Fortinet FTNT reported second-quarter 2026 non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of 90 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20% and rising 40.6% year over year.
Total revenues of $2.05 billion beat the consensus mark by 9.1% and increased 25.6% year over year, driven by strong demand across customer segments, industry verticals, and geographies. Growth was fueled by accelerating investment in securing AI infrastructure, the convergence of firewall, SD-WAN and SASE technologies into the company's newly defined SASE Firewall platform, and continued strength in operational technology (OT) security amid rising regulatory and critical infrastructure requirements.
Total deferred revenues (current plus long-term portions combined) came in at $7.68 billion, while the current portion was $3.84 billion as of June 30, 2026.
Total billings increased 33.4% year over year to $2.37 billion, led by 34% growth in secure networking, more than 55% growth in OT, 35% growth in Unified SASE and 25% growth in AI-driven security operations.
Fortinet, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Fortinet, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fortinet, Inc. Quote
FTNT's Q2 in Detail
Segment-wise, Product revenues increased 51.9% year over year to $773 million, representing 37.7% of total revenues. The acceleration was driven by strong FortiGate unit growth and higher average selling prices as customers shifted toward higher-performing models, along with customer investments to secure AI workloads and support AI data center buildouts.
Service revenues of $1.27 billion grew 13.7% year over year, accounting for 62.3% of total revenues, with growth improving from the prior quarter. The first quarter of 2026 marked the trough for service revenue growth, with a positive trajectory expected going forward as accelerating product revenue feeds through to attached services. Service billings accelerated to 26% growth and total deferred revenues grew 17%. FortiSASE adoption within the large enterprise installed base rose to 90%, with FortiSASE billings growing more than 100% year over year, benefiting from expansion sales, competitive replacements and new large enterprise wins.
Margins of FTNT
Total GAAP gross margin was 80.2%, contracting 50 basis points (bps) year over year. Non-GAAP gross margin came in at 80.9%, contracting 70 bps year over year but exceeding the high end of guidance.
GAAP operating margin expanded 560 bps year over year to 33.7% in the second quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin expanded 490 bps to a second quarter record of 38%, reflecting stronger than expected revenue growth, disciplined cost management and growing efficiencies from internal AI initiatives.
FTNT's Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
Fortinet exited the second quarter of 2026 with cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $4.07 billion, up from $3.29 billion reported at the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Cash flow from operations was $1.04 billion for the second quarter of 2026, up from $451.9 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of 130.9%. Free cash flow of $965.6 million grew 239.9% year over year from $284.1 million in the prior year quarter, reflecting improved linearity, higher billings and strong working capital discipline, representing a free cash flow margin of 47.2%. Adjusted free cash flow reached $995.9 million, up 132.7% year over year, representing a margin of 48.6%.
The company repurchased 1.9 million shares of common stock for $146 million during the second quarter, bringing year-to-date repurchases to 12.5 million shares for $973 million, at an average price of approximately $78 per share. The remaining share repurchase authorization stands at approximately $766 million.
FTNT's Q3 & 2026 Guidance
Fortinet expects third-quarter revenues in the range of $2.01-$2.10 billion. Billings are estimated in the range of $2.25-$2.35 billion. The non-GAAP gross margin is expected in the range of 79-81%, while the non-GAAP operating margin is anticipated between 35-37%. Non-GAAP EPS is projected in the range of 83-87 cents.
For 2026, FTNT raised its outlook and now predicts revenues in the range of $8.02-$8.18 billion (up from prior $7.71-$7.87 billion). Service revenues are projected in the range of $5.18 to $5.22 billion. Billings are expected in the range of $9.35-$9.55 billion (up from prior $8.8 to $9.1 billion). The non-GAAP gross margin is expected in the range of 79-81% and the operating margin is projected in the band of 35-37%. Non-GAAP EPS is anticipated to be between $3.41 and $3.47 (up from prior $3.10-$3.16).
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Fortinet currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector are Analog Devices ADI, Applied Materials AMAT and Cisco Systems CSCO, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Shares of Analog Devices have rallied 37.1% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ADI’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $12.42 per share, up by 10 cents over the past 30 days, indicating an increase of 59.4% year over year.
Shares of Applied Materials have skyrocketed 101.1% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMAT’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $12.14 per share, up by 4 cents over the past 30 days, indicating a rise of 28.9% year over year.
Cisco Systems shares have surged 48.7% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CSCO’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $4.28 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, indicating an increase of 12.3% year over year.
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