It was a tale of two contrasting cybersecurity-related companies in earnings reports today, as cybersecurity software and services firm NortonLifeLock Inc. topped analysts’ forecasts while identity management company SailPoint Technologies Inc. missed predictions.

Not surprisingly, the results sent share prices of each heading in opposite directions.

For its fourth-quarter ended April 2, NortonLifeLock reported revenue rose 9% from a year ago, to $672 million. It reported a profit of $194 million, or 33 cents per share. Analysts had been predicting revenue of $660.2 million on a profit of 30 cents per share.

For the quarter ahead, Norton predicted adjusted revenue of between $680 million to $690 million, representing 10% to 12% year-over-year growth, and an adjusted profit per share of 40 to 42 cents.

“We accelerated growth, expanded our international footprint and added freemium capability,” Vincent Pilette, chief executive officer of NortonLifeLock, said in a statement. “In the fourth quarter alone, we added 2 million new customers and achieved record revenue and profit.”

NortonLifeLock also announced an incremental share purchase program of up to $1.5 billion, the amount being added to the $274 million remaining from the last authorized share buyback.

The share buyback along with beating analyst predictions in the quarter prompted NortonLifeLock’s share price to rise more than 4% in after-hours trading.

By contrast, SailPoint struggled in the quarter. For its first quarter ended March 31, SailPoint reported an adjusted loss of one cent per share on revenue of $90.8 million, up 20% year-over-year. According to AP, analysts had been predicting break-even on revenue of $91.6 million.

For its second quarter, the company predicted an adjusted loss of five to seven cents per share on revenue of $98 million to $100 million. For the full year 2021, the company estimates an adjusted loss of five to 13 cents a share on revenue of $404 million to $412 million. All of the estimates were lower than expected by analysts.

Despite missing on market expectations, SailPoint issued a positive spin on the results, saying that it had a strong first quarter. “As the attack surface continues to grow, there is an increased appreciation and recognition that identity security is fundamental to helping organizations securely deliver access to their workforce applications,” Mark McClain, SailPoint’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “This is driving demand for and commitment to SailPoint’s SaaS identity platform.”

Reflecting investor disappointment in the numbers, SailPoint shares dropped nearly 9% in after-hours trading.

Photo: NortonLifeLock/YouTube