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what it is
Fastly runs an edge cloud platform that helps websites deliver, secure, and process traffic closer to users.
how it gets paid
Last year Fastly made $624M in revenue.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 14.8% last year. Revenue hit a record $172.6M, and gross margin rose to 61.4%.
what just happened
Fastly beat on EPS with $0.12 versus a $0.06 estimate, and revenue reached $172.6M.
At a glance
B balance sheet — gets the job done, barely
35/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
214.2x trailing p/e — you're paying up for this one
5.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 46/100 — below average
What they do
Fastly runs an edge cloud platform that helps websites deliver, secure, and process traffic closer to users.
Edge cloud platform → servers near the user → your site loads and filters traffic faster. Fastly's top ten customers were 34% of Q4 revenue, so the platform is already wired into real traffic. Leaving is painful when your delivery and security stack lives in one place.
How they make money
$624M
annual revenue · their business grew +14.8% last year
total revenue
$624M
+14.8%
The products that matter
content delivery and edge compute
Edge Cloud Platform
$624M revenue · 100% of sales
this is the entire business. when one platform drives all $624M of revenue, every customer win matters and every stumble matters more.
100% of revenue
security and bot management
Security Offerings
$158.2M quarter · 62.8% gross margin
the strong quarter ran through here: $158.2M in revenue and a 62.8% gross margin. this is the part of the story that can lift company-wide profitability if demand holds.
margin engine
cross-sell and new product adoption
Platform Expansion
14.8% company growth
management tied recent momentum to new offerings and cross-selling, but the snapshot gives no segment breakout. you have 14.8% company growth, not clean disclosure on which newer products deserve the credit.
still proving it
Key numbers
$0.15
fy2026 eps est
$850M
fy2028 rev est
214.2x
trailing p/e
55.4%
gross margin
Gross profit kept about 55.4% of each revenue dollar.
Financial health
B
strength
- balance sheet grade B — adequate — nothing special
- risk rank 4 — safer than 20% of stocks
- price stability 5 / 100
- long-term debt $150M (9% of capital)
- net profit margin 8.2% — keeps 8 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 5% — $0.05 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in FSLY 3 years ago → it's now worth $13,220.
The index would have given you $13,920.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
beat estimates
Fastly beat on EPS with $0.12 versus a $0.06 estimate, and revenue reached $172.6M.
Revenue hit a record $172.6M, and gross margin rose to 61.4%. That says the business is selling more without giving away as much.
$172.6M
revenue
$0.12
eps
61.4%
gross margin
the number that mattered
Revenue at $172.6M was the cleanest proof point, because it showed growth and margin improvement in the same quarter.
-
fastly, inc. may finish 2025 with a full-year share profit.
-
this outlook comes after the standout performance in the september period.
-
the company announced several new product offerings and delivered record revenue of $158.2 million, which was above our $150 million estimate, due to strong demand for security offerings.
-
moreover, the gross margin expanded 420 basis points from the prior-year period, to 62.8%, aided by operational efficiencies and network optimization.as such, the edge-cloud platform operator generated share earnings of $0.07 in the third quarter, which exceeded our breakeven target. leadership highlighted accelerating growth momentum, cross-selling success, and reduced reliance on its largest customers, while indicating early wins in international expansion to regions like asia pacific and europe. importantly, management stated that it intends to report another profitable quarter in the final stanza.
-
the edge computing market is projected to grow rapidly, fueled by ai, iot, and low-latency needs.fastly will likely prioritize higher-margin security offerings and bundled sales for more predictable revenue streams.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is turnaround execution on a 3.0% net margin.
med
the margin story stalls
Fastly showed a 62.8% gross margin in the strong September quarter, but the full company still reports only a 3.0% net margin. That gap is the whole debate.
With only 3 cents kept per $1 of revenue, even modest cost pressure can erase profit.
med
single-platform concentration
The Edge Cloud Platform is 100% of Fastly's $624M revenue base. There is no second engine if usage slows, pricing gets tighter, or customers consolidate vendors.
This risk touches the entire business, not a side segment.
med
the market stops paying for the comeback
The stock trades at 214.2x trailing earnings while institutions posted 105 buyers versus 117 sellers last quarter. That is not a huge exodus, but it is not broad conviction either.
If earnings stay uneven, multiple compression can hurt even with revenue still growing.
100% of $624M revenue sits in one platform, and the company keeps only 3.0% of sales as profit. That's a thin cushion for a stock already priced on improvement.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
earnings
the next profitability check-in
after Q4 EPS of -$0.20, the next report needs to show that the September-quarter improvement was not a one-off.
metric
gross margin holding above the recent 62.8%
this is the cleanest operating proof point in the snapshot. If it slips, the valuation support gets thinner fast.
risk
whether 14.8% growth decelerates toward the $675M outlook
the current estimate implies about 8.2% growth next year. Slower growth plus premium valuation is not a forgiving combination.
trend
institutional flow turning from 105 vs. 117 to net buying
this is a sentiment stock as much as an earnings stock right now. Better fundamentals usually need better sponsorship to matter.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
average
momentum score 3 — in human-speak, analysts are not seeing a clear short-term edge either way.
risk profile
below average
stability score 4 means more volatility than most stocks. You should expect bigger swings, not smoother compounding.
chart momentum
top 20%
technical score 2 says analysts expect above-average price performance in the year ahead. The chart looks better than the earnings history.
earnings predictability
35 / 100
earnings are hard to model here. That is another way of saying the story can improve quickly or disappoint quickly.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
105 buyers vs. 117 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 0.1B shares.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$4
$16
$11
current price
$10
target midpoint · 7% from current · 3-5yr high: $16 (+50% · 10% ann'l return)
Want the deeper analysis?
The full deep dive: dcf model, scenario analysis, competitive moat breakdown, and quarterly tracking — everything on this page, taken further.
see plans from $5/moThe deep dive