ServiceNow Shares Fall as UBS Warns of AI and Budget Pressure on SaaS Stocks
ServiceNow shares fell sharply this week as investors sold off software stocks on fears that AI tools could weaken demand for traditional software services. The broader decline has already wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in software market value this year, with companies such as Salesforce, Cloudflare, and Snowflake also hit.
The pressure on ServiceNow increased after UBS analyst Karl Keirstead cut the stock to "neutral" from a more positive rating and lowered his price target to $100. He said enterprise spending may shift more toward AI-related projects and away from traditional software categories, and warned that the rise of managed AI agents and coding tools could create additional downside for software incumbents. ServiceNow has fallen more than 30% year to date.
The stock fell because investors are worried that AI could reduce demand for traditional software, and UBS also downgraded the shares.
UBS downgraded ServiceNow to neutral and cut its price target to $100.
No. The sell-off has hit other software companies too, including Salesforce, Cloudflare, and Snowflake.
The main concern is that companies may spend more on AI projects and less on older software products and services.
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