Zscaler's Poor Performance in Q1 Highlights Cybersecurity Concerns
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 06 2026
0mins
Should l Buy ZS?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Market Performance Analysis: Zscaler's disappointing performance in Q1 saw its stock plummet nearly 38%, making it the fifth worst performer in the Nasdaq 100, reflecting market concerns about its future growth prospects.
- Cybersecurity Outlook: While Jim Cramer acknowledges Zscaler's potential in cybersecurity, he prefers recommending CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks, indicating a lack of confidence in Zscaler's market position.
- Investment Advice: Cramer advises investors holding Zscaler to gradually lighten their positions during market rebounds, emphasizing that holding too many similar stocks could expose them to greater risks and pain.
- AI Impact Assessment: The market generally perceives cybersecurity as vulnerable to AI disruption, although Cramer disagrees, asserting that Zscaler should not have been hit so hard, highlighting differing views on AI's impact on cybersecurity.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy ZS?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on ZS
Wall Street analysts forecast ZS stock price to rise
30 Analyst Rating
24 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 134.330
Low
260.00
Averages
325.62
High
390.00
Current: 134.330
Low
260.00
Averages
325.62
High
390.00
About ZS
Zscaler, Inc. is a cloud security company. The Company has developed a platform incorporating core security functionalities needed to enable fast and secure access to cloud resources based on identity, context and an organization’s policies. Its Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Its solution is a purpose-built, multi-tenant, distributed cloud platform that incorporates the security functionality needed to enable users, applications, and devices to safely and efficiently utilize authorized applications and services based on an organization’s business policies. It delivers its solutions using a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model and sells subscriptions to customers to access its cloud platform, together with related support services. It offers a security platform that combines its platform with automated security operations.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Quantum Secure Encryption Corp Launches New Platform Amid Rising Cybersecurity Threats
- Surge in Cybersecurity Spending: Gartner forecasts global cybersecurity spending to reach $240 billion in 2026, a 12.5% increase from last year, as enterprises face dual threats from ransomware and AI attacks, with average breach costs hitting $5.08 million, prompting urgent defense overhauls.
- Launch of Quantum Encryption Platform: Quantum Secure Encryption Corp has introduced the QPA v2 platform designed to help organizations identify encryption vulnerabilities and create remediation plans, offering a planning wizard for governance, budgets, and migration timelines to tackle quantum computing threats.
- Public Sector Collaboration Success: The company secured its first municipal government pilot through membership in the Municipal Information Systems Association, using QPA to identify systems reliant on encryption and begin planning replacements, indicating strong potential for market expansion in the public sector.
- Global Market Expansion: Since November 2025, Quantum Secure Encryption Corp has expanded from four to thirteen operational markets worldwide, with eleven active value-added distributors and two more partnerships expected to close soon, demonstrating rapid growth in the quantum security sector.
See More
Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. Launches New Platform to Address Cyber Threats
- Surge in Cybersecurity Spending: Gartner forecasts global cybersecurity spending to reach $240 billion in 2026, a 12.5% increase from last year, as enterprises face dual threats from ransomware and AI attacks, with average breach costs hitting $5.08 million, compelling companies to accelerate defense rebuilding.
- Quantum Migration Guidance: NIST's latest post-quantum migration guidance urges organizations to overhaul their cryptographic systems immediately to counter adversaries harvesting encrypted data, ensuring preparedness before quantum computing matures, thereby enhancing corporate cryptographic agility and autonomous threat detection capabilities.
- Launch of QPA v2 Platform: Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. has launched the QPA v2 platform to help organizations identify encryption vulnerabilities and develop remediation plans, featuring a planning wizard for governance, budgets, and migration timelines, while providing real-time monitoring of risk exposure and migration progress to support proactive quantum risk management.
- Public Sector Collaboration Results: QSE has established a pilot partnership with its first municipal government, utilizing QPA v2 to identify systems dependent on encryption and begin planning replacements, with ongoing discussions with additional municipalities indicating rapid expansion potential in the public sector.
See More
Cybersecurity Stocks Decline as Wall Street Shifts Focus
- Market Shift Impact: Wall Street's pivot away from tech stocks in 2026 has led to significant declines in share prices for cybersecurity firms like Palo Alto Networks, SentinelOne, and Zscaler, despite these companies achieving double-digit year-over-year sales growth, indicating market concerns about their future prospects.
- Investment Opportunities Arise: The cybersecurity industry is projected to grow from $248 billion in 2026 to $699 billion by 2034, and with stock prices at multiyear lows, investors now have the chance to buy these stocks at attractive valuations, reflecting ongoing demand for cybersecurity solutions.
