The Impact of Software Concerns on Private Credit and Recommended BDC Stocks to Consider
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 06 2026
0mins
Source: Barron's
- Private Credit Sector: The emergence of private credit "cockroaches" indicates a shift in the market, particularly affecting the software sector.
- Investment Opportunities: This situation may present new investment opportunities in shares of business development companies that hold the debt of these affected companies.
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Analyst Views on NOW
Wall Street analysts forecast NOW stock price to rise
32 Analyst Rating
30 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 89.050
Low
172.00
Averages
222.81
High
263.00
Current: 89.050
Low
172.00
Averages
222.81
High
263.00
About NOW
ServiceNow, Inc. provides an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for business transformation. The Company’s AI platform connects people, processes, data, and devices to increase productivity and maximize business outcomes. Its intelligent platform, the Now Platform, is a cloud-based solution that helps enterprises and organizations across public and private sectors digitize workflows. The workflow applications built on the Now Platform are organized into four primary areas: Technology, CRM and Industry, Core Business and Creator. Its products include IT Service Management, IT Operations Management, HR Service Delivery, ServiceNow AI Agents, AI Experience, Build Agent, ServiceNow AI Control Tower, AI Agent Fabric, RaptorDB, Workflow Data Fabric, Workplace Service Delivery, ServiceNow Platform Encryption, Telecommunications Service Operations Management, and others. The Company also offers identity security, helping organizations secure access across the enterprise.
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.
ServiceNow Launches Build Agent to Empower Developers
- Developer Empowerment: At the Knowledge 2026 event, ServiceNow announced the general availability of Build Agent, enabling developers to create production-ready applications using natural language prompts in any integrated development environment, significantly enhancing development efficiency and reducing technical debt risks.
- Governance and Compliance: With free access to the App Engine Management Center, all applications undergo strict governance before deployment, ensuring compliance with enterprise standards, thereby minimizing wasted AI investments from unadopted applications and enhancing overall business compliance.
- Simplified AI Agent Creation: The reimagined AI Agent Studio offers a guided creation experience, making it easier for a broader range of developers to create and deploy AI agents, with embedded AI agents present in application workflows by default, enhancing the intelligence of applications.
- Cross-Platform Integration: Build Agent supports integration with external tools like Figma and GitHub, allowing developers to customize and extend existing applications in familiar environments, thereby enhancing enterprise customization capabilities and reducing reliance on specialized developers.
See More
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- Economic Data Support: Despite the market decline, initial jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, below the expected 205,000, indicating resilience in the labor market, while Q1 nonfarm productivity increased by 0.8%, surpassing the 0.6% forecast, providing some support to the market.
- Earnings Report Impact: As of Thursday, 84% of the 425 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q1 earnings projected to rise by 12% year-over-year, although growth outside the tech sector is only expected to be around 3%, indicating a divergence that may influence investor allocation strategies.
- Oil Price Recovery: WTI crude oil prices rebounded after a 4% decline on Thursday, as the market focused on the potential resumption of US military operations to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which is expected to have ongoing implications for global oil prices and related stocks.
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- AI-Driven Growth: CFO Gina Mastantuono stated that approximately 30% of annual contract value will come from Now Assist by 2030, making this flagship AI product a crucial pillar for future revenue, reflecting the importance of AI in enterprise software.
- Stable Gross Margins: Despite rising AI usage, ServiceNow plans to maintain gross margins above 80%, aligning with analyst expectations, which demonstrates the company's ability to control costs and sustain profitability, thereby enhancing investor confidence.
- Cost Control Measures: The company expects to save about $200 million annually through reduced hiring, a strategy that not only aids in improving profitability but also helps maintain market competitiveness amid increasing AI competition.
See More
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- Strong Employment Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose by 10,000 to 200,000, indicating a stronger labor market than the expected 205,000, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell by 10,000 to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million, showcasing economic resilience.
- Productivity and Costs: U.S. Q1 nonfarm productivity increased by 0.8%, surpassing expectations of 0.6%, while unit labor costs rose by 2.3%, below the anticipated 2.5%, which may influence future inflation expectations and Fed policy decisions.
- Fed Policy Outlook: Boston Fed President indicated that interest rates should remain at “mildly restrictive” levels, suggesting that if inflation trends worsen significantly, a reassessment of policy would be necessary, with markets pricing in only a 6% chance of a rate cut at the next FOMC meeting.
See More
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- Stable Labor Market: Initial jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, lower than the expected 205,000, indicating resilience in the labor market, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell by 10,000 to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million, further enhancing market confidence.
- Crude Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% as markets await updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, negatively impacting energy producers and leading to widespread declines in related stocks.
- Fed Policy Outlook: Boston Fed President indicated that interest rates should remain at
See More
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- Nasdaq Milestone: The Nasdaq 100 index rose by 0.20%, achieving a new all-time high, driven by strong performance in tech stocks, particularly Datadog, which surged over 30% following its blowout earnings report.
- Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% today as the market awaits updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil prices and supply chains.
- Stable Labor Market: Initial US unemployment claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, below expectations of 205,000, indicating labor market resilience, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million.
- Strong Corporate Earnings: So far, 84% of the 411 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to climb 12% year-over-year, reflecting ongoing improvements in corporate profitability, although growth outside the tech sector is only 3%.
