Stock fact sheet · data as of
F5, Inc. (FFIV): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol FFIV · Technology · Software - Infrastructure · United States · Growth Quality
Is FFIV undervalued?
F5, Inc. (FFIV) closed at 329.72 on 5 Nov 2026, 23% above the GLS average fair value of 268.50. Only 3 of the 8 models that produced a number value the shares above the current price. The margin of safety is negative, so the stock fails the "below fair value" Wheel Trade Filter; a premium of this size is common for companies whose growth the models are conservative about.
There is a wide gap between Lynch (112.25) and Payback Time (472.06). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, FFIV is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 23, growth score 61, out of 100). It also carries the Quality tag (Quality = moat 7.5+ out of 10 and Piotroski 7+).
Nine valuation models for FFIV
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 235.71 | -29% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 142.13 | -57% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 325.26 | -1% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 112.25 | -66% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 352.13 | +7% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 367.12 | +11% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 472.06 | +43% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | 141.37 | -57% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 1.56 | -100% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 430.50 | +31% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
F5, Inc. scores 8 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, the nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency on the latest annual accounts - a strong reading that passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter with room to spare. A GLS Moat score of 8.6/10 puts FFIV among the more durable businesses we track: over up to ten years its returns on capital have stayed high, its margins steady and its balance sheet sound.
Returns on capital are high - ROIC 17.1%, ROE 18.0%, ROA 10.2% - with debt at 0.05 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 4.6%.
F5, Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Product 54%, Service 47% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 8 / 9 | ROIC | 17.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 8.6 / 10 | ROE | 18.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.05 | ROA | 10.2% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 4.6% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 45: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 45 F5, Inc. sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 23% above our fair value; Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 44% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 10,240 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 1000k shares a day on a market cap of $18.7B, with a beta of 1.07; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that good.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 23% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 23% above fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 44% | |
| Moat | Strong | moat 8.6/10 | |
| Health | Strong | Piotroski 8/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 82/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 1,952 contracts a day, 10,240 open interest | |
| Stability | Good | beta 1.07, $18.7B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
Analysts downgraded FFIV 1 time in the last 30 days with no upgrades; the latest action was a reiterated rating by Barclays on 28 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Software - Infrastructure
The 12 companies below are the closest to F5, Inc. by market cap within the Software - Infrastructure industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN Gen Digital Inc. | 30.89 | 46.37 | +33% | 55Fair | $18.3B |
| TOST Toast, Inc. | 35.37 | 31.57 | -12% | 43Weak | $18.3B |
| KSPI Joint Stock Company Kaspi.kz | 95.42 | 392.01 | +76% | 84Good | $18.1B |
| NTNX Nutanix, Inc. | 63.70 | 140.63 | +55% | 51Fair | $17.2B |
| CHKP Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. | 147.41 | 181.70 | +19% | 82Good | $15.1B |
| GDDY GoDaddy Inc. | 118.32 | 304.02 | +61% | 88Prime | $15.0B |
| RBRK Rubrik, Inc. | 118.99 | 34.09 | -249% | 28Weak | $24.5B |
| IOT Samsara Inc. | 42.81 | 8.87 | -383% | 42Weak | $25.1B |
| MDB MongoDB, Inc. | 328.38 | 59.67 | -450% | 37Weak | $26.4B |
| CRWV CoreWeave, Inc. Class A Common Stock | 48.42 | - | - | 15Weak | $26.7B |
| CPAY Corpay, Inc. | 418.60 | 493.09 | +15% | 45Weak | $27.5B |
| AKAM Akamai Technologies, Inc. | 85.93 | 81.77 | -5% | 36Weak | $12.3B |
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A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about FFIV
Is FFIV undervalued right now?
No: at 329.72 the stock trades 23% above the GLS average fair value of 268.50 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). The margin of safety is negative.
What is the Wheel Score of FFIV and what does it mean?
FFIV scores 45 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filter 3. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for FFIV?
268.50 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does F5, Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does FFIV have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 162 listed contracts with 10,240 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 44% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.