How Can I Beat the S&P 500? What the Evidence Says
The honest answer to the most asked question in investing: how many people beat the index, why it is so hard, why investors trail even their own funds, and how daily market context fits in.
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FFIV Stock vs the S&P 500: Returns, Risk and Crash History
F5, Inc., technology (market value $18.4 billion), an S&P 500 member: how it compared with the S&P 500, how it behaved in every crash since 2008, its risk‑adjusted returns and what analysts said. Data as of Oct 30, 2026.
What changed since Oct 26
Exent re-checks this page every day. Ratings appear 30 days after they are published; the top‑ranked analysts’ calls are not counted here, they are in Gems.
14 analysts covering (was 15)11 4★+ analysts covering (was 12)+33.7% 1‑year return through Oct 30 (was +37.7%)
Key takeaways
- FFIV returned +60.2% over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026 versus +75.9% for the S&P 500: it lagged the index.
- Its 5-year Sharpe ratio was 0.35 against 0.58 for the S&P 500.
- Its deepest crisis drawdown was −59.2% in the global financial crisis (2007–09) (S&P 500: −56.5%).
- Five‑year volatility was 32.5% and beta 1.07.
- 14 analysts rated it in the past year; 31% of their latest calls were Buy.
- FFIV beat earnings estimates in 12 of its last 12 reports; the stock moved 7.7% on average, up or down, around each report.
What do the best‑ranked analysts on FFIV say now? See it in Exent Gems →
In this article
- Did FFIV beat the S&P 500?
- What Wall Street analysts say about FFIV
- FFIV returns by year vs the S&P 500
- FFIV risk-adjusted returns: Sharpe, Sortino and volatility
- How FFIV behaved in past crashes
- What moves with FFIV, and what doesn’t
- Latest FFIV upgrades, downgrades and price‑target changes
- Do analysts get FFIV right?
- How FFIV moves after earnings
- Where FFIV’s revenue comes from
- Members of Congress who traded FFIV
- Are FFIV insiders buying or selling?
- How much of FFIV is sold short?
- How many institutions own FFIV?
- Is FFIV diluting shareholders?
- FFIV financial health scores
- What FFIV talks about on earnings calls
- Which ETFs hold FFIV?
- How much is FFIV’s CEO paid?
- The right benchmark for FFIV
- Other technology stocks
- Data and methodology
Did FFIV beat the S&P 500?
Over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026, F5, Inc. (FFIV) returned +60.2% including dividends, versus +75.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY). It lagged the index by 15.7 percentage points, or +9.9% a year against +12.0%.
| Period | FFIV | S&P 500 | FFIV per year | S&P 500 per year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | +33.7% | +12.0% | +33.7% | +12.0% | Beat |
| 3 years | +123.2% | +87.4% | +30.7% | +23.3% | Beat |
| 5 years | +60.2% | +75.9% | +9.9% | +12.0% | Lagged |
| 10 years | +144.8% | +316.3% | +9.4% | +15.3% | Lagged |
- 1 year
- FFIV
- +33.7%
- S&P 500
- +12.0%
- FFIV per year
- +33.7%
- S&P 500 per year
- +12.0%
- Result
- Beat
- 3 years
- FFIV
- +123.2%
- S&P 500
- +87.4%
- FFIV per year
- +30.7%
- S&P 500 per year
- +23.3%
- Result
- Beat
- 5 years
- FFIV
- +60.2%
- S&P 500
- +75.9%
- FFIV per year
- +9.9%
- S&P 500 per year
- +12.0%
- Result
- Lagged
- 10 years
- FFIV
- +144.8%
- S&P 500
- +316.3%
- FFIV per year
- +9.4%
- S&P 500 per year
- +15.3%
- Result
- Lagged
Total return with dividends reinvested, from month-end prices to Oct 30, 2026. Beating the index on raw return is only half the story: the next section adjusts for the risk taken. See also how to beat the S&P 500.
FFIV is in the S&P 500 (members as of Oct 20, 2026); the list shows every member’s return against the index.
What Wall Street analysts say about FFIV
In the 12 months to 30 days ago, 14 analysts published 120 ratings on FFIV. Their latest calls were 31% Buy, 62% Hold and 8% Sell. 11 of them rank 4★ or higher in Exent’s analyst scoring, which is based on each analyst’s past price‑target hit rate and returns.
