Cloudflare, Mastercard To Develop Cybersecurity Tools For Small Businesses

Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) shares are up in Tuesday’s premarket session after the company announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to enhance cybersecurity for small businesses and critical infrastructure.

This news comes as the broader market performed mixed, with the technology sector currently the worst performer, declining 0.56% on the previous trading day, adding pressure on the stock.

The Catalyst

Cloudflare and Mastercard’s collaboration intends to develop tools that will help organizations protect themselves from cyber threats while maintaining the pace of innovation.

The partnership combines Mastercard’s attack-surface monitoring capabilities with Cloudflare’s Application Security portfolio to empower millions of organizations to better defend against vulnerabilities.

The initiative highlights the increasing need for robust cybersecurity measures, especially for small businesses and critical infrastructure, which are often seen as “target rich but resource poor.”

As the digital landscape evolves, the partnership seeks to bridge the resilience gap, enabling these organizations to safeguard their operations effectively.

This partnership with Mastercard is significant as it aligns with Cloudflare’s mission to enhance cybersecurity for organizations that may lack the resources to defend against increasing cyber threats. By combining their strengths, both companies aim to create a more secure digital ecosystem.

Technical Analysis

The broader market experienced declines on the previous trading day, with major indices showing mixed results. The Nasdaq fell 0.87%, while the S&P 500 futures indicated a 0.5% loss, reflecting a challenging environment for technology stocks.

Currently, Cloudflare’s stock is trading 16.02% above its 12-month performance, indicating a solid upward trend over the past year. The stock has a 52-week range of $89.42 to $260.00, positioning it closer to its highs than lows, suggesting strong market interest.

The RSI is at a neutral level, indicating that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time. Meanwhile, the MACD is below its signal line, suggesting bearish pressure on the stock.

The combination of neutral RSI and bearish MACD indicates mixed momentum, reflecting uncertainty in the stock’s immediate direction.

• Key Resistance: $218.50
• Key Support: $169.00

Section: Sector Performance

The technology sector is currently ranked 11th out of 11 sectors, reflecting its position as the worst-performing. Over the past 30 days, the sector has declined by 1.61%, indicating a challenging environment for tech stocks, including Cloudflare.

Despite the company’s recent partnership announcement, the stock is underperforming relative to the sector, which is experiencing broader challenges. Traders should remain cautious as the sector’s performance could impact Cloudflare’s stock in the near term.

Section: Earnings & Analyst Outlook

Cloudflare, Inc. Class A common stock is slated to provide its next financial update on May 7, 2026.

• EPS Estimate: 13 cents (Down from 16 cents)
• Revenue Estimate: $622.14 million (Up from $479.09 million)

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $240.72. Recent analyst moves include:

• Citigroup: Buy (Raises Target to $265.00) (Feb. 12)
• Jefferies: Hold (Raises Target to $225.00) (Feb. 11)
• Piper Sandler: Neutral (Raises Target to $222.00) (Feb. 11)

Top ETF Exposure

• Amplify Cybersecurity ETF (NYSE:HACK): 4.51% Weight
• Main Thematic Innovation ETF (NASDAQ:TMAT): 3.94% Weight
• American Century Mid Cap Growth Impact ETF (NYSE:MID): 6.14% Weight

Significance: Because NET carries significant weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows will likely trigger automatic buying or selling of the stock.

NET Price Action: Cloudflare shares were up 1.04% at $197.88 at last check on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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