F5 Slips as Credit Suisse Downgrades on IT Demand Slowdown
Shares of F5 Networks (FFIV) - Get F5 Inc. Report eased on Thursday after Credit Suisse downgraded the network application and storage systems company ahead of its fiscal-second-quarter earnings report at the end of the month.
The investment firm cut its rating on the Seattle company to neutral from outperform with a $207 price target.
At last check F5 shares were little changed at $210.81. They have traded on Thursday off as much as 2.8% at $205.01
While analysts at Credit Suisse remain bullish on F5's "relevance to hybrid cloud transitions," channel checks suggest a "slight slowdown" in IT-solutions demand from enterprises and lower-than-expected demand from the U.S. federal government in the first half.
Credit Suisse says F5's revenue growth might not accelerate after the second quarter, which could create a "mixed reaction" from investors due to the stock's current valuation.
The stock on Monday touched a 52-week high above $216, nearly doubling its 52-week low of $116.79, set in September.
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Both expectations reflect rises from the year-earlier quarter, but earnings are expected to fall sequentially, as they tend to do in the post-holiday quarter, FactSet data show.
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