Core Insights - GitLab stock has experienced a significant decline, dropping to $37, which represents a 50% decrease from its peak level in 2025 [1] Company Performance - The stock performance of GitLab mirrors that of other software companies, indicating a broader trend within the software industry [1]

Core Viewpoint - GitLab's stock performance deteriorated significantly in 2023, primarily due to slowing revenue growth, high valuation, and concerns over customer retention, leading to investor skepticism regarding its AI strategy [1][2][4]. Group 1: Stock Performance - By the end of 2023, GitLab's stock had fallen 33%, contrasting sharply with the overall tech sector's performance [2]. - The stock reached a 52-week low, failing to rebound after the "Liberation Day" tariffs announcement, unlike other tech stocks [2]. - GitLab's stock started strong in early 2023 but faced a sell-off in February and March due to fears of a trade war and federal budget cuts, despite having relatively low exposure to these risks [4]. Group 2: Financial Performance - A better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings report in early March temporarily halted the stock's decline, but subsequent days saw continued drops due to persistent market fears [5]. - In the third quarter, revenue rose 25% to $244.4 million, but the growth rate decline raised doubts about GitLab's competitive position, particularly against Microsoft-owned GitHub [6]. Group 3: Future Outlook - GitLab's current price-to-sales ratio is 6, indicating a significant drop in valuation compared to previous years [8]. - The company must demonstrate its ability to thrive in the AI era, maintain growth, and achieve meaningful profits under GAAP standards to regain investor confidence [8].

Core Viewpoint - The software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector is experiencing significant turmoil due to fears of disruption from artificial intelligence (AI), but these fears may be exaggerated, presenting potential investment opportunities in select software stocks. Group 1: AppLovin - AppLovin has seen a stock price increase of 71% over the past year, yet it currently trades nearly 22% below its 52-week high [2][3] - The company is experiencing rapid revenue growth, particularly from its AI-powered Axon-2 adtech platform, which grew 68% year over year last quarter, enhancing gross margins and profitability [3] - Management plans to expand the platform beyond mobile gaming and introduce a self-serve ad manager, which are expected to be growth catalysts [3] Group 2: Salesforce - Salesforce aims to lead in agentic AI by launching Data Cloud (now Data 360) and acquiring Informatica, positioning itself as the master record of organizational data [4][5] - The stock has decreased by about 28% over the past year, attributed to concerns over slowing core growth and increased competition, making it relatively cheap with a forward P/S multiple below 5 and a forward P/E ratio of 18 [5] Group 3: Workday - Workday claims to have the "largest and cleanest" human resource and finance database, which is crucial in the AI era [6] - The company is introducing AI agents and tools for finance, legal, and HR, and has acquired Paradox to enhance its hiring process [7] - Workday's stock has fallen nearly 24% over the past year, but it is trading at a forward P/S ratio below 5 and a forward P/E of 18, indicating it is undervalued [7] Group 4: GitLab - GitLab operates a DevSecOps platform and has seen its stock decline about 45% over the past year due to fears that AI may reduce the need for coders [9] - Despite these concerns, the company has consistently grown its revenue by 25% or more, driven by an increasing enterprise customer count [10] - The launch of its Duo Agent solution and a new hybrid pricing model could serve as growth catalysts, with the stock trading at a forward P/S multiple under 5.5 [10] Group 5: UiPath - UiPath's stock has decreased about 24% from its 52-week high, but the company is transitioning to become an AI orchestration platform [11] - The Maestro platform is designed to manage AI agents and software bots, addressing the need for governance and compliance as AI agents proliferate [13] - The stock is attractively valued, with a forward P/S multiple below 5 and a forward P/E around 20 [14]

