Cloudflare, Inc. (NET)
Cloudflare acts as a digital security guard and speed-booster for the internet, helping websites stay fast, safe, and online.
Is Cloudflare, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High gross margins suggest a very scalable business model. Worth weighing: Currently not profitable, which makes the valuation harder to justify.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Cloudflare, Inc. do?
Cloudflare runs a massive global network that sits between websites and their visitors to block cyberattacks and speed up content delivery. Businesses pay monthly subscriptions for these security and performance tools, and that is where the cash comes from. Their story hinges on whether they can keep growing revenue quickly while finally turning that growth into consistent profit.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and growth, and weakest on income.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 36% over the year
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 2.2x its equity
- Growth screens high
- Momentum screens high
- Value screens low
- Quality screens low
- Income screens low
Does Cloudflare, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - Cloudflare, Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
Does Cloudflare, Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $4.16B in cash against about $3.53B of debt - so it has net cash of about $633.45M. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Cloudflare, Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Cloudflare, Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Cloudflare, Inc. fell as much as −45% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Cloudflare, Inc.?
About 90% of Cloudflare, Inc., or about 90 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 1%. The rest, roughly 10%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Cloudflare, Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
When does Cloudflare, Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Cloudflare, Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-06 | $0.27 | $0.29 | Beat +8% |
| 2026-05-07 | $0.23 | $0.25 | Beat +7% |
| 2026-02-10 | $0.27 | $0.28 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-10-30 | $0.23 | $0.27 | Beat +15% |
| 2025-07-31 | $0.18 | $0.21 | Beat +16% |
| 2025-05-08 | $0.16 | $0.16 | Missed -2% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Cloudflare, Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Cloudflare, Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Company achieves sustained profitability and market dominance
Failure to turn a profit despite long-term growth
What are the pros and cons of Cloudflare, Inc.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High gross margins suggest a very scalable business model
- Essential service that is difficult for customers to replace
- Strong revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. indicates high demand for their services
- Currently not profitable, which makes the valuation harder to justify
- Very high valuation multiples compared to traditional companies
- No dividend payments for those looking for regular income
- High share price volatility can lead to sharp drops
- Intense competition from massive tech giants with deep pockets
- Reliance on continued high growth to justify the current share price
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained period of slowing revenue growth
- A shift in the business model that lowers gross margins
Common questions about Cloudflare, Inc.
Does Cloudflare, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - Cloudflare, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does Cloudflare, Inc. report earnings next?
Cloudflare, Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-29. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.