- CEO Share Purchases: Palo Alto Networks' CEO Nikesh Arora purchased approximately $10 million in company shares in March 2026, marking his first buy since 2019, which demonstrates his confidence in the company's future growth potential.
- AI and Cybersecurity Collaboration: Despite concerns that AI could threaten cybersecurity companies, partnerships between Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne with Google Cloud suggest that cybersecurity firms are more likely to collaborate with AI companies rather than be replaced, underscoring the ongoing necessity of IT security.
See More
Investment Opportunities Emerge in Cybersecurity Stocks
- Market Recovery Signal: The cybersecurity industry is projected to grow from $248 billion in 2026 to $699 billion by 2034, indicating strong market demand that encourages investors to buy at current attractive valuations.
- Executive Buy Signal: Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora purchased approximately $10 million in company shares in March, marking his first buy since 2019, which reflects executive confidence in the company's future prospects.
- Collaboration and Innovation: Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne are collaborating with Google Cloud to secure AI infrastructure, indicating that the integration of cybersecurity firms with AI technology will be a crucial trend for future development.
- Strong Sales Growth: Both Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne reported robust sales growth in their latest earnings reports, with the former's revenue rising 15% year-over-year to $2.6 billion and the latter's revenue increasing 20% year-over-year to $271.2 million, reflecting ongoing demand for cybersecurity services.
See More
US Stocks Close Higher with Chipmakers Rallying
- Market Recovery: On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose by 0.26% and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.49%, reaching new highs, indicating a strong rebound after early losses and reflecting investor confidence in economic recovery.
- Chip Sector Boost: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co raised its 2026 revenue forecast, highlighting strong AI demand, which propelled chipmakers' stock prices, particularly benefiting major suppliers to Nvidia and Apple, further enhancing market optimism.
- Oil Price Impact: Despite the stock market gains, crude oil prices surged over 3%, raising concerns about the Middle East situation and limiting the market's upward momentum, illustrating the potential impact of energy prices on the overall economy.
- Mixed Economic Data: Initial jobless claims fell to 207,000, exceeding expectations and indicating labor market strength, but unexpected declines in manufacturing production reflect economic uncertainty, which could influence future monetary policy.
See More
Analysis of SaaS Companies' Prospects Amid AI Disruption
- Market Panic Intensifies: SaaS companies are experiencing severe market panic, as evidenced by the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) dropping over 30% in the past six months, compared to a mere 9% decline in the NASDAQ, indicating a significant loss of investor confidence in SaaS stocks.
- Chegg's Collapse: The online homework help platform Chegg has seen its stock plummet over 99% since its peak in 2021, as its core product has been replaced by free AI tools like ChatGPT, leading to a 40% year-over-year revenue decline, highlighting the tangible threat AI poses to certain SaaS companies.
- HubSpot and Constellation's Dilemma: Despite HubSpot and Constellation Software achieving all-time highs in revenue and free cash flow, their valuations have plummeted, with HubSpot trading at a mere 4 times sales and Constellation at 3 times, reflecting a pessimistic outlook from the market regarding their futures.
- AI as a Double-Edged Sword: While AI poses a threat to SaaS companies, some experts believe it could also serve as an advantage, particularly for firms like ServiceNow and Cadence, which may leverage AI effectively to gain a competitive edge in the evolving market landscape.
See More
Quantum Secure Encryption Corp Launches New Platform Amid Rising Cybersecurity Threats
- Surge in Cybersecurity Spending: Gartner forecasts global cybersecurity spending to reach $240 billion in 2026, a 12.5% increase from last year, as enterprises face dual threats from ransomware and AI attacks, with average breach costs hitting $5.08 million, prompting urgent defense overhauls.
- Launch of Quantum Encryption Platform: Quantum Secure Encryption Corp has introduced the QPA v2 platform designed to help organizations identify encryption vulnerabilities and create remediation plans, offering a planning wizard for governance, budgets, and migration timelines to tackle quantum computing threats.
- Public Sector Collaboration Success: The company secured its first municipal government pilot through membership in the Municipal Information Systems Association, using QPA to identify systems reliant on encryption and begin planning replacements, indicating strong potential for market expansion in the public sector.
- Global Market Expansion: Since November 2025, Quantum Secure Encryption Corp has expanded from four to thirteen operational markets worldwide, with eleven active value-added distributors and two more partnerships expected to close soon, demonstrating rapid growth in the quantum security sector.
See More
Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. Launches New Platform to Address Cyber Threats
- Surge in Cybersecurity Spending: Gartner forecasts global cybersecurity spending to reach $240 billion in 2026, a 12.5% increase from last year, as enterprises face dual threats from ransomware and AI attacks, with average breach costs hitting $5.08 million, compelling companies to accelerate defense rebuilding.
