SV_Techie
Entrepreneur & Startup Mentor, Technology Investor
ServiceNow is the mature SaaS name to own because it delivers low-to-mid-20s growth, while Salesforce and Adobe do not. Salesforce's 10-11% growth looks like its sweet spot, with nothing clear to accelerate it, and could slip to 10% or below if a new inflection point hits, even though the product is sticky. @AJacksonHole says that in this market, companies that are not accelerating are being relegated despite operating leverage. x.com x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow, Adobe and Salesforce may not regain their previous multiples because newer AI tools, external or built into SaaS itself, challenge seat-based licenses and force a re-rating. Building product is only part of the picture: incumbents still hold the upper hand on distribution and customer acquisition costs. 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 keeps selling more to existing customers over time, one of the biggest reasons to be bullish long term. Its 2011 customer cohort's annual contract value grew from an indexed $100 to $3,730 by Q3 2026, or 37.3x, even including customer losses. x.comÂ
ServiceNow's growth and deteriorating margins do not justify its valuation. It grew 3% quarter over quarter against a 107x trailing GAAP P/E, and its margins continue to deteriorate. It remains a great company, but is mostly saturated relative to that valuation. x.com x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow's third-quarter subscription revenue, cRPO and operating-margin beats make its double-digit selloff look overdone. After a 77% rise from April lows, it needed a big beat and raise; lower fourth-quarter cRPO guidance and back-loaded implications for $30-$32 billion in subscription growth by 2030 leave the stock in show-me mode. x.comÂ
ServiceNow's revenue growth crushes that of Adobe and Intuit, making it the better software stock to hold. Its chart is still in stage 4, though. x.com x.comÂ
ServiceNow's growth looks likely to keep slowing, yet it trades at 50x 2027 GAAP EPS versus 20-25x for Microsoft, Google and Amazon growing as fast or faster. Subscription revenue grew about 21%, but the customer base is flat, so growth relies on upselling modules. Operating margin dipped and stock-based pay rose. Customers are mixed on its AI products and delay over price. Big SaaS firms near 20% growth often slide faster than expected, and its long-term targets look hard to reach. x.com x.comÂ
Constellation Software offers the same growth rate as ServiceNow at half its multiple when ServiceNow's after-tax stock-based compensation is factored in. 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's costs are rising far faster than revenue without the RPO acceleration management promised. Q3 revenue rose 21%, while total cost of revenue climbed 56% and net income fell 45%; stock compensation appears to be using about half of free cash flow. The selloff looks deserved, though the shares are now closer to fair value. Sustainable margins and measurable returns remain the test. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Salesforce is fully priced, even a little more than worth paying, for roughly 12% annual growth: trailing revenue of $43B is expected to reach $63B by 2030. A lower price would be needed for a long-term position, and it is not a buy-and-forget stock. x.com x.comÂ
