Cyberark Shares Rising Off Wells Fargo Upgrade: What You Need To Know

Cyberark Software Ltd (NASDAQ: CYBR) shares were up more than 3 percent in Friday's pre-market session after Wells Fargo analyst Gray Powell upgraded the stock to Outperform from Market Perform.

Powell holds a valuation range target of $70 to $73 on the stock -- upside of more than 20 percent.

Outlets citing the report say the analyst is bullish on Cyberark's billings and sales growth versus competitors, along with a market environment paying more attention to security issues. 

In a recent barrage of notes, analysts disagreed on the company's future. William Blair likes Cyberark's execution, while O'Neil Equity Research thinks it's "well-positioned" against peers. JP Morgan, however, maintains an Underweight rating on Cyberark due to increased competition from CA, Inc. (NASDAQ: CA).

Peer Play

According to a recent interview with PureFunds CEO Andrew Chanin, Cyberark's closest comparable peer may be newly-IPOed Rapid7 Inc (NASDAQ: RPD). Both stocks offer investors small-cap ways to play a space expected to growth at a Compound Annual Growth Rate near 10 percent over the next five years.