ServiceNow Got Hammered by Wall Street After Earnings. Is the Selloff a Gift for Patient Buyers?

Photo of David Moadel
By David Moadel Published

Quick Read

  • ServiceNow (NOW) shares plunged 18% after earnings on geopolitical deal slippage in the Middle East, though subscription revenue climbed 22% year-over-year to $3.67 billion and the company generated $2 billion in free cash flow.

  • Seven Wall Street firms cut price targets on NOW stock while maintaining Buy ratings, with Canaccord calling the stock “ridiculously cheap” and Piper Sandler highlighting AI traction from Now Assist aimed at a $1.5 billion annual contract value target.

  • It sounds nuts, but SoFi is giving new active invest users up to $1,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started. See for yourself (Sponsor)
    DISCLOSURE:
    INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, member FINRA(www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Advisory services are offered by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Information about SoFi Wealth’s advisory operations, services, and fees is set forth in SoFi Wealth’s current Form ADV Part 2 (Brochure), a copy of which is available upon request and at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Probability of Member receiving $1,000 is a probability of 0.026%; If you don’t make a selection in 30 days, you’ll no longer qualify for the promo. Customer must fund their account with a minimum of $50.00 to qualify. Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view our fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees. Investing in alternative investments and/or strategies may not be suitable for all investors and involves unique risks, including the risk of loss. An investor should consider their individual circumstances and any investment information, such as a prospectus, prior to investing. Interval Funds are illiquid instruments, the ability to trade on your timeline may be restricted. Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA(www.finra.org) /SIPC(www.sipc.org). There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received. There may be system delays from receipt of your order until execution and market conditions may adversely impact execution prices. Outside of market hours orders are received on a not held basis and will be aggregated for each security then executed in the morning trade window of the next business day at market open. Share will be delivered at an average price received for executing the securities through a single batched order. Fractional shares may not be transferred to another firm. Fractional shares will be sold when a transfer or closure request is initiated. Please consider that selling securities is a taxable event. Options involve risks, including substantial risk of loss and the possibility an investor may lose the entire investment Before trading options please review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options  Investing in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) involves substantial risk, including the risk of loss. Further, there are a variety of risk factors to consider when investing in an IPO, including but not limited to, unproven management, significant debt, and lack of operating history. For a comprehensive discussion of these risks please refer to SoFi Securities’ IPO Risk Disclosure Statement This should not be considered a recommendation to participate in IPOs and investors should carefully read the offering prospectus to determine whether an offering is consistent with their investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation. New offerings generally have high demand and there are a limited number of shares available for distribution to participants. Many customers may not be allocated shares and share allocations may be significantly smaller than the shares requested in the customer’s initial offer (Indication of Interest). For more information on the allocation process please visit IPO Allocation.
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
ServiceNow Got Hammered by Wall Street After Earnings. Is the Selloff a Gift for Patient Buyers?

© Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Shares of ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW | NOW Price Prediction) stock were hammered after the company’s latest earnings print, with at least seven Wall Street firms trimming price targets overnight. Most kept Buy ratings intact, framing the post-earnings selloff as an overreaction to temporary geopolitical deal slippage rather than a break in the underlying growth story.

ServiceNow stock traded near $84.84, off 18% on the session and down 45% year to date. For long-term investors, the question is whether this reset is capitulation or a rare entry point into a high-quality compounder.

Ticker Firm Action Old Rating New Rating Old Target New Target
NOW Goldman Sachs Target cut Buy Buy $188 $163
NOW Jefferies Target cut Buy Buy $175 $135
NOW BTIG Target cut Buy Buy $185 $150
NOW Piper Sandler Target cut Overweight Overweight $200 $140
NOW Canaccord Target cut Buy Buy $200 $145
NOW Needham Target cut Buy Buy $155 $115
NOW KeyBanc Target cut Underweight Underweight $115 $85

The Analyst’s Case

Canaccord called the reaction “a punitive reaction to a quarter that seemed fine” and attributed softness to a 75 bps subscription revenue drag from large on-premise deals in the Middle East slipping due to ongoing conflict. The firm described ServiceNow as “ridiculously cheap”, citing a “durable 20% growth business compounding at 35% free cash flow margins.”

Piper Sandler emphasized ServiceNow’s continued AI traction, noting the Now Assist ACV target was raised to $1.5 billion. KeyBanc was the outlier, sticking with an Underweight rating and cutting its target to the current share price.

Company Snapshot

ServiceNow reported subscription revenue up 22% year over year to $3.67 billion and total revenue of $3.77 billion (+19% YoY). Management recently closed the Moveworks and $7.75 billion Armis acquisitions, extending the platform into AI agents and operational-technology security.

The company carries a market capitalization near $88.32 billion. ServiceNow generated $2 billion of free cash flow in Q4 2025, showing robust cash generation despite the stock reset.

Why the Move Matters Now

ServiceNow stock now trades at a forward P/E ratio of 25x, well below its trailing P/E ratio of 62x, with consensus price target at $165.02. That gap explains every price target cut that left a Buy rating untouched.

The next catalyst arrives soon: analyst day is May 4, giving management a chance to reframe the AI monetization narrative and reassure investors that Middle East slippage reflects deal timing rather than weakening demand. You can see more on timely tech coverage in our latest investing analysis.

What It Means for Your Portfolio

The bullish case for ServiceNow stock is evident. If the Middle East drag is one-time and Now Assist continues to compound, today’s valuation reset could prove generous to patient buyers, especially with insiders net buying into the weakness.

The bearish counter-argument is real, however. AI-native competitors to ServiceNow, vendor consolidation pressure, and decelerating organic growth could keep the multiple compressed, and Reddit chatter already links the drop to broader “SaaSpocalypse” concerns.

For retirement-focused portfolios, a measured approach could be prudent, with some investors preferring to wait for clarity around the May 4 analyst day. The selloff may be a gift, yet ServiceNow stock still needs to prove the AI flywheel can outrun the SaaS disruption narrative.

Photo of David Moadel
About the Author David Moadel →

David Moadel is financial writer specializing in stocks, ETFs, options, precious metals, and Bitcoin. David has written well over 1,000 articles for leading online publications, helping investors understand markets, income strategies, and risk.

His work has appeared in The Motley Fool, InvestorPlace, U.S. News & World Report, TipRanks, ValueWalk, Benzinga, Market Realist, TalkMarkets, Finmasters, 24/7 Wall St., and others.

With a master’s degree in education, David has taught at the elementary, high school, and college levels. That teaching background shapes his writing style: clear, educational, and practical. David has also built a loyal social-media audience by providing trustworthy financial content on YouTube, X/Twitter, and StockTwits.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

F Vol: 216,261,152
ENPH Vol: 11,512,758
ON Vol: 21,618,191
AKAM Vol: 10,964,520
HPE Vol: 27,523,481

Top Losing Stocks

CTRA Vol: 73,319,495
FDS Vol: 1,153,303
CEG Vol: 6,653,829
J Vol: 2,649,092
PODD Vol: 1,990,609