(Reuters) – Cybersecurity firm Fortinet’s fourth-quarter revenue forecast failed to impress investors on Thursday, sending its shares down over 8% in extended trading.
High-interest rates, which are affecting borrowing for investment, have dampened enterprise spending as businesses grapple with economic uncertainty.
Fortinet is also facing stiff competition from bigger players such as Palo Alto Networks, which offer a comprehensive range of cybersecurity solutions, constraining the growth of smaller cybersecurity firms.
In September, Fortinet said that an individual gained unauthorized access to files stored on its third-party cloud-based shared file drive, which involved limited data related to a small number of customers.
Fortinet had said that there was no indication that the data breach resulted in any malicious activity affecting its customers.
It expects to generate revenue in the range of $1.56 billion to $1.62 billion in the fourth quarter, the midpoint of which is in line with analysts’ average estimate of $1.59 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Fortinet now sees revenue for fiscal year 2024 between $5.86 billion and $5.92 billion, up from its earlier forecast of $5.8 billion to $5.9 billion. Analysts, on average, expect $5.86 billion in revenue.
The company posted revenue of $1.51 billion for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts’ estimates of $1.48 billion.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)
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