Is CrowdStrike Worth Buying Before the Stock Split? An Honest Answer

Along with solid earnings results, cloud-based cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) announced a 4-for-1 stock split, which will go into effect on July 2. This will help make CrowdStrike's stock more accessible to retail investors after it has soared by roughly 60% so far in 2026.

To be sure, CrowdStrike's business has been performing exceptionally well, and it has some massive opportunities ahead of it. But after the stock's rapid rise this year, is it still worth buying before its split goes into effect?

Image source: Getty Images.

CrowdStrike's stock split

As mentioned, CrowdStrike will start trading on a split-adjusted basis on July 2. You may see some other dates mentioned, such as a record date, but for most investors, here's the key point. If you own 100 shares of CrowdStrike today, you'll have 400 shares in your portfolio when you log into your brokerage account on July 2, with each of those shares trading for about one-fourth of their previous value.

Excellent business momentum

CrowdStrike's business is performing quite well, with 26% year-over-year revenue growth in its most recent fiscal quarter. It added $256 million in net new annual recurring revenue (ARR), the most added in a fiscal first quarter in company history. On the bottom line, CrowdStrike generated $468 million in free cash flow, an all-time high, and it handily beat earnings expectations.

Not only that, but we're seeing clear signs that the agentic AI revolution is likely to be a big tailwind for CrowdStrike, not a threat as many originally thought. CEO George Kurtz said that "CrowdStrike is AI security infrastructure, critical to successful AI adoption."

Not a cheap stock

The biggest risk factor for investing in CrowdStrike is valuation. While shares trade for about 12% below recent highs, the company is still valued at about 34 times trailing revenue, one of the highest multiples for a large-cap stock in the S&P 500.

It's fair to say that CrowdStrike is pricing in quite a bit of ARR growth at these levels. If it becomes the go-to cybersecurity platform for agentic AI security over the next few years, the current valuation could look cheap. But a lot will need to go right to justify the stock's current price, and any missteps could cause significant volatility.

To be clear, this is an excellent business. But it's not a good idea to buy CrowdStrike (or any other stock for that matter) just because it is splitting its shares. If you decide to buy, be aware that you're paying a hefty premium, and size your position accordingly.

Matt Frankel, CFP® has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CrowdStrike. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.