The consensus 12‑month price target was $310.30 (range $250.00–$345.00), −4.4% from the last price. Remember that the average analyst’s target is hit only about half the time: how accurate are price targets?
| Top‑ranked analyst covering | Firm | Stars | Price‑target hit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ??? | ??? | 5.0★ | 63.1% |
| ??? | ??? | 5.0★ | 56.2% |
| Tim Long | Barclays | 4.9★ | 72.4% |
| Matthew Hedberg | RBC Capital | 4.9★ | 59.6% |
| Ryan Koontz | Needham | 4.9★ | 53.7% |
Ratings are shown with a 30‑day delay. Who the top‑ranked analysts on FFIV are, their live calls and the median target of only the top‑rated analysts are in Exent Gems.
The average analyst’s target is reached about 53.1% of the time; Exent Gems is built on the top 50 of Exent’s ranking,where some reached 90% or more over the last two years. Unlock the top 50 analysts.
FFIV returns by year vs the S&P 500
FFIV beat the S&P 500 in 4 of the 9 full calendar years shown.
| Year | FFIV | S&P 500 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Oct 30, 2026) | +32.5% | +11.7% | +20.8% |
| 2025 | +1.5% | +17.7% | −16.2% |
| 2024 | +40.5% | +24.9% | +15.6% |
| 2023 | +24.7% | +26.2% | −1.5% |
| 2022 | −41.4% | −18.2% | −23.2% |
| 2021 | +39.1% | +28.7% | +10.4% |
| 2020 | +26.0% | +18.3% | +7.7% |
| 2019 | −13.8% | +31.2% | −45.0% |
| 2018 | +23.5% | −4.6% | +28.1% |
| 2017 | −9.3% | +21.7% | −31.0% |
FFIV risk-adjusted returns: Sharpe, Sortino and volatility
Over 5 years, FFIV had a Sharpe ratio of 0.35 against 0.58 for the S&P 500, so it earned less return per unit of risk than the index. Its annualized volatility was 30.6% and its beta 1.07: it tended to move about 1.1× as much as the market.
| Metric | FFIV | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual return | +9.9% | +12.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 30.6% | 15.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.35 | 0.58 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.49 | 0.91 |
| Max drawdown (month-end) | −45.1% | −23.9% |
| Beta to the S&P 500 | 1.07 | 1.00 |
Sharpe divides return above cash by total volatility; Sortino counts only downside volatility. Both use monthly returns and the 1–3 month T‑bill ETF (BIL) as the risk‑free rate.
How FFIV behaved in past crashes
FFIV’s deepest fall in the crises below was −59.2% in the global financial crisis (2007–09), against −56.5% for the S&P 500. The last column turns that into money: what a $100,000 position would have lost from peak to trough.
| Crisis | FFIV | S&P 500 | Loss on $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global financial crisis (2007–09) | −59.2% | −56.5% | −$59,230 |
| 2018 trade-war selloff | −24.7% | −20.2% | −$24,700 |
| COVID crash (Feb–Mar 2020) | −32.1% | −34.1% | −$32,100 |
| 2022 inflation bear market | −42.7% | −25.4% | −$42,720 |
| 2025 tariff selloff | −22.8% | −19.0% | −$22,840 |
| Window | FFIV max drawdown |
|---|---|
| Last 1 year | −29.5% |
| Last 3 years | −34.7% |
| Last 5 years | −47.4% |
| Last 10 years | −54.6% |
Peak‑to‑trough declines from daily prices inside each crisis window. A crash replay does not predict the next crisis; it shows how much room a holding needs. Run the same replay on a whole portfolio with the crash test.
What moves with FFIV, and what doesn’t
Correlation runs from −1 (moves opposite) to +1 (moves in lockstep). Over the last 60 months of monthly returns, FFIV’s correlation with the S&P 500 was 0.54, with the Nasdaq‑100 0.61, with long Treasuries (TLT) 0.26 and with gold (GLD) 0.06.
Adding a 5% FFIV position to an S&P 500 portfolio would have moved its 5‑year volatility from 15.5% to 15.6%.
| Least correlated large caps | Correlation | Most correlated large caps | Correlation |
|---|---|---|---|
| REGN | −0.32 | MRVL | 0.56 |
| XOM | −0.25 | LRCX | 0.53 |
| MRK | −0.24 | ANET | 0.48 |
| COP | −0.20 | CSCO | 0.48 |
| MCK | −0.20 | KLAC | 0.48 |
Holdings that are highly correlated behave like one position in a selloff. See how to find hidden overlap.
