Niche Software Stocks Plummet as Anthropic Launches Claude AI Tool, Intuit Down 16%

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

ADBE-2.62%

CRM-2.75%

INTU-1.68%

Source: stocktwits

Updated: 1h ago

0mins

Source: stocktwits

Market Reaction: Following the launch of Anthropic's Claude AI tool on January 12, Intuit, Adobe, and Salesforce saw declines exceeding 10% last week, with Intuit dropping 16%, marking its worst performance since 2022, indicating market concerns over legacy software viability.
Investor Sentiment: Despite the downturn in software stocks, investors believe there are selective buying opportunities amid valuation corrections, particularly as funds rotate into AI hardware and semiconductor sectors, reflecting optimism about future technological shifts.
Industry Outlook: According to Bloomberg, earnings growth for S&P 500 software and services companies is projected to slow to 14% in 2026, down from 19% in 2025, suggesting ongoing pressure on the software sector that investors need to navigate carefully.
Valuation Analysis: Among the mentioned companies, Salesforce has a P/E ratio of 18 and Adobe at 12.6, indicating relative undervaluation in the current market environment, suggesting that despite short-term pressures, long-term investment value remains worth considering.

ADBE

$296.12+Infinity%1D

Analyst Views on ADBE

Wall Street analysts forecast ADBE stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ADBE is 454.52 USD with a low forecast of 310.00 USD and a high forecast of 660.00 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.

24 Analyst Rating

17 Buy

6 Hold

1 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 304.090

Low

310.00

Averages

454.52

High

660.00

Current: 304.090

Low

310.00

Averages

454.52

High

660.00

BMO Capital

Outperform -> Market Perform

downgrade

$400 -> $375

Al Analysis

2026-01-09

Reason

BMO Capital

Price Target

$400 -> $375

Al Analysis

2026-01-09

downgrade

Outperform -> Market Perform

Reason

BMO Capital downgraded Adobe to Market Perform from Outperform with a price target of $375, down from $400. The firm's creative cloud survey indicates creative market competitive dynamics are increasing, particularly in smaller businesses, students, and freelancers. While Adobe's valuation is "undemanding," BMO does not see positive catalysts and thinks the shares will remain range-bound, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Jefferies

Hold -> Buy

upgrade

$300 -> $360

2026-01-04

Reason

Jefferies

Price Target

$300 -> $360

2026-01-04

upgrade

Hold -> Buy

Reason

Jefferies upgraded IBM to Buy from Hold with a price target of $360, up from $300. The firm adjusted ratings in the software sector as part of its "playbook" for 2026. Investors should stay underweight software as growth slows and lags other sectors like semiconductors, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Jefferies believes 2026 will be another year of "gradual" artificial intelligence monetization, with more meaningful growth needed to ease disintermediation fears. The firm prefers infrastructure over applications in the first half of the year, but believes negative application sentiment "is not grounded in realities." Applications sentiment should improve in the back half the year, Jefferies contends. To reflect this, the firm upgraded IBM and downgraded Adobe to start off the year.

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Jefferies

Buy

Hold

downgrade

$500 -> $400

2026-01-04

Reason

Jefferies

Price Target

$500 -> $400

2026-01-04

downgrade

Buy

Hold

Reason

Jefferies downgraded Adobe to Hold from Buy with a price target of $400, down from $500. The firm adjusted ratings in the software sector as part of its "playbook" for 2026. Investors should stay underweight software as growth slows and lags other sectors like semiconductors, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Jefferies believes 2026 will be another year of "gradual" artificial intelligence monetization, with more meaningful growth needed to ease disintermediation fears. The firm prefers infrastructure over applications in the first half of the year, but believes negative application sentiment "is not grounded in realities." Applications sentiment should improve in the back half the year, Jefferies contends. To reflect this, the firm upgraded IBM and downgraded Adobe to start off the year.

Citi

Tyler Radke

Neutral

maintain

$366 -> $387

2025-12-17

Reason

Citi

Tyler Radke

Price Target

$366 -> $387

2025-12-17

maintain

Neutral

Reason

Citi analyst Tyler Radke raised the firm's price target on Adobe to $387 from $366 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm updated the company's model post the fiscal Q4 report. The quarter showed upside but the fiscal 2026 outlook was mixed, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

About ADBE

Adobe Inc. is a global technology company. The Company's products, services and solutions are used around the world to imagine, create, manage, deliver, measure, optimize and engage with content across surfaces and fuel digital experiences. Its segments include Digital Media, Digital Experience, and Publishing and Advertising. The Digital Media segment is centered around Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud, which include Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Photoshop and other products, offering a variety of tools for creative professionals, communicators and other consumers. The Digital Experience segment provides an integrated platform and set of products, services and solutions through Adobe Experience Cloud. The Publishing and Advertising segment contains legacy products and services. In addition, its Adobe GenStudio solution allows businesses to simplify their content supply chain process with generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and intelligent automation.

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.