As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter's best and worst performers in the cybersecurity industry, including Rapid7 (NASDAQ:RPD) and its peers.

Cybersecurity continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments within software for good reason. Almost every company is slowly finding itself becoming a technology company and facing rising cybersecurity risks. Businesses are accelerating adoption of cloud-based software, moving data and applications into the cloud to save costs while improving performance. This migration has opened them to a multitude of new threats, like employees accessing data via their smartphone while on an open network, or logging into a web-based interface from a laptop in a new location.

The 9 cybersecurity stocks we track reported a mixed Q4; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 1.9%. while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line with consensus. Stocks have faced challenges as investors prioritize near-term cash flows, and while some of the cybersecurity stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have not been spared, with share prices declining 7.2% on average since the previous earnings results.

Rapid7 (NASDAQ:RPD)

Founded in 2000 with the idea that network security comes before endpoint security, Rapid7 (NASDAQ:RPD) provides software as a service that helps companies understand where they are exposed to cyber security risks, quickly detect breaches and respond to them.

Rapid7 reported revenues of $205.3 million, up 11.3% year on year, topping analyst expectations by 1.9%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations.

“Rapid7 delivered solid results to end the year, exceeding our guided ranges on ARR, revenue, non-GAAP operating income, and free cash flow. Mainstream enterprise customers continue to choose Rapid7 for the strength of our consolidated security operations platform, our integrated expertise, and our compelling value proposition,” said Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7.

The stock is down 15.2% since the results and currently trades at $48.3.

Read our full report on Rapid7 here, it's free.

Best Q4: Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA)

Founded during the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009, Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA) is a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform that helps companies manage identity for their employees and customers.

Okta reported revenues of $605 million, up 18.6% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 3%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' billings estimates and optimistic revenue guidance for the next quarter.

Okta scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 15.7% since the results and currently trades at $101.1.

Is now the time to buy Okta? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Weakest Q4: Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)

Founded in 2005 by cybersecurity engineer Nir Zuk, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) makes hardware and software cybersecurity products that protect companies from cyberattacks, breaches, and malware threats.

Palo Alto Networks reported revenues of $1.98 billion, up 19.3% year on year, in line with analyst expectations. It was a weak quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations.

Palo Alto Networks had the weakest full-year guidance update in the group. The stock is down 26.3% since the results and currently trades at $269.75.

Read our full analysis of Palo Alto Networks's results here.

Tenable (NASDAQ:TENB)

Founded in 2002 by three cybersecurity veterans, Tenable (NASDAQ:TENB) provides software as a service that helps companies understand where they are exposed to cyber security risk and how to reduce it.

Tenable reported revenues of $213.3 million, up 15.5% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 3.2%. It was a slower quarter for the company, with underwhelming revenue guidance for the next quarter and full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations.

The stock is up 1.4% since the results and currently trades at $48.31.

Read our full, actionable report on Tenable here, it's free.

CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD)

Founded by George Kurtz, the former CTO of the antivirus company McAfee, CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) provides cybersecurity software that protects companies from breaches and helps them detect and respond to cyber attacks.

CrowdStrike reported revenues of $845.3 million, up 32.6% year on year, in line with analyst expectations. It was a solid quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' billings estimates and a decent beat of analysts' ARR (annual recurring revenue) estimates. While forward guidance for next quarter and the full year were only slightly above expectations, non-GAAP EPS guidance was more convincingly ahead, showing better-than-expected profitability.

The stock is up 5.9% since the results and currently trades at $315.5.

Read our full, actionable report on CrowdStrike here, it's free.

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