Group 1: AI Stock Performance - The strong performance in AI stocks has been primarily driven by large technology companies involved in AI infrastructure, but smaller AI stocks present overlooked growth potential [1] - There are three small AI stocks identified with significant potential for outsized growth [1] Group 2: UiPath - UiPath is positioned to capitalize on the emerging phase of agentic AI, which involves performing tasks rather than just generating content [3] - The company has a strong foundation in robotic process automation (RPA) and has developed an orchestration platform to manage AI agents from various vendors [4][5] - UiPath's stock is currently trading at a forward price-to-sales multiple of around 5, with accelerating revenue, indicating potential for significant growth if it leads in AI agent orchestration [5] Group 3: GitLab - GitLab has experienced revenue growth of 25% to 35% over the past two years, yet its stock valuation has fallen to a forward price-to-sales below 5.5 due to market perceptions of being an AI loser [6] - The company continues to add new customers and expand existing client subscriptions, countering fears that AI will replace coders [7] - GitLab has launched its own AI agents to assist programmers throughout the software development cycle and is transitioning to a hybrid model to enhance customer value [8]

Core View - Barclays has a positive outlook on the 2026 prospects for U.S. software stocks, citing stable macroeconomic conditions and IT spending, low valuation levels, and current market disfavor towards the sector [1] - The analysts expect significant revenue contributions from AI in application software and infrastructure software, which will help shift market sentiment [1] Software Stock Ratings and Target Price Adjustments - Barclays adjusted ratings and target prices for several software stocks, highlighting key changes: - CoreWeave: Hold, target price $90 - Datadog: Buy, target price $215 - Dynatrace: Buy, target price $62 - Elastic: Buy, target price $107 - Five9: Buy, target price $29 - HubSpot: Buy, target price $575 - Klaviyo: Buy, target price $43 - Microsoft: Buy, target price $610 - Monday.com: Buy, target price $202 - Paycom Software: Hold, target price $185 - Commerce.com: Reduce, target price $3 - Paylocity: Hold, target price $164 - Similarweb: Buy, target price $12 - Sprout: Buy, target price $26 - Workday: Buy, target price $280 - ZoomInfo Technologies: Hold, target price $12 - Appian: Reduce, target price $34 - Lightspeed Commerce: Hold, target price $14 - DigitalOcean: Buy, target price $63 - JFrog: Buy, target price $70 - MongoDB: Buy, target price $480 - Salesforce: Buy, target price $338 - Teradata: Reduce, target price $27 - UiPath: Hold, target price $16 [1] Cartesian Logistics Systems Group - Barclays upgraded Cartesian Logistics Systems Group from Hold to Buy, raising the target price from $106 to $105, citing a positive turning point in their Q3 2026 performance [2] - Analysts believe the company has overcome its most challenging period, with organic growth rates accelerating from a low point earlier in the fiscal year [3] Snowflake - Barclays downgraded Snowflake from Buy to Hold, lowering the target price from $290 to $250, while still recognizing it as a top software asset with strong revenue growth [2] - The analysts noted limited future upside potential despite a 42% stock price increase in 2025 [2] DoubleVerify - Barclays downgraded DoubleVerify from Buy to Hold, maintaining a target price of $12, citing significant underperformance compared to the software industry [4] - Analysts expressed concerns over the sustainability of revenue growth following a decline in Q3 growth [4] GitLab - Barclays downgraded GitLab from Hold to Reduce, lowering the target price from $42 to $34, attributing the downgrade to execution issues and a challenging macro environment [5] - Analysts noted that recent adjustments may take time to yield results, with expectations of underperformance in the current year [5]

Core Viewpoint - GitLab Inc. has appointed Siva Padisetty as Chief Technology Officer, effective January 15, 2026, to lead its technical vision and strategy [1] Company Leadership - Siva Padisetty will oversee GitLab's software engineering, operations, and customer support teams [1] - He succeeds Sabrina Farmer, who has stepped down from her role [1]

Core Viewpoint - GitLab Inc. (NASDAQ:GTLB) is recognized as a promising AI stock under $50, but recent downgrades indicate caution regarding its near-term execution risks despite its long-term potential in AI [1][2]. Group 1: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Keybanc downgraded GTLB from Overweight to Sector Weight, maintaining the price target, reflecting concerns about execution risks [1]. - Analysts on Wall Street have a consensus "Buy" rating for GTLB, with an average price target of $52.50, suggesting a potential upside of 37.47%. The highest target of $72 indicates an upside of 88.53% [4]. Group 2: Company Performance and Market Position - GitLab is recognized for its comprehensive, AI-powered DevSecOps platform that integrates planning, building, securing, and deploying software [4]. - The transition to a hybrid model with consumption-based elements may introduce additional execution risks for the company [2]. Group 3: Market Trends and Challenges - The rise of AI code generation is expected to impact developer headcount growth negatively, particularly for seat-based models [3]. - Analysts express a balanced view on the risk-reward profile of GTLB at current levels, acknowledging its platform's potential for driving consolidation opportunities [3].

