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Deep-Value Investor, Ex-Tech Executive, Agentic Equity Research Builder
Agentic AI is splitting software and fintech valuations. ServiceNow, best positioned for agentic AI, gets the biggest boost, while HPE and IBM earn a premium for hardware, software and cloud. Robinhood and SoFi, which do not benefit from agentic AI, see their multiples compressed. x.comÂ
ServiceNow's unexpected expense surge makes its rich valuation more vulnerable in a struggling software sector. Revenue rose 21%, but spending drove an EPS miss and one quarter of guided cRPO deceleration; wider market conditions could hurt near term. The 20% selloff looks excessive, and few software companies should benefit as much from AI. Management could deliver over 3-5 years, though the stock is only close to a buy again now; below $100 looks good for the long term. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow's AI contract growth and improving free cash flow margin make the 18% selloff excessive and its shares a massive discount among leading enterprise AI companies. AI net-new ACV rose 65%; its 2026 AI ACV target rose to $1.7B, up 70% from the start of the year. Adjusted operating margin slipped to 32.5% from 33.5%, but free cash flow margin rose to 20% from 17.5%. Acquisition costs, stock compensation and severance largely drove the GAAP decline. x.com x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow's seat business is being cannibalized faster than AI deals can replace it. Next-quarter cRPO growth is guided to 18.5%, down from 20.5%, while subscription growth was 24.5% two quarters ago; agentic usage on its platform is up 13x. Management points to AI deal value heading to $1.7bn, against a roughly $16bn subscription business. The slowdown leaves more pain ahead. Underweight, $90 target. x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow is a rare opportunity because the narrative that AI will kill it is far from true. The stock is down about 31% over the past year, yet NVIDIA's Jensen Huang says ServiceNow can grow 100-fold, CEO Bill McDermott bought about $3 million of shares near $104.60, and Donald Trump disclosed a $1M-5M purchase in February. x.comÂ
The biggest winners of the next decade probably won't be the companies building AI but those quietly using it to take market share, such as ServiceNow, SoFi, Uber, Zeta Global and Amazon. AI is not the business; it is the competitive advantage. x.comÂ
ServiceNow is the kind of software stock to avoid in a market where every new Claude feature knocks such names down about 10%. Arista Networks is the nicer pick. x.comÂ
ServiceNow's AI business undercuts fears that AI will put it out of business. Its AI revenues are expected to surpass $1.5 billion by the end of 2026 and reach $9.6 billion in 2030. The stock rose 9% back to $137 a share. x.com x.comÂ
Adobe, Salesforce and ServiceNow still generate massive cash flow, push deeper into AI and sit at the center of enterprise operations. Three of the biggest SaaS names remain beaten up in 2026; their valuations have been crushed, but the long-term opportunity may not have been. The market has swung way too far against them. x.comÂ
ServiceNow still looks too expensive even after falling 60-70% from its highs, given slowing growth, compressing margins, too much dilution and significant future AI risks. @realroseceline notes guidance drove the drop: the Armis acquisition brings temporary margin pressure, current remaining performance obligations are decelerating from 22% to 18%, and stock-based compensation has reaccelerated. x.comÂ
Quality and price favor these eight stocks. Amazon improves as its multiple falls; Uber generates serious cash flow; Netflix is more profitable at a lower multiple; ServiceNow grew amid multiple compression. SoFi's appeal hinges on earnings near management's long-term expectations. McDonald's ranks among the world's highest-quality businesses at one of its more reasonable valuations in years. AI disruption weighs on Adobe's valuation; Brookfield compounds assets at a comfortable long-term price. … Show more
