price to fluctuate
• Anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us
• Our stock price could be volatile, particularly during times of economic uncertainty and volatility in domestic and international stock markets
• If securities or industry analysts publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, or discontinue publishing research about our business, the price and trading volume of our securities could decline
• We face risks associated with having operations and employees located in Israel
• Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods, and other catastrophic events, and to interruption by man-made problems such as terrorism
• Climate change and associated regulation may have an impact on our business
• In addition to other risks listed in this "Risk Factors" section, factors that may affect our operating results include, but are not limited to

Filings

Other Information Technology companies