Revenue Growth - Total revenue for Q4 2024 was $721.6 million, representing a 16% year-over-year increase[3] - Cloud revenue for Q4 2024 reached $533.9 million, up 24% year-over-year[3] - Full-year 2024 total revenue was $2,735.3 million, a 15% increase compared to 2023[4] - Full-year 2024 cloud revenue grew by 25% to $1,984.2 million[4] - Total revenue for Q4 2024 reached $721.6 million, a 15.8% increase from $623.2 million in Q4 2023[28] - Cloud revenue grew to $533.9 million, up 24.5% from $429.0 million year-over-year[28] - Full-year 2025 non-GAAP total revenues are expected to be between $2,918 million and $2,938 million, indicating a 7% year-over-year growth[18] - Full-year 2025 guidance includes an anticipated 12% year-over-year growth in cloud revenue[18] Profitability Metrics - Non-GAAP fully diluted EPS for Q4 2024 was $3.02, a 28% increase year-over-year[16] - Operating margin for full-year 2024 was 20.0%, up from 18.3% in 2023[4] - Non-GAAP operating margin for full-year 2024 reached 31.1%, compared to 29.6% in 2023[14] - Net income for Q4 2024 was $99.5 million, representing a 21.8% increase compared to $81.7 million in Q4 2023[28] - Operating income increased to $154.3 million, a 25.8% rise from $122.7 million in the same quarter last year[28] - Non-GAAP net income for the year 2024 was $728.4 million, up 25.1% from $582.7 million in 2023[30] - Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share increased to $11.12 in 2024, compared to $8.79 in 2023, reflecting a 26.8% growth[30] - The company reported a GAAP net income of $442.6 million for the year 2024, a 30.8% increase from $338.3 million in 2023[30] Cash Flow and Assets - Operating cash flow for full-year 2024 increased by 48% to $832.6 million[5] - The company reported a net cash provided by operating activities of $249.5 million for Q4 2024, compared to $180.5 million in Q4 2023[29] - Total cash provided by operating activities for the year 2024 was $832.6 million, compared to $561.4 million in 2023, marking a 48.2% increase[34] - Free cash flow for Q4 2024 was $225.1 million, a 40.3% increase from $160.5 million in Q4 2023[34] - Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $481.7 million from $511.8 million at the end of Q4 2023[29] - Total current assets increased to $2.5 billion, up from $2.3 billion year-over-year[27] - Total long-term assets slightly decreased to $2.79 billion from $2.80 billion in the previous year[27] - Total liabilities increased to $1.69 billion, compared to $1.76 billion in Q4 2023[27] - Shareholders' equity rose to $3.6 billion, an increase from $3.4 billion year-over-year[27] Expenses - Operating expenses on a GAAP basis for Q4 2024 were $334.9 million, a 11.8% increase from $299.6 million in Q4 2023[30] - Research and development expenses for the year 2024 totaled $28.8 million, down from $31.4 million in 2023, indicating a 8.3% reduction[31] Gross Profit and EBITDA - GAAP gross profit for the year 2024 was $1.83 billion, representing a 13.4% increase from $1.61 billion in 2023[30] - Non-GAAP EBITDA for the year 2024 was $933.1 million, up 20.5% from $774.8 million in 2023[33]

Company Performance - Nice (NICE) closed at $173.87, marking a +0.42% move from the prior day, outperforming the S&P 500 which gained 0.36% [1] - Over the past month, shares of Nice gained 4.48%, surpassing the Computer and Technology sector's growth of 0% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.11% [1] Upcoming Earnings - Nice is projected to report earnings of $2.96 per share, representing year-over-year growth of 25.42% [2] - The revenue forecast for Nice is $713.01 million, indicating a 14.41% growth compared to the same quarter of the previous year [2] Analyst Projections - Recent shifts in analyst projections for Nice are important as they indicate changing near-term business trends [3] - Upbeat changes in estimates reflect analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability [3] Valuation Metrics - Nice has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.08, which is a discount compared to the industry average Forward P/E of 31.23 [5] - The company has a PEG ratio of 0.97, significantly lower than the Internet-Software industry's average PEG ratio of 2.34 [6] Industry Ranking - The Internet-Software industry, part of the Computer and Technology sector, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 73, placing it within the top 30% of over 250 industries [6] - The Zacks Rank system, which evaluates the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks, shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [7]