See More
ServiceNow Launches Build Agent to Empower Developers
- Developer Empowerment: At the Knowledge 2026 event, ServiceNow announced the general availability of Build Agent, enabling developers to create production-ready applications using natural language prompts in any integrated development environment, significantly enhancing development efficiency and reducing technical debt risks.
- Governance and Compliance: With free access to the App Engine Management Center, all applications undergo strict governance before deployment, ensuring compliance with enterprise standards, thereby minimizing wasted AI investments from unadopted applications and enhancing overall business compliance.
- Simplified AI Agent Creation: The reimagined AI Agent Studio offers a guided creation experience, making it easier for a broader range of developers to create and deploy AI agents, with embedded AI agents present in application workflows by default, enhancing the intelligence of applications.
- Cross-Platform Integration: Build Agent supports integration with external tools like Figma and GitHub, allowing developers to customize and extend existing applications in familiar environments, thereby enhancing enterprise customization capabilities and reducing reliance on specialized developers.
See More
US Stocks Close Lower Amid Cautious Market Sentiment
- Market Weakness: On Thursday, the S&P 500 Index fell by 0.38%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 0.63%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index decreased by 0.12%, reflecting investor skepticism regarding a potential US-Iran peace deal, which led to a reversal of early gains and impacted market confidence.
- Economic Data Support: Despite the market decline, initial jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, below the expected 205,000, indicating resilience in the labor market, while Q1 nonfarm productivity increased by 0.8%, surpassing the 0.6% forecast, providing some support to the market.
- Earnings Report Impact: As of Thursday, 84% of the 425 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q1 earnings projected to rise by 12% year-over-year, although growth outside the tech sector is only expected to be around 3%, indicating a divergence that may influence investor allocation strategies.
- Oil Price Recovery: WTI crude oil prices rebounded after a 4% decline on Thursday, as the market focused on the potential resumption of US military operations to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which is expected to have ongoing implications for global oil prices and related stocks.
See More
ServiceNow Projects $30 Billion Subscription Revenue by 2030
- Revenue Forecast Boost: ServiceNow projects subscription revenue to reach $30 billion by 2030, surpassing Wall Street's estimate of $26.3 billion, indicating strong growth potential in AI products that may attract more investor interest.
- AI-Driven Growth: CFO Gina Mastantuono stated that approximately 30% of annual contract value will come from Now Assist by 2030, making this flagship AI product a crucial pillar for future revenue, reflecting the importance of AI in enterprise software.
- Stable Gross Margins: Despite rising AI usage, ServiceNow plans to maintain gross margins above 80%, aligning with analyst expectations, which demonstrates the company's ability to control costs and sustain profitability, thereby enhancing investor confidence.
- Cost Control Measures: The company expects to save about $200 million annually through reduced hiring, a strategy that not only aids in improving profitability but also helps maintain market competitiveness amid increasing AI competition.
See More
U.S. Stock Market Retreats as Oil Prices Surge
- Market Retreat: The S&P 500 Index fell by 0.40%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.51%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.28%, indicating a retreat in market sentiment as rising oil prices weigh on investor confidence and raise concerns about future economic prospects.
- Strong Employment Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose by 10,000 to 200,000, indicating a stronger labor market than the expected 205,000, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell by 10,000 to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million, showcasing economic resilience.
- Productivity and Costs: U.S. Q1 nonfarm productivity increased by 0.8%, surpassing expectations of 0.6%, while unit labor costs rose by 2.3%, below the anticipated 2.5%, which may influence future inflation expectations and Fed policy decisions.
- Fed Policy Outlook: Boston Fed President indicated that interest rates should remain at “mildly restrictive” levels, suggesting that if inflation trends worsen significantly, a reassessment of policy would be necessary, with markets pricing in only a 6% chance of a rate cut at the next FOMC meeting.
See More
US Stocks Show Mixed Movement, Tech Stocks Surge
- Tech Stock Surge: Datadog reported Q1 revenue of $1.01 billion, exceeding the consensus of $957.8 million, leading to a stock price increase of over 30%, which boosts overall market sentiment and reflects strong recovery in the tech sector amid high investor expectations for artificial intelligence.
- Stable Labor Market: Initial jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, lower than the expected 205,000, indicating resilience in the labor market, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell by 10,000 to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million, further enhancing market confidence.
- Crude Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% as markets await updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, negatively impacting energy producers and leading to widespread declines in related stocks.
- Fed Policy Outlook: Boston Fed President indicated that interest rates should remain at
See More
Mixed US Stock Indices with Nasdaq 100 Reaching All-Time High
- Nasdaq Milestone: The Nasdaq 100 index rose by 0.20%, achieving a new all-time high, driven by strong performance in tech stocks, particularly Datadog, which surged over 30% following its blowout earnings report.
- Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% today as the market awaits updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil prices and supply chains.
- Stable Labor Market: Initial US unemployment claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, below expectations of 205,000, indicating labor market resilience, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million.
- Strong Corporate Earnings: So far, 84% of the 411 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to climb 12% year-over-year, reflecting ongoing improvements in corporate profitability, although growth outside the tech sector is only 3%.
See More