Latest FFIV upgrades, downgrades and price‑target changes
| Date | Rating and target | Analyst |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28 | Target raised Hold | Tim Long |
| Oct 28 | Target raised Hold | Meta Marshall |
| Oct 27 | Downgrade Buy → Hold | James Fish |
| Oct 27 | Target raised Buy | Matthew Hedberg |
| Oct 12 | Target raised Buy | Matthew Hedberg |
Named analysts’ rating and price‑target changes on FFIV in the 5 weeks to Oct 4, 2026, shown 30 days after publication (the free analysts’ calls 3 days after). The top‑ranked analysts’ calls are in Exent Gems. See all of the latest analyst upgrades and downgrades.
Do analysts get FFIV right?
Of the 249 analyst price targets on FFIV set from 2019 until a year ago, 76.7% were reached within 12 months (data to Oct 20, 2026), 8.1 points above the 68.6% hit rate of the median stock in Exent’s study of 794 stocks. Targets that were reached took a median of 41 days. The median target sat 9.9% above the share price on the day it was set.
Where analysts said FFIV would be by now: a year ago, 7 analysts had a price target on FFIV, and the median of their latest targets was $280.00. On Oct 20, 2026 FFIV closed at $456.81, 63.1% above it.
76.7%of targets reached within 12 monthsMedian stock: 68.6%
41 daysmedian time to reach a target
+63.1%price now vs the median target set a year ago
| After | Calls | Move on the call | 3 months vs S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrades of FFIV | 16 | +3.2% | +4.6% |
| Upgrades, all stocks | 11,514 | +2.5% | +3.4% |
| Downgrades of FFIV | 10 | −2.7% | −7.4% |
| Downgrades, all stocks | 10,700 | −3.0% | −1.6% |
The move on the call runs from the close before the rating change to the close after it; the last column is the stock’s return minus the S&P 500’s over the next three months. Averages of rating changes on FFIV through Sep 15, 2026; analysts are not named here. Do analyst upgrades move stocks?
How FFIV moves after earnings
FFIV beat the consensus earnings‑per‑share estimate in 12 of its last 12 quarterly reports, through the one on Jul 27, 2026, and the revenue estimate in 11 of 12. From the close before each report to the close after it, the stock moved 7.7% on average, up or down, against 6.8% for the average report across the 1,002 US stocks Exent tracks. It rose after 9 of the 12 reports. In 3 of the 12 beats the stock still fell.
12/12earnings beats
±7.7%average move per report
9/12reports followed by a rise
| Report | EPS vs estimate | Revenue vs estimate | Stock move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2026 | $4.73 vs $4.00 | +3.7% | +2.9% |
| Apr 28, 2026 | $3.90 vs $3.46 | +3.6% | +10.2% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | $4.45 vs $3.64 | +7.6% | +9.3% |
| Oct 27, 2025 | $4.39 vs $3.97 | +1.9% | −10.3% |
| Jul 30, 2025 | $4.16 vs $3.51 | +3.5% | +4.7% |
| Apr 28, 2025 | $3.42 vs $3.10 | +1.8% | −2.7% |
| Jan 28, 2025 | $3.84 vs $3.36 | +7.1% | +14.2% |
| Oct 28, 2024 | $3.67 vs $3.45 | +2.2% | +10.8% |
Reported earnings per share against the consensus estimate, revenue surprise in percent, and the stock’s price change over the two sessions around the report. How stocks move after earnings
Where FFIV’s revenue comes from
In fiscal 2025 (the year to Sep 30, 2025), FFIV’s largest reported region was Americas, with 55.8% of its $3.1 billion revenue. By region: Americas 55.8%; Emea 26.8%; Asia Pacific 17.4%.
By business, the largest segment was Service, with 51.1% of $3.1 billion revenue (+2.3% on the year before).
| Segment | Revenue | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | $1.6 billion | 51.1% | +2.3% |
| Product | $1.5 billion | 48.9% | +18.5% |
From FFIV’s annual filings; segment growth compares fiscal 2025 with the year before. Regions are as each company reports them, so one company’s “Asia Pacific” is not another’s. China counts the regions a company reports as China, Greater China or Hong Kong; a separately reported Taiwan is not counted. Which S&P 500 companies depend most on China?