Group 1 - The current market presents challenges in identifying undervalued software stocks, particularly when applying the Rule of 40, which evaluates a SaaS company's health through its combined revenue growth rate and free cash flow or EBITDA margin [1] - The investment strategy described combines fundamental analysis with options trading, focusing on various approaches such as income-oriented investments, growth at a reasonable price, deep value, and dividend aristocrats [1] - The analyst employs 20-25 different options strategies for purposes including hedging, bullish substitutes, neutral trades, volatility trading, and earnings-related trades [1] Group 2 - The analyst has a beneficial long position in NICE shares, indicating a personal investment interest in the company [2] - The article reflects the analyst's personal opinions and is not influenced by compensation from any company mentioned [2]

Group 1 - NICE Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) is a company that provides customer experience (CX) and financial crime & compliance (FCC) solutions, with a minor focus on public safety (PS) solutions [1] - The company is not frequently mentioned in financial news, but it may represent an undervalued investment opportunity [1] - The analysis emphasizes the importance of quantitative methods and numerical data over narrative in assessing a company's prospects [1] Group 2 - The author has been investing since 2013 and has gained knowledge from extensive reading on stock market strategies [1] - The article does not indicate any current or planned investment positions in NICE or related companies by the author [2] - The views expressed in the article are personal opinions and do not reflect any business relationships with the companies mentioned [3]

Company Overview - NICE Ltd is well-positioned to benefit from the large and growing Total Addressable Market (TAM) in Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and conversational AI [1] - The company has long-term growth potential and is considered a quality investment opportunity [1] Investment Thesis - The investment thesis for NICE Ltd is based on its strong position in the CCaaS and conversational AI markets, which are expected to grow significantly [1] - The analysis does not assume multiples expansion, indicating a conservative valuation approach [1] Analyst's Perspective - The analyst has a strong foundation in fundamental analysis and focuses on identifying undervalued companies with long-term growth potential [1] - The investment approach combines value investing principles with a focus on long-term growth, aiming to buy quality companies at a discount to their intrinsic value [1]

In the latest trading session, Nice (NICE) closed at $165.52, marking a +1.92% move from the previous day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.88%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 1.24%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.65%.The the stock of software company has fallen by 6.49% in the past month, lagging the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 0.37% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.17%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Nice in its upcomin ...

Investors interested in stocks from the Internet - Software sector have probably already heard of Nice (NICE) and Paycor HCM, Inc. (PYCR) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets c ...

