Nice's Q1 Profit Falls Short of Expectations, Stock Plummets
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 36 minutes ago
0mins
Should l Buy NICE?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Q1 Performance Miss: Nice reported non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.77 on sales of $768.6 million in Q1, which, while exceeding sales expectations by $7.7 million, fell short of earnings expectations by $1.75, leading to significant investor disappointment and stock price decline.
- Stock Price Plunge: Despite a bullish market backdrop with the S&P 500 up 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite up 2%, Nice's stock plummeted 22.5% in Wednesday's trading, reflecting market concerns over its future growth prospects.
- Weak Guidance: The company’s guidance for Q2 adjusted revenue between $761 million and $771 million falls short of the analyst estimate of approximately $777.4 million, indicating a potential slowdown in demand for AI projects, which could adversely affect future performance.
- Slightly Positive Annual Outlook: Although the Q2 guidance is disappointing, Nice projects full-year sales between $3.17 billion and $3.19 billion, with adjusted earnings per share expected between $10.98 and $11.18, slightly exceeding Wall Street expectations, yet investors remain concerned about the short-term outlook.
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Analyst Views on NICE
Wall Street analysts forecast NICE stock price to rise
15 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 125.010
Low
120.00
Averages
158.57
High
200.00
Current: 125.010
Low
120.00
Averages
158.57
High
200.00
About NICE
NICE Ltd., formerly NICE-Systems Ltd., is a global enterprise software provider. The Company's segments include Customer Interactions Solutions, and Financial Crime and Compliance Solutions. The Customer Interactions Solutions segment provides data driven insights that enable businesses to deliver personalized experience to customers. The Financial Crime and Compliance Solutions segment provides real time and cross-channel fraud prevention, anti-money laundering, brokerage compliance and enterprise-wide case management. The Company serves contact centers, back office operations and retail branches, covering various industries, including communications, banking, insurance, healthcare, business processes outsourcing (BPO), government, utilities, travel and entertainment. Its Multi-Channel Recording and Interaction Management enables organizations to capture structured and unstructured customer interaction and transaction data from multiple channels.
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.
- Q1 Performance Miss: Nice reported non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.77 on sales of $768.6 million in Q1, which, while exceeding sales expectations by $7.7 million, fell short of earnings expectations by $1.75, leading to significant investor disappointment and stock price decline.
- Stock Price Plunge: Despite a bullish market backdrop with the S&P 500 up 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite up 2%, Nice's stock plummeted 22.5% in Wednesday's trading, reflecting market concerns over its future growth prospects.
- Weak Guidance: The company’s guidance for Q2 adjusted revenue between $761 million and $771 million falls short of the analyst estimate of approximately $777.4 million, indicating a potential slowdown in demand for AI projects, which could adversely affect future performance.
- Slightly Positive Annual Outlook: Although the Q2 guidance is disappointing, Nice projects full-year sales between $3.17 billion and $3.19 billion, with adjusted earnings per share expected between $10.98 and $11.18, slightly exceeding Wall Street expectations, yet investors remain concerned about the short-term outlook.
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- Significant Earnings Miss: Nice reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.77 on sales of $768.6 million for Q1, which, while exceeding Wall Street's sales expectations by approximately $7.7 million, fell short of earnings targets by $1.75, resulting in a 22.5% drop in share price despite a bullish market backdrop.
- Market Reaction: In a session where the S&P 500 rose by 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite increased by 2%, Nice's stock plummeted due to disappointing demand from AI projects, leading to a year-to-date decline of about 14%.
- Weak Forward Guidance: The company guided for adjusted revenue between $761 million and $771 million for the current quarter, falling short of the previous analyst estimate of approximately $777.4 million, indicating a slowdown with an expected year-over-year growth of about 5.5%.
- Slightly Positive Full-Year Outlook: Although the full-year sales forecast of $3.17 billion to $3.19 billion slightly exceeds Wall Street expectations, investor disappointment over the soft Q2 guidance may impact future investment decisions.
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- Revenue Guidance Cut: NICE forecasts Q2 revenue between $761 million and $771 million, falling short of Wall Street's $777.38 million estimate, leading to a 19% drop in stock price on Wednesday, reflecting market concerns about future performance.
- Q1 Performance Exceeds Expectations: Despite the weak Q2 guidance, NICE reported a 9.8% year-over-year revenue increase to $768.6 million in Q1, surpassing consensus by $7.68 million, showcasing strong execution in its AI-driven customer experience platform.
- AI-Driven Growth: The company's AI annual recurring revenue (ARR) surged 66% year-over-year and is included in 100% of CXone enterprise deals, indicating significant progress in the widespread adoption of its AI solutions, enhancing its competitive edge.
- Strong International Market Performance: NICE achieved a 30% revenue growth in international markets, demonstrating ongoing expansion in large enterprise deployments globally, further solidifying its position in the global market.
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- Earnings Performance: NICE's Q1 2026 non-GAAP EPS of $0.77 missed expectations by $1.75, indicating pressure on profitability that could impact investor confidence.
- Revenue Growth: The company reported Q1 revenue of $768.6 million, a 9.8% year-over-year increase, beating market expectations by $7.68 million, demonstrating resilience in revenue growth despite the earnings miss.
- Future Guidance: For Q2 2026, non-GAAP total revenues are expected to range from $761 million to $771 million, below the consensus of $777.38 million, indicating uncertainty in future growth that may affect stock performance.
- Full-Year Outlook: The full-year 2026 non-GAAP total revenue guidance remains at $3.17 billion to $3.19 billion, reflecting an 8.0% year-over-year growth, although the slight adjustment in earnings expectations may raise market concerns.
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- Earnings Decline: NICE Ltd. reported a Q1 net income of $46.81 million, or $0.77 per share, which is a significant drop from last year's $129.29 million and $2.01 per share, indicating a notable decline in the company's profitability.
- Adjusted Earnings: Excluding items, NICE Ltd. reported adjusted earnings of $160.06 million, or $2.64 per share, which, while lower than last year, demonstrates the company's resilience in revenue growth amidst challenging conditions.
- Revenue Growth: The company's Q1 revenue reached $768.61 million, up 9.8% from $700.19 million last year, indicating steady revenue growth despite the decline in profitability, driven by increased market demand.
- Future Guidance: NICE Ltd. provided guidance for next quarter's EPS at $2.60 to $2.70 and full-year EPS guidance at $10.98 to $11.18, reflecting a cautiously optimistic outlook for future performance despite current earnings decline.
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- AI Revenue Surge: In Q1 2026, NiCE's AI Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) increased by 66% year-over-year, highlighting the company's strong adoption of AI solutions and reinforcing its leadership in the customer experience sector.
- Strong Financial Performance: Total revenue for the first quarter reached $768.6 million, a 9.8% increase year-over-year, with cloud revenue at $603.4 million, growing 14.6%, indicating sustained expansion and robust customer demand in the cloud services market.
- Upgraded EPS Guidance: The company raised its full-year 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance to a range of $10.98 to $11.18, reflecting confidence in future performance, with cloud revenue expected to grow by 13%-15% year-over-year.
- Share Repurchase Program: In Q1, NiCE repurchased $253 million worth of shares, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing shareholder value while also reflecting strong cash flow and financial health.
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