Israel-based Check Point Q2 profit gains on cyber security demand

"The demand for cyber has remained healthy in the last year and I hope it will stay that way," said Check Point Chief Executive Gil Shwed.

 Check Point CEO Gil Shwed is seen speaking at the Jerusalem Post annual conference at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, on October 12, 2021. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Check Point CEO Gil Shwed is seen speaking at the Jerusalem Post annual conference at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, on October 12, 2021.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Israel-based Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP.O) beat estimates with a 2% gain in second-quarter profit, boosted by double-digit growth in revenue from products and subscriptions to protect cloud and other networks from escalating cyber attacks.

"The demand for cyber has remained healthy in the last year and I hope it will stay that way."

Chief Executive Gil Shwed

Check Point on Monday said it earned $1.64 per diluted share excluding one-off items in the April to June period, up from $1.61 a year earlier. Revenue grew 9% to $571 million.

It was forecast to earn $1.62 a share on revenue of $560 million, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv.

Demand for cyber security

"The demand for cyber has remained healthy in the last year and I hope it will stay that way," Chief Executive Gil Shwed told reporters, adding that while the global economic slowdown had some impact, supply chain disruptions affected the company more.

"The last four quarters ... we started seeing better and better results. Initially, it was in some more internal measurements and this quarter, we're seeing it also on the top line with revenue growth."

Check Point CEO Gil Shwed (credit: GILAD KAVALERCHIK)
Check Point CEO Gil Shwed (credit: GILAD KAVALERCHIK)

Over the past quarter, cyber-attacks increased by 32%, while advanced attacks, such as ransomware, grew by 59% to underscore the critical need for cyber security, Shwed said.

To that end, Check Point has moved to a consolidated prevention-first security architecture that encompasses securing corporate networks, the cloud and employees who work remotely. Security subscription revenue grew 14% in the quarter.