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Palo Alto Networks Gouges Cisco, Check Point, Fortinet: Survey

Palo Alto Networks ( PANW ) gouged rivals Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) and Check Point Software Technologies ( CHKP ) during Q1, as Fortinet ( FTNT ) and Symantec ( SYMC ) demand toppled, according to a Piper Jaffray survey of 26 resellers and distributors. Meanwhile, cybersecurity vendors Imperva ( IMPV ) and FireEye ( FEYE ) improved on Q4 demand, and CyberArk Software ( CYBR ) and Proofpoint ( PFPT ) demand remained relatively stable. Cybersecurity stocks largely fell as of midday trading on the stock market today , with IBD’s 25-company Computer Software-Security industry group down nearly 1.5%. Proofpoint and Fortinet stocks led the plunge, both down more than 4% midday Tuesday. CyberArk stock was down more than 2%, and Palo Alto Networks stock was down more than 1%. Imperva was down more than 2.5%, and FireEye fell nearly 2%. Symantec and Check Point stocks bucked the trend, trading flat and up 1%, respectively. Check Point is losing to Palo Alto Networks, according to resellers surveyed by Piper Jaffray analyst Andrew Nowinski, but half of the resellers cited Cisco as the rival Palo Alto Networks beats out most frequently. “Cisco and Check Point have consistently been called out by resellers as the vendors most frequently losing to Palo Alto,” Nowinski wrote in a research report. In Q4 and Q3, Juniper Networks was also cited by 13% and 18% of resellers as losing to Palo Alto Networks. “However, this is the first quarter resellers cited Fortinet as competition to Palo Alto, suggesting Fortinet may be moving more upstream into the mid-market enterprise space,” Nowinski wrote. Only 35% of resellers sold more Palo Alto Networks products than they expected, Nowinski wrote, down from 56% in Q4. The largest distributors say Palo Alto Networks demand trends were unchanged, he added. Imperva jumped in Q1, as 20% of resellers were above plan vs. 8% in Q4. And FireEye demand improved to 31% below plan from 36% in Q4. CyberArk and Proofpoint were largely in line. But Fortinet and Symantec declined. In Q1, 31% of Fortinet resellers were below plan vs. 14% in Q4. Symantec fell to 50% below plan vs. 29% in the prior quarter.

5 Top Chip Stocks Seek Support Amid Enterprise Demand Warning

Highly rated chipmakers Macom Tech ( MTSI ), Microsemi ( MSCC ), MaxLinear ( MXL ), Inphi ( IPHI ) and Cirrus Logic ( CRUS ) are dropping in heavy volume today, though they pared their losses as the tech-heavy Nasdaq rallied by the early afternoon. Some of the selling pressure is potentially coming from Juniper Networks ‘ ( JNPR ) earnings preannouncement late Monday. The networking equipment vendor lowered its first-quarter revenue and earnings expectations below Wall Street estimates, citing weaker-than-anticipated demand from enterprise customers. Macom tumbled intraday below its 50-day line and the 40 price level in intraday trade, but the shares are now looking for support at those levels, down 2.9% in early afternoon action. The stock is trading 11% below its recent high. Microsemi is plunging back below buy range from a cup-with-handle base buy point it initially cleared in mid-March, losing 2.5%. In intraday trade, shares neared the 50-day line, which recently crossed back above the 200-day line as the stock’s performance improved. MaxLinear also dropped back below buy range from a base it initially cleared in early March, though it pared its losses, sliding 2.8% in early afternoon action. Several weeks ago, the stock dipped back below buy range but found support at the 50-day line before regaining composure. Inphi is still well extended from a double-bottom entry at 28.54, but it tested the lower bound of its buy range from an alternate entry at 32.42. Shares dipped 1.2% to 33.41. And Apple ( AAPL ) supplier Cirrus Logic is testing support at its 50-day line, but it bounced back to trade unchanged. Shares are trading 7% below their high set last May. Apple, for its part, rose 0.6% intraday. Meanwhile, Juniper Networks gapped down 8% on the bearish outlook, plunging below its 50-day line in giant volume. The stock is now 29% below its November peak.

Adobe Systems Transition Earns Price-Target Hike From FBR

With its stock trading within shouting distance of its all-time high, Adobe Systems ( ADBE ) earned a price-target hike on Tuesday from investment bank FBR Capital Markets. Adobe stock was up a fraction to above 93 in midday trading on the stock market today . The provider of cloud-based media and marketing software hit a record high of 98 on March 18. It sports a good IBD Relative Strength Rating of 85, putting it among the top 15% of all stocks in performance the past 12 months. FBR analyst Samad Samana raised his price target on Adobe stock to 115 from 110 and reiterated his market perform rating. He predicts Adobe will see 20%-plus revenue growth and 30%-plus EPS growth for the next two years. Adobe has shifted its business from perpetual license software to software-as-a-service delivered over the Internet. “We believe the transition to a subscription model has yielded a more attractive business model,” Samana said. “We expect this to be reflected in fiscal 2016 and beyond.” Adobe has three cloud computing businesses: Creative Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Document Cloud. The biggest is Creative Cloud, which includes software for creative professionals such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Marketing Cloud provides online marketing and advertising services. Document Cloud leverages Adobe’s popular online document-sharing product Acrobat and its ubiquitous PDF format. The company’s Creative Cloud business earns most of the attention, but its Marketing Cloud is maturing at the right time, Samana said. “Digital marketing is at or near the top of the priority list for enterprises, and Adobe appears well positioned to help companies transform their businesses to be more engaging with end customers,” he said in a research report. Adobe should be able to continue posting healthy growth in the digital marketing business despite competition from Alphabet ( GOOGL ), Oracle ( ORCL ), Salesforce.com ( CRM ) and others, he said. RELATED: Adobe Driving Third Wave Of Enterprise Software Disruption