ServiceNow, Inc. $NOW Shares Bought by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Key Points

• Middleton & Co. boosted its stake in ServiceNow by 399.3% in Q4 to 98,790 shares worth $15.13 million, joining several other institutions that materially increased holdings as institutional ownership stands at about 87.18%.
• ServiceNow reported Q1 EPS of $0.97 (meeting estimates) and revenue of $3.77 billion (above estimates), with management pointing to accelerating AI adoption and strategic moves — including the completed $7.75B Armis acquisition and deeper Google Cloud AI partnerships — as long‑term growth drivers.
• Despite a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a $146.65 average price target, many analysts cut targets amid margin and guidance concerns, while short interest jumped ~30% to ~38.95M shares, contributing to recent downward pressure on the stock.

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA grew its stake in shares of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW - Free Report) by 399.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 98,790 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 79,003 shares during the quarter. ServiceNow comprises about 1.6% of Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's holdings in ServiceNow were worth $15,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cohen Klingenstein LLC boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Cohen Klingenstein LLC now owns 10,000 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,532,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 385.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,599,397 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $398,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,064,440 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 332.0% in the 4th quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 16,453 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 12,644 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 286.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 53,650 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $8,219,000 after acquiring an additional 39,756 shares during the period. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 706.0% in the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 50,940 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $7,803,000 after acquiring an additional 44,620 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.18% of the company's stock.

ServiceNow Stock Performance

NOW stock opened at $90.09 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $92.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.01. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 12-month low of $81.24 and a 12-month high of $211.48. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $104.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.19.

ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The information technology services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.97. The business had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. ServiceNow had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 12.59%.The business's revenue was up 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. HSBC decreased their price target on ServiceNow from $226.00 to $171.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on ServiceNow from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on ServiceNow from $180.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut ServiceNow from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $130.00 target price on ServiceNow and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $146.65.

Insider Activity at ServiceNow

In related news, insider Kevin Thomas Mcbride sold 1,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.71, for a total transaction of $147,994.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 26,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,781,652.94. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Paul Fipps sold 3,696 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.77, for a total value of $376,141.92. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $820,367.97. This represents a 31.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,237 shares of company stock valued at $1,697,162. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Key ServiceNow News

Here are the key news stories impacting ServiceNow this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and AI traction remain supportive — ServiceNow beat revenue/earnings views for Q1 and highlighted accelerating AI product adoption (Now Assist / AI agents) that management says will drive long‑term growth. ServiceNow Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic moves boost the product and security stack — ServiceNow closed the $7.75B Armis acquisition (extends security capabilities) and deepened Google Cloud AI partnerships, which support cross‑sell and AI workflow positioning. Armis acquisition Google Cloud partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst reactions — Several firms reaffirmed buy/overweight ratings (some even raised PTs), but many cut targets after the quarter; consensus still leaves upside from current levels, reflecting disagreement over near‑term vs. long‑term outlook. Analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical deal delays hit near‑term growth — Management said Middle East conflict delayed several large deal closings (≈75 bps revenue headwind in Q1), and that pushed investors to downgrade near‑term growth expectations. Middle East deal delays
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and guidance concerns — Investors focused on acquisition costs (Armis) and a softer margin outlook/full‑year subscription guidance that many viewed as disappointing, triggering the sector‑wide selloff. Margin/guidance coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped — Short interest rose ~30% in April to ~38.95M shares (~3.8% of shares), increasing potential downside pressure and volatility if bearish sentiment persists.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow NYSE: NOW is a cloud computing company that builds enterprise software to manage digital workflows and automate business processes. Its offerings are designed to replace manual work and legacy systems with cloud-based, service-oriented applications that support IT operations, customer service, human resources, security response and other enterprise functions.

The company's flagship product family is the Now Platform, a suite of subscription software and platform services that includes IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Operations Management (ITOM), IT Business Management (ITBM), Customer Service Management (CSM), HR Service Delivery, Security Operations and Asset Management.

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