Members of Congress who traded FFIV
As of Oct 20, 2026, 4 members of Congress had disclosed 12 trades in FFIV (6 buys and 6 sales) in STOCK Act disclosures filed with the House and Senate. The latest public trade is dated Mar 27, 2026.
| Trade date | Member | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2026 | Alan Armstrong | Buy | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Oct 22, 2025 | Julie Johnson | Sale | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Oct 21, 2025 | Julie Johnson | Buy | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Oct 21, 2025 | Julie Johnson | Sale | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Jan 10, 2024 | Ro Khanna | Buy | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Jun 26, 2023 | Ro Khanna | Sale | $1,001–$15,000 |
| May 23, 2023 | Ro Khanna | Buy | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Nov 30, 2022 | Daniel Sullivan | Sale | $1,001–$15,000 |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Ro Khanna | Sale | $1,001–$15,000 |
| May 10, 2022 | Ro Khanna | Buy | $1,001–$15,000 |
Amounts are the ranges members report, not exact values. The STOCK Act gives members up to 45 days to disclose a trade, so trades appear weeks after they are made. See every member’s disclosed trades
Are FFIV insiders buying or selling?
In the 12 months to Oct 20, 2026, FFIV insiders made no open‑market purchases and 98 sales worth $29.1 million, according to SEC Form 4 filings. The last open‑market purchase on record was on Jul 30, 2020.
After the 1 insider purchase of $10,000 or more since 2012, FFIV beat the S&P 500 by an average of 15.6 percentage points over the next 12 months; every one was followed by a beat (a small sample). Across all 17,865 insider purchases in Exent’s study, the average was +17.2% and the median +1.0% against the index.
| Date | Insider | Role | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2020 | Fountain Thomas Dean | EVP Global Services & Strategy | $1.1 million |
| Nov 10, 2010 | Anderson Mark | EVP, Worldwide Sales | $12,230 |
| May 6, 2008 | Ames A Gary | Director | $49,338 |
| Feb 25, 2008 | Ames A Gary | Director | $67,260 |
The table lists the latest open‑market purchases on record, leaving out the last 30 days. The chart counts Form 4 purchases and sales by calendar quarter. Purchases are open‑market buys; sales include planned sales under 10b5‑1 trading plans. Do insider buys beat the market?
How much of FFIV is sold short?
As of the Sep 30, 2026 settlement date, 2.24% of FFIV’s float was sold short: 1.3 million shares, or 2.1 days of average trading volume to cover. A year earlier (Oct 15, 2025) it was 4.59%. The median across the 997 US stocks Exent tracks was 4.77%, so FFIV is less heavily shorted than most.
From FINRA short‑interest reports, filed twice a month; the bars show the short share of the float at each month‑end. Days to cover divides the shares short by the average daily volume. The most shorted stocks
How many institutions own FFIV?
At the end of Q2 2026 (Jun 30, 2026), 857 institutions reported holding FFIV in 13F filings, up 110 from the quarter before and up from 752 a year earlier. Their reported holdings add up to 97.3% of FFIV’s shares. In the quarter 488 institutions added to their positions and 242 cut them.
85713F holders
175new positions
68positions closed
97.3%of shares held by 13F filers
Investment managers with over $100 million in US equities file 13F reports within 45 days of each quarter end, so this is the latest complete quarter. Holdings can add up to more than 100% when shares are lent and counted twice. Which stocks institutions are buying and selling
Is FFIV diluting shareholders?
FFIV’s diluted share count fell 4.4% over the five fiscal years to fiscal 2025 and fell 1.1% in fiscal 2025 alone. Each share now owns a larger slice of the company. The median change across the 1,005 US stocks Exent tracks was −0.1%.
Stock‑based compensation was $231.5 million in fiscal 2025, 7.5% of revenue. FFIV spent $502.1 million buying back shares, a buyback yield of 2.26% of its market value; stock pay equaled 46.1% of the buybacks.
−1.1%share count, 1 year
−4.4%share count, 5 years
7.5%stock pay as % of revenue
2.26%buyback yield
Weighted‑average diluted shares from FFIV’s annual income statements; stock‑based compensation and buybacks from its cash‑flow statement. Stock dilution and stock‑based compensation, explained
FFIV financial health scores
In Exent’s Oct 20, 2026 snapshot, FFIV’s Altman Z‑score was 7.04, in the safe zone (where 465 of the 794 non‑financial US stocks Exent tracks sit). Its Piotroski F‑score was 8 out of 9; 20% of scored stocks reach 8 or more.