Core Viewpoint - GitLab Inc. (GTLB) has received an upgrade to a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) due to an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is a significant factor influencing stock prices [1][3]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Impact - The Zacks rating system is based on changes in a company's earnings picture, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate reflecting EPS estimates from sell-side analysts [1][2]. - Changes in future earnings potential, as indicated by earnings estimate revisions, are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements, particularly due to institutional investors adjusting their valuations based on these estimates [4]. Business Improvement Indicators - Rising earnings estimates and the Zacks rating upgrade for GitLab suggest an improvement in the company's underlying business, which could lead to increased stock prices as investors respond positively [5][10]. - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GitLab has increased by 45.2%, indicating a positive trend in earnings expectations [8]. Zacks Rank System Overview - The Zacks Rank stock-rating system categorizes stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks historically generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [7]. - Only the top 5% of Zacks-covered stocks receive a "Strong Buy" rating, indicating superior earnings estimate revisions and potential for market-beating returns [9][10].

Core Insights - In 2025, businesses experienced rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), impacting their growth trajectories, while concerns about an AI bubble and macroeconomic challenges dampened stock performances. However, beaten-down stocks are expected to benefit from the January Effect, presenting opportunities for investors to acquire fundamentally strong stocks with promising earnings growth prospects [1][10]. AI Industry Trends - The integration and adoption of AI across various sectors are anticipated to be significant growth catalysts, enhancing operational efficiency, optimizing supply chains, and improving decision-making processes. Companies investing in AI-driven analytics and automated customer engagement are likely to see improved margins and accelerated growth [3][10]. - The global AI infrastructure market is projected to reach $758 billion by 2029, driven by strong demand for compute and storage hardware. Global AI spending is expected to exceed $2 trillion in 2026, up from an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2025, indicating robust investment momentum [4]. Company-Specific Insights - **nCino**: This company is expected to drive demand in 2026 with its AI-powered solutions. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for nCino's fiscal 2026 earnings is 89 cents per share, reflecting a 36.92% year-over-year increase, despite a 21.7% decline in stock value over the past year [5][7]. - **Global-e Online**: Benefiting from AI integration, the company is enhancing efficiency and customer experience. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fiscal 2026 earnings is 94 cents per share, indicating a 177.06% year-over-year increase, although shares have dropped 27.4% in the last year [8][11]. - **GitLab**: This company is experiencing strong demand for its AI-native DevSecOps platform. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GitLab's fiscal 2026 earnings is 88 cents per share, showing an 18.92% year-over-year increase, despite a 33% decline in stock value over the past year [12][13]. - **Samsara**: The company has introduced advanced AI capabilities, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings at 50 cents per share, reflecting a 92.31% year-over-year increase, despite a 16.9% decline in stock value over the past year [14][15].

Group 1 - GitLab Inc (NASDAQ:GTLB) is viewed as a potentially strong investment opportunity despite mixed analyst ratings, with BTIG initiating coverage with a Buy rating and a target price of $52, while Morgan Stanley maintains an Overweight rating but lowers its target to $55 from $60 [1][2] - GitLab reported Q3 revenue of $244.4 million, reflecting a 25% year-over-year increase, and provided its first guidance increase of the year, although concerns were raised about weakening demand from federal and small business sectors [2][3] - The company's customer remaining performance obligations growth has slowed, decreasing to 28% from 34% in the third quarter, indicating potential challenges ahead [2] Group 2 - GitLab operates a comprehensive, AI-powered DevSecOps platform that facilitates collaboration among development, security, and operations teams, aiming to enhance software delivery speed and security [4] - Despite the potential of GitLab as an investment, some analysts suggest that other AI stocks may offer better upside potential with less downside risk [5]