Acquisition News: Dayforce's shares surged 21% following reports that private equity firm Thoma Bravo is looking to acquire the company, valued at approximately $8.4 billion.
Market Challenges: Despite a significant revenue increase of over 70% from 2021 to 2024, Dayforce has faced challenges in the enterprise software market, with its stock down about 60% from its peak in 2021.
AI Advantage: Dayforce is well-positioned to benefit from the growing demand for AI-powered solutions in recruitment, payroll, and employee development, serving various sectors including healthcare and retail.
Analyst Insights: Analysts suggest that selling might be a strategic move for Dayforce due to its underperformance in public markets, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a price target indicating potential upside.
Wall Street analysts forecast DAY stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DAY is 70.00 USD with a low forecast of 70.00 USD and a high forecast of 70.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast DAY stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DAY is 70.00 USD with a low forecast of 70.00 USD and a high forecast of 70.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Buy
10 Hold
0 Sell
Hold
Current: 69.250
Low
70.00
Averages
70.00
High
70.00
Current: 69.250
Low
70.00
Averages
70.00
High
70.00
Stifel
Stifel
Buy
to
Hold
downgrade
$72 -> $70
Al Analysis
2025-09-18
Reason
Stifel
Stifel
Price Target
$72 -> $70
Al Analysis
2025-09-18
downgrade
Buy
to
Hold
Reason
Stifel downgraded Dayforce to Hold from Buy with a price target of $70, down from $72, after the company agreed to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $70 per share or $12.3B.
Citi
Steven Enders
Buy
to
Neutral
downgrade
$70
2025-09-17
Reason
Citi
Steven Enders
Price Target
$70
2025-09-17
downgrade
Buy
to
Neutral
Reason
Citi analyst Steven Enders downgraded Dayforce to Neutral from Buy with an unchanged price target of $70 after the company agreed to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $70 per share or $12.3B.
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Barclays
Equal Weight
maintain
$61 -> $70
2025-08-22
Reason
Barclays
Price Target
$61 -> $70
2025-08-22
maintain
Equal Weight
Reason
Barclays raised the firm's price target on Dayforce to $70 from $61 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares after the company agreed to be taken private by Thoma Bravo for $70 per share. The deal comes with material termination fees for both companies that support the expected early 2026 close, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Wells Fargo
Underweight -> Equal Weight
upgrade
$50 -> $70
2025-08-22
Reason
Wells Fargo
Price Target
$50 -> $70
2025-08-22
upgrade
Underweight -> Equal Weight
Reason
Wells Fargo upgraded Dayforce to Equal Weight from Underweight with a price target of $70, up from $50, after the company entered into an agreement to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $12.3Bn or $70 per share. Wells believes the deal will likely go through.
About DAY
Dayforce, Inc. is a global human capital management (HCM) software company. The Company’s Dayforce, which is a flagship cloud HCM platform, provides a full suite of HCM functionality, including global human resources (HR), payroll and tax, workforce management, benefits, and talent intelligence functionality. The Company also sells Powerpay, a cloud HR and payroll solution for the Canadian small business market, through both direct sales and established partner channels. Dayforce Human Resources provides HR professionals, managers, and employees a single, complete record of all of their HR information. Dayforce Workforce Management helps organizations manage their workforces by configuring the system to meet complex employment and working time rules and policies. Dayforce Wallet is a digital payment solution that gives employees instant access to their net earnings. The Company also offer payroll and payroll-related services using legacy technology and on-premises technology.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