7.04Altman Z‑score: safe zone
8/9Piotroski F‑score
The Altman Z‑score combines five balance‑sheet and earnings ratios into one bankruptcy‑risk score: below 1.81 is the distress zone, 1.81–2.99 grey, above 2.99 safe. It is not meaningful for banks, insurers and REITs. The Piotroski F‑score counts nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency; 8–9 is strong, 0–2 weak. Both come from the latest annual statements. Which stocks have the highest bankruptcy risk?
What FFIV talks about on earnings calls
On its latest earnings call (Jul 27, 2026), FFIV’s executives and analysts mentioned AI 120 times, against 101 on the call before (Apr 28, 2026); the average across 455 S&P 500 calls that quarter was 12.9. After AI, the most mentioned topic was data centers (13). Tariffs and recession did not come up.
| Mentions | Jul ’26 | Apr ’26 | Jan ’26 | Oct ’25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI | 120 | 101 | 95 | 49 |
| AI agents | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Data centers | 13 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Tariffs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| China | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Recession | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- AI
- Jul ’26
- 120
- Apr ’26
- 101
- Jan ’26
- 95
- Oct ’25
- 49
- AI agents
- Jul ’26
- 4
- Apr ’26
- 6
- Jan ’26
- 0
- Oct ’25
- 2
- Data centers
- Jul ’26
- 13
- Apr ’26
- 8
- Jan ’26
- 5
- Oct ’25
- 7
- Tariffs
- Jul ’26
- 0
- Apr ’26
- 0
- Jan ’26
- 0
- Oct ’25
- 0
- China
- Jul ’26
- 0
- Apr ’26
- 0
- Jan ’26
- 0
- Oct ’25
- 0
- Recession
- Jul ’26
- 0
- Apr ’26
- 0
- Jan ’26
- 0
- Oct ’25
- 0
Word counts in the full transcript of each call, prepared remarks and Q&A, newest first. “AI” also counts generative AI and large language models; “AI agents” counts agentic AI. Which companies talk most about AI?
Which ETFs hold FFIV?
As of Oct 20, 2026, 56 of the 304 ETFs Exent tracks held FFIV. Its largest weight is in FDN (First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund), at 0.87% of the fund.
| ETF | Fund | Weight of FFIV |
|---|---|---|
| FDN | First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund | 0.87% |
| USMV | iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | 0.62% |
| VBR | Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF Shares | 0.57% |
| SCHM | Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF | 0.53% |
| VB | Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares | 0.32% |
| JQUA | JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF | 0.29% |
| COWZ | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF | 0.26% |
| IWS | iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | 0.25% |
Owning several of these funds stacks the same position. How much do VOO, QQQ and VTI overlap?
How much is FFIV’s CEO paid?
François Locoh-Donou, FFIV’s President and Chief Executive Officer, received total pay of $23.0 million for fiscal 2025, up 27.7% from $18.0 million for fiscal 2024, according to the company’s proxy statement filed with the SEC on Jan 26, 2026. 90% of it came as stock and option awards, valued when they were granted rather than when they pay out. The median CEO pay across the 378 S&P 500 companies Exent tracks was $17.2 million.
| Pay component | Amount | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | $962,000 | 4.2% |
| Stock and option awards | $20.6 million | 89.6% |
| Incentive plan (cash) | $1.4 million | 6.1% |
| Other | $36,546 | 0.2% |
| Other top executives | Role | Total pay, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Fountain | Chief Operating Officer | $8.2 million |
| Chad Whalen | Chief Revenue Officer | $6.5 million |
| John Maddison | Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer | $5.3 million |
| Cooper Werner | Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer | $3.7 million |
Figures from the summary compensation table of the proxy statement; awards count at their grant‑date value, so one large multi‑year grant can make a single year stand out. CEO pay across the S&P 500
The right benchmark for FFIV
Exent matches every holding to the index with the most similar risk. For FFIV that is QQQ (the Nasdaq‑100). Comparing a holding with an index that carries very different risk makes good results look bad and risky ones look clever. Read why the S&P 500 is the wrong benchmark for most portfolios.
