Zscaler results, outlook exceed Wall Street expectations, stock ticks higher
Zscaler Inc. late Thursday exceeded Wall Street expectations on quarterly results and outlook, and the stock price of the cybersecurity company was up modestly in the extended session after more than doubling over the past year.
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Revenue rose to $197.1 million from $125.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Calculated billings, which is revenue plus deferred revenue acquired over the quarter, rose to $332.2 million from $194.9 million in the year-ago period.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast earnings of 9 cents a share on revenue of $186.8 million and billings of $278.1 million.
“We delivered outstanding results for the fourth quarter, with a record number of large deals across diverse sectors, driving 57% revenue growth and 70% billings growth year over year, finishing the fiscal year with strong business momentum,” said Jay Chaudhry, Zscaler chairman and chief executive, in a statement.
Zscaler expects adjusted earnings of about 12 cents a share on revenue of $210 million to $212 million for the fiscal first quarter, and 52 cents to 56 cents a share on revenue of $940 million to $950 million for the year and billings of $1.23 billion to $1.25 billion.
Analysts had forecast earnings of 12 cents on revenue of $199.4 million for the fiscal first quarter, and 54 cents a share on revenue of $899.1 million for the year and billings of $1.15 billion for the year.
Shares rose 1% after hours, following a 0.2% decline in the regular session to close at $280.22. Then again, the stock is already up 109% over the past 12 months as of Thursday’s close, compared with a 32% gain by the S&P 500 index SPX,