Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley cut its price target on NiCE from $193 to $160 but kept an "overweight" rating, with the $160 target implying roughly a 50.55% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Other brokers trimmed targets as well (e.g., Citizens Jmp to $200, Cantor Fitzgerald to $133), yet the consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $176.77 and nine Buy vs. five Hold ratings.
• Shares plunged $14.59 to $106.28 on heavy volume, trading below key moving averages; NiCE slightly beat quarterly EPS and reported revenue up 6.1%, while issuing FY2025 EPS guidance of 12.18–12.32.

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $193.00 to $160.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the technology company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential upside of 50.55% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on shares of NiCE from $300.00 to $200.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. JMP Securities set a $200.00 price target on NiCE in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on NiCE from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of NiCE in a research note on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of NiCE in a report on Friday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.77.

NiCE Price Performance

Shares of NICE stock traded down $14.59 on Tuesday, hitting $106.28. 2,342,392 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 591,011. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.93 and a 200 day moving average of $150.62. NiCE has a 12 month low of $104.42 and a 12 month high of $193.52. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.98.

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The technology company reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.17 by $0.01. NiCE had a net margin of 18.92% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The firm had revenue of $732.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $728.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. NiCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.180-12.320 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that NiCE will post 9.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiCE

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NICE. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of NiCE by 1,125.3% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 768,737 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $118,516,000 after buying an additional 705,997 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NiCE by 116.1% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,226,920 shares of the technology company's stock worth $207,238,000 after buying an additional 659,170 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of NiCE by 218.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 908,014 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $139,989,000 after acquiring an additional 623,014 shares during the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp purchased a new stake in NiCE in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,843,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its holdings in NiCE by 36.5% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 845,620 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $122,429,000 after acquiring an additional 225,936 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.34% of the company's stock.

NiCE Company Profile

NiCE Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud platforms for AI-driven digital business solutions worldwide. It offers CXone, a cloud native open platform; Enlighten, an AI engine for the customer engagement market; and smart self-service enables organizations to address consumers' needs; and journey orchestration solutions that empower organizations to connect and route customers to deal with the customer's request, and connects them using real-time AI-based routing.

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