Other technology stocks
| Ticker | Name | 5‑year return | Volatility (5y) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corporation | +704.3% | 51.1% |
| AAPL | Apple Inc. | +135.9% | 27.9% |
| MSFT | Microsoft Corporation | +64.0% | 26.5% |
| AVGO | Broadcom Inc. | +570.0% | 44.2% |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | +1,211% | 51.9% |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | +319.9% | 57.5% |
| INTC | Intel Corporation | +45.7% | 51.2% |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies Inc. | +611.4% | 64.4% |
Data and methodology
Returns are total returns from month‑end adjusted closing prices (dividends reinvested) through Oct 30, 2026. Crisis drawdowns and trailing maximum drawdowns use daily prices. Analyst coverage counts ratings published in the last 12 months, shown with a 30‑day delay. Full method: Exent methodology.
Company data as of Oct 20, 2026. The move around an earnings report runs from the close before it to the close after it; a price target counts as hit when the stock closed at or beyond it within 12 months (Exent analyst data). Revenue by region and segment, share counts and executive pay come from company filings; insider trades from SEC Form 4, short interest from FINRA, institutional ownership from 13F filings, Congress trades from STOCK Act disclosures filed with the House and Senate, federal contracts from USAspending.gov. Filings from the last 30 days are shown as counts only.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. Historical figures are calculated by Exent from market data and are for education only; they are not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Check FFIV with Exent Gems
Wall Street’s average FFIV price target is 4.4% below the latest share price. See what the best‑ranked analysts on FFIV say now in Exent Gems.
- Exent ranks Wall Street analysts by their past price‑target hit rate and returns, and keeps the best‑ranked few.
- Gems shows who the top‑ranked analysts covering FFIV are, their live calls and the median target of only the top‑rated analysts.
- Gems flags the stocks where several top‑ranked analysts agree: a starting point for your own research, not a promise.
Frequently asked questions
No. FFIV returned +144.8% (+9.4% a year) over the 10 years to Oct 30, 2026, versus +316.3% (+15.3% a year) for the S&P 500, including dividends.
Yes. As of Oct 20, 2026, FFIV (F5, Inc.) is one of the 503 stocks in the S&P 500.
No. As of Oct 20, 2026, FFIV (F5, Inc.) is not one of the 101 stocks in the Nasdaq-100.
FFIV fell −59.2% from peak to trough during the global financial crisis (2007–09), versus −56.5% for the S&P 500.
FFIV fell −32.1% from peak to trough during the covid crash (feb–mar 2020), versus −34.1% for the S&P 500.
FFIV fell −42.7% from peak to trough during the 2022 inflation bear market, versus −25.4% for the S&P 500.
Over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026, FFIV’s Sharpe ratio was 0.35 and its Sortino ratio 0.49, versus 0.58 and 0.91 for the S&P 500.
FFIV’s 5‑year annualized volatility was 32.5%, higher than the S&P 500’s 17.0%, with a beta of 1.07.
Among large US stocks, the lowest correlations with FFIV over the last 60 months were REGN (−0.32), XOM (−0.25), MRK (−0.24). Its correlation with long Treasuries (TLT) was 0.26 and with gold (GLD) 0.06.
FFIV beat the consensus earnings-per-share estimate in 12 of its last 12 quarterly reports through Jul 27, 2026, and the revenue estimate in 11 of 12. The stock moved 7.7% on average, up or down, from the close before each report to the close after it.
François Locoh-Donou, FFIV’s President and Chief Executive Officer, received $23.0 million in total pay for fiscal 2025, including a $962,000 salary and $20.6 million in stock and option awards valued at grant, according to the proxy statement filed with the SEC on Jan 26, 2026. The median S&P 500 CEO received $17.2 million.
Yes. As of Oct 20, 2026, 4 members of Congress had disclosed 12 trades in FFIV (6 buys and 6 sales) in STOCK Act disclosures filed with the House and Senate.
As of the Sep 30, 2026 settlement date, 2.24% of FFIV’s float was sold short (1.3 million shares, 2.1 days to cover), according to FINRA short-interest reports. A year earlier it was 4.59%.
No. FFIV’s diluted share count fell 4.4% over the five fiscal years to fiscal 2025 and fell 1.1% in the latest year. Stock-based compensation was 7.5% of revenue, and buybacks totaled $502.1 million.
What do the best‑ranked analysts say on FFIV now?
Exent ranks Wall Street analysts by their track record. Gems shows who the top‑ranked analysts on FFIV are, their latest calls and the stocks where several of them agree.
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Educational content, not investment advice. Examples are illustrative; past performance does not guarantee future results.