- Quantum Migration Guidance: NIST's latest post-quantum migration guidance urges organizations to overhaul their cryptographic systems immediately to counter adversaries harvesting encrypted data, ensuring preparedness before quantum computing matures, thereby enhancing corporate cryptographic agility and autonomous threat detection capabilities.
- Launch of QPA v2 Platform: Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. has launched the QPA v2 platform to help organizations identify encryption vulnerabilities and develop remediation plans, featuring a planning wizard for governance, budgets, and migration timelines, while providing real-time monitoring of risk exposure and migration progress to support proactive quantum risk management.
- Public Sector Collaboration Results: QSE has established a pilot partnership with its first municipal government, utilizing QPA v2 to identify systems dependent on encryption and begin planning replacements, with ongoing discussions with additional municipalities indicating rapid expansion potential in the public sector.
See More
Cybersecurity Stocks Decline as Wall Street Shifts Focus
- Market Shift Impact: Wall Street's pivot away from tech stocks in 2026 has led to significant declines in share prices for cybersecurity firms like Palo Alto Networks, SentinelOne, and Zscaler, despite these companies achieving double-digit year-over-year sales growth, indicating market concerns about their future prospects.
- Investment Opportunities Arise: The cybersecurity industry is projected to grow from $248 billion in 2026 to $699 billion by 2034, and with stock prices at multiyear lows, investors now have the chance to buy these stocks at attractive valuations, reflecting ongoing demand for cybersecurity solutions.
- CEO Share Purchases: Palo Alto Networks' CEO Nikesh Arora purchased approximately $10 million in company shares in March 2026, marking his first buy since 2019, which demonstrates his confidence in the company's future growth potential.
- AI and Cybersecurity Collaboration: Despite concerns that AI could threaten cybersecurity companies, partnerships between Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne with Google Cloud suggest that cybersecurity firms are more likely to collaborate with AI companies rather than be replaced, underscoring the ongoing necessity of IT security.
See More
Investment Opportunities Emerge in Cybersecurity Stocks
- Market Recovery Signal: The cybersecurity industry is projected to grow from $248 billion in 2026 to $699 billion by 2034, indicating strong market demand that encourages investors to buy at current attractive valuations.
- Executive Buy Signal: Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora purchased approximately $10 million in company shares in March, marking his first buy since 2019, which reflects executive confidence in the company's future prospects.
- Collaboration and Innovation: Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne are collaborating with Google Cloud to secure AI infrastructure, indicating that the integration of cybersecurity firms with AI technology will be a crucial trend for future development.
- Strong Sales Growth: Both Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne reported robust sales growth in their latest earnings reports, with the former's revenue rising 15% year-over-year to $2.6 billion and the latter's revenue increasing 20% year-over-year to $271.2 million, reflecting ongoing demand for cybersecurity services.
See More
US Stocks Close Higher with Chipmakers Rallying
- Market Recovery: On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose by 0.26% and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.49%, reaching new highs, indicating a strong rebound after early losses and reflecting investor confidence in economic recovery.
- Chip Sector Boost: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co raised its 2026 revenue forecast, highlighting strong AI demand, which propelled chipmakers' stock prices, particularly benefiting major suppliers to Nvidia and Apple, further enhancing market optimism.
- Oil Price Impact: Despite the stock market gains, crude oil prices surged over 3%, raising concerns about the Middle East situation and limiting the market's upward momentum, illustrating the potential impact of energy prices on the overall economy.
- Mixed Economic Data: Initial jobless claims fell to 207,000, exceeding expectations and indicating labor market strength, but unexpected declines in manufacturing production reflect economic uncertainty, which could influence future monetary policy.
See More
Analysis of SaaS Companies' Prospects Amid AI Disruption
- Market Panic Intensifies: SaaS companies are experiencing severe market panic, as evidenced by the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) dropping over 30% in the past six months, compared to a mere 9% decline in the NASDAQ, indicating a significant loss of investor confidence in SaaS stocks.
- Chegg's Collapse: The online homework help platform Chegg has seen its stock plummet over 99% since its peak in 2021, as its core product has been replaced by free AI tools like ChatGPT, leading to a 40% year-over-year revenue decline, highlighting the tangible threat AI poses to certain SaaS companies.
- HubSpot and Constellation's Dilemma: Despite HubSpot and Constellation Software achieving all-time highs in revenue and free cash flow, their valuations have plummeted, with HubSpot trading at a mere 4 times sales and Constellation at 3 times, reflecting a pessimistic outlook from the market regarding their futures.
- AI as a Double-Edged Sword: While AI poses a threat to SaaS companies, some experts believe it could also serve as an advantage, particularly for firms like ServiceNow and Cadence, which may leverage AI effectively to gain a competitive edge in the evolving market landscape.
See More
