SentinelOne vs. Fortinet: Which Cybersecurity Stock is the Better Buy?

SentinelOne S and Fortinet FTNT are two well-known names in the cybersecurity space, each offering a wide range of tools to protect businesses from growing digital threats. Fortinet focuses on AI-powered security, firewalls and integrated platforms that combine networking and security in one system. SentinelOne, on the other hand, has been gaining ground through autonomous security operations, endpoint protection and cutting-edge AI tools like Purple AI and Singularity.

With cyberattacks becoming more common and businesses spending more on protection, both companies are in a good spot. But which one offers more growth potential for investors in 2025? Let’s look at their recent results and strategies to find out.

The Case for S Stock

SentinelOne continued to build momentum in AI-driven security operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, delivering 23% year-over-year revenue growth and achieving a record free cash flow margin of 20%. Its Singularity platform is now operating at scale with high enterprise adoption across endpoint, cloud, data and AI security. The company also surpassed $100 million in ARR for its data solutions, highlighting strong traction in cloud-native, AI-powered operations.

A standout performer has been Purple AI, which achieved triple-digit growth in bookings with an attach rate over 25% across new subscriptions. SentinelOne expanded Purple AI with Athena, its end-to-end agentic AI system designed to understand context, take autonomous actions and reduce manual effort. These capabilities are paired with Hyperautomation, allowing no-code workflows for faster incident resolution. Customers using Purple AI have seen meaningful uplift in deal sizes and significant time savings in daily operations.

The launch of SentinelOne’s Unified Cloud Security Suite marked another step in platform growth. This solution combines workload protection, posture management, detection and response, and identity security into a single AI-powered cloud defense system. A Fortune 500 customer adopted this offering after replacing their incumbent solution due to performance gaps.

In the public sector, SentinelOne became the first cybersecurity vendor with FedRAMP High authorization for agentic AI. This milestone reflects its leadership in regulated markets and strengthens trust among government clients. With a strong platform shift underway and broad recognition across endpoint, cloud and AI security, SentinelOne is expanding its reach with both large enterprises and midmarket customers.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for S’ fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at 19 cents per share, which has been revised upward by a penny over the past 60 days, indicating a 280% increase year over year. The consensus estimate for revenues is pinned at $997.27 million, suggesting year-over-year growth of 21.4%.

SentinelOne, Inc. Price and Consensus

SentinelOne, Inc. price-consensus-chart | SentinelOne, Inc. Quote

The Case for FTNT Stock

Fortinet has been making steady progress in AI-driven cybersecurity, with strong customer adoption across security operations. In the first quarter of 2025, its AI-powered SecOps business grew 29% year over year and now contributes 10% of its business. The company has been expanding its FortiAI product line, including FortiAI Assist for automation, FortiAI Protect for threat detection, and FortiAI Secure AI for safeguarding AI infrastructure. 

Fortinet’s SecOps tools are deeply embedded within its Security Fabric and FortiOS platform, allowing customers to manage threats across cloud, network and endpoint environments through a unified system. The company highlighted large-scale deployments where customers consolidated multiple vendors and reduced complexity using Fortinet’s integrated approach. 

The company also offers sovereign SASE and AI-enhanced monitoring options for highly sensitive use cases. Fortinet’s use of proprietary FortiASIC chips and a single operating system gives it an edge in performance and total cost of ownership. Its customer base continues to grow, with the number of $1 million-plus deals increasing by 30% in the first quarter.

However, Fortinet’s SecOps momentum faces some pressure from broader macro uncertainty. The company noted that deal sizes and timelines may be affected by economic conditions, and its own sales teams have shown caution in forecasting near-term acceleration. While AI-driven security is a key growth area, Fortinet may face challenges balancing aggressive innovation with cautious enterprise spending, especially in the second half of the year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FTNT’s 2025 earnings is pegged at $2.47 per share, which has been revised upward by 2 cents over the past 60 days, indicating a 4.22% increase year over year. The consensus estimate for 2025 revenues is pinned at $6.75 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 13.36%.

Fortinet, Inc. Price and Consensus

Fortinet, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Fortinet, Inc. Quote

Price Performance and Stock Valuation of FTNT and S

Year to date, Fortinet shares have gained 10.8%, while SentinelOne shares have lost 17.5%.  For SentinelOne, the year-to-date plunge indicates that there is more upside left in the stock, whereas for Fortinet, much of the demand and growth have already been priced in. 

FTNT and S YTD Price Performance

In terms of valuation, FTNT’s current forward 12-month P/S ratio of 11.19X is way ahead of S’ 5.55X. This makes SentinelOne a relatively cheap stock.

FTNT and S Valuation

Conclusion

SentinelOne offers a stronger investment case in 2025, with solid double-digit revenue growth, improving free cash flow and rising adoption of its AI-driven security platform. Breakthrough innovations like Purple AI, Athena and the Unified Cloud Security Suite are fueling customer wins across endpoint, cloud and identity protection, while also expanding the company’s presence in regulated sectors.

Fortinet, though well-established, has shown slower SecOps momentum and a more cautious near-term outlook. SentinelOne’s focused innovation and accelerating platform shift make it a more attractive choice for high-growth investors.

SentinelOne currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while Fortinet has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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