Cloudflare shares jump after forecast raise on higher AI-driven spending

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Cloudflare shares ‌rose 16% before ​the ​bell on Friday after the cloud services firm raised its annual forecasts, betting that growing enterprise spending on AI infrastructure ‌would drive demand for its networking and security products.

The results, ⁠reported after markets closed on Thursday, add to signs that higher AI adoption is ‌boosting demand beyond chipmakers to ‌companies providing the software and infrastructure used to build and run AI applications.

The earnings follow Amazon.com's strongest cloud growth in more than four ​years. Amazon company noted that it won't have enough capacity to meet all demand this year.

Analysts at TD Cowen said that Cloudflare ⁠is "well-positioned to play a lead role as AI unfolds."

Cloudflare now expects full-year revenue of $2.86 billion to $2.87 ​billion, up from its prior expectation of $2.805 billion to $2.813 billion. It also lifted its adjusted earnings per share forecast ​to a range of $1.25 to $1.26 from its ‌earlier estimate of $1.19 to $1.20.

The company added about 2 million developers in the second quarter alone, surpassing the 1.5 million ⁠it added last year.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Cloudflare's Workers developer platform was its fastest-growing segment, amid a shift toward a usage-based model, expecting the company ⁠to exceed its outlook.

San Francisco-based Cloudflare's security business could also benefit as companies look ​to protect AI-powered applications and workers from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Shares of the company have gained over 44% so far this year, compared with a near-77% rise in ‌rival CrowdStrike and a 95% jump in Palo Alto Networks. The stock trades at over 190 times its ‌forward price-to-earnings ratio, compared with over 145 for CrowdStrike, according to LSEG-compiled ⁠data.

The company "has multiple, durable avenues to ‌AI monetization over the ​long-to-medium term that warrants a premium valuation," RBC Capital Markets analysts noted.

(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Joyjeet Das)

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