Company Performance and Financials - NICE launched CXone Mpower, an AI-driven platform to enhance customer service automation and engagement, tailored to customer needs [1] - The company secured over 100 large enterprise accounts year-to-date, displacing legacy competitors and attracting 45 leading brands after failed deployments from other cloud vendors [2] - For Q1 fiscal 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is $2 90 per share, indicating a 12 4% YoY growth, while revenue is estimated at $721 31 million, a 9 4% increase from the prior-year quarter [3] - NICE shares have fallen 20 4% over the past year, underperforming the Zacks Computer & Technology sector (29 3%) and the Zacks Internet – Software industry (30 6%) [4] - The company's earnings have beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 4 88% [3] Market Position and Competition - NICE faces stiff competition in the Customer Engagement and Financial Crime and Compliance segments, competing with companies like Aspect, Calabrio, Genesys, and Verint Systems in Workforce Optimization [7] - In the Contact Center as a Service market, NICE competes with key players such as Avaya, Cisco Systems, Five9, and TalkDesk, alongside niche vendors [8] - The company leads in AI-driven solutions for customer experiences, financial crime, and digital policing transformation, monitoring 5 billion transactions daily and safeguarding $6 trillion [13] - NICE serves the top 10 global banks and has a projected Total Addressable Market (TAM) of $5 billion by 2028, driven by advancements in its X-Sight platform and cloud solutions [13] Growth Drivers and Challenges - NICE has expanded its partner ecosystem by adding over 40 partners, including 20 international partners, which is expected to drive growth [2] - The company's presence in over 150 countries and engagement with more than 85% of Fortune 100 customers provides a solid foundation for international expansion [10] - Despite challenges, NICE is expected to benefit from growth in the cloud business and AI domain, driven by platform innovation and a growing client base [6] - The adoption of AI solutions like Autopilot, CSAT, and Copilot has significantly boosted NICE's performance by enhancing customer engagement and automating services [9] - The company's negative share price movement is attributed to declining service revenue due to the transition to cloud-based services and volatility in product revenues [5] Industry and Market Trends - NICE's Financial Crime and Compliance market solutions, such as X-Sight and Xceed, help financial organizations manage risks, prevent fraud, and ensure compliance in real-time [12] - Key competitors in the Financial Crime and Compliance space include BAE Systems, FICO, NASDAQ Smarts, Oracle, and SAS Institute, offering specialized and comprehensive solutions [12]

Company Performance - Nice (NICE) closed at $165.72, reflecting a -0.37% change from the previous day, underperforming the S&P 500 which gained 0.16% [1] - Over the past month, Nice's shares have decreased by 9.55%, compared to a loss of 0.39% in the Computer and Technology sector and a 2.7% loss in the S&P 500 [1] Upcoming Earnings - Nice is expected to report an EPS of $2.96, indicating a 25.42% increase from the same quarter last year [2] - Revenue is forecasted at $713.01 million, representing a 14.41% growth from the prior-year quarter [2] Analyst Forecasts - Recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Nice are important as they reflect near-term business trends and analysts' confidence in the company's performance [3] - The Zacks Rank system, which incorporates these estimate changes, provides actionable ratings for stocks [4] Valuation Metrics - Nice has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.48, significantly lower than the industry average of 28.07, suggesting it is trading at a discount [6] - The PEG ratio for Nice is 0.93, compared to an industry average of 2.1, indicating favorable growth expectations relative to its valuation [6] Industry Context - The Internet - Software industry, which includes Nice, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 25, placing it in the top 10% of over 250 industries [7] - Strong industry rankings correlate with stock performance, with the top 50% of rated industries outperforming the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [7]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of Wall Street analysts' recommendations, particularly focusing on Nice (NICE), and suggests that while the average brokerage recommendation (ABR) indicates a positive outlook, it may not be a reliable basis for investment decisions [1][4]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations - Nice has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.33, indicating a position between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from 15 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 15 recommendations, 12 are Strong Buy and 1 is Buy, which accounts for 80% and 6.7% of all recommendations respectively [2]. Group 2: Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Studies indicate that brokerage recommendations often fail to guide investors effectively towards stocks with high potential for price appreciation [4]. - The vested interests of brokerage firms can lead to a bias in analysts' ratings, with a ratio of five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" [5][9]. - This misalignment of interests suggests that brokerage recommendations may mislead investors rather than provide accurate insights into stock price movements [6][9]. Group 3: Zacks Rank as an Alternative - Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks into five groups and is based on earnings estimate revisions, making it a more effective indicator of near-term stock performance [7][10]. - Unlike ABR, which is based solely on brokerage recommendations, Zacks Rank is updated frequently to reflect changes in earnings estimates, providing timely predictions for stock prices [11]. - For Nice, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year remains unchanged at $11.05, leading to a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting caution despite the positive ABR [12][13].