TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NowVertical Group Inc. (TSXV: NOW) (“NowVertical” or the “Company”) today announced record growth from a UK-based Strategic Account secured in Q2 2025. Engagements with the account, a global leader in financial and market intelligence, have reached over US $1 million in contracted revenue within six months of the engagement. This represents the fastest scale-up of any account since the launch of the Strategic Account Program. The new UK account is currently engaged ...

Core Insights - NowVertical Group Inc. will participate in a Fireside Chat with Stifel Financial Corp. at the Planet MicroCap Showcase: TORONTO 2025 on October 22, 2025 [1] - The discussion will be hosted by Andre Garber, Chief Development Officer and Co-Founder of NowVertical, alongside Suthan Sukumar, Managing Director, Research at Stifel Canada [2] - The company focuses on transforming data into business value using AI, offering a suite of solutions that enhance decision-making and operational efficiency [3] Company Overview - NowVertical is a global data and analytics company that helps clients leverage data for measurable business outcomes [3] - The company is growing both organically and through strategic acquisitions, emphasizing the use of AI-infused technologies [3] Event Details - The Fireside Chat is scheduled for October 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM EDT at the Arcadian Loft in Downtown Toronto [1][6] - 1x1 investor meetings will be held on October 23, 2025, at the same venue [6]

Core Insights - ServiceNow, Inc. is being closely monitored by analysts as an AI stock, with UBS lowering its price target to $1,075.00 from $1,100.00 while maintaining a Buy rating ahead of the company's third-quarter earnings report [1] - UBS's checks with partners and customers indicate solid core business performance, suggesting a normal earnings beat for the third quarter [1][3] - Feedback on AI adoption has been somewhat disappointing, consistent with trends observed in other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies [2][3] Business Performance - The core business checks for ServiceNow were reported as fine/solid, indicating positive momentum leading into the earnings report [3] - The stock is currently trading at 36 times the calendar year 2026 earnings, with an expected growth rate of approximately 20%, suggesting limited near-term downside risk [4] Market Sentiment - The sentiment surrounding SaaS applications is described as cautious, potentially the worst in years, which may impact investor outlook [4] - While ServiceNow shows potential as an investment, there are other AI stocks perceived to offer greater upside potential with less downside risk [5]

Core Viewpoint - ServiceNow, Inc. is positioned as a defensive technology stock due to its maturing profile, especially in a market environment that may pressure valuations where narratives are not supportive [1]. Group 1: Company Analysis - ServiceNow's maturing profile is highlighted as a strong reason for its defensive positioning in the current market [1]. - The company is likely to face valuation pressures in a market that does not support certain narratives, making its defensive characteristics more appealing [1]. Group 2: Market Context - The current market conditions are characterized by potential pressures on valuations, particularly for companies lacking supportive narratives [1].

Core Viewpoint - ServiceNow, Inc's maturing profile positions it as a defensive technology stock in a market likely to pressure valuations where narratives are not supportive [1] Group 1: Company Analysis - ServiceNow's current market environment suggests a focus on defensive positioning due to its maturing profile [1] - The last year has seen significant developments that reinforce ServiceNow's defensive tech status [1] Group 2: Market Context - The overall market is expected to exert pressure on valuations, particularly for companies lacking supportive narratives [1]

Core Insights - ServiceNow, Inc. is an American software company specializing in cloud-based solutions that optimize, digitize, and automate workflows [1] Company Overview - The company offers a user-friendly platform called Now Platform, which helps manage operations through a centralized and AI-tailored system [1]

Core Insights - ServiceNow (NOW) is experiencing significant growth with its AI Platform, securing 21 deals with five or more Now Assist products in Q2 2025, and over 50% sequential growth in deals including AI Pro Plus across ITSM, CSM, and HR [1][10] Group 1: Enterprise Adoption and Product Offerings - Major enterprises such as Adobe, Aptiv, Visa, EY, ExxonMobil, and Standard Chartered are utilizing ServiceNow AI to enhance sales cycles, service delivery, and operational efficiency [2] - The Workflow Data Fabric is included in 17 of ServiceNow's top 20 deals, combining data, analytics, and AI to deliver faster outcomes for enterprises [3][10] - The new Zurich platform and AI Experience are expected to drive rapid AI adoption through multi-agentic AI development and autonomous workflows [4][10] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - ServiceNow faces intense competition from Atlassian, Salesforce, and Oracle, with Atlassian seeing a 20 times year-over-year increase in AI interactions [6] - Salesforce is expanding its platform adoption by integrating various workflows, while Oracle leverages a strong partner ecosystem to enhance its offerings [7][8] Group 3: Financial Performance and Valuation - ServiceNow shares have declined by 14.8% year-to-date, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's return of 21.6% [9] - The stock is considered overvalued with a forward price/sales ratio of 12.49X compared to the sector's 6.83X, and it carries a Value Score of F [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Q3 2025 earnings is $4.21 per share, indicating a 13.2% year-over-year growth, while Q4 2025 earnings are estimated at $4.40 per share, suggesting a 19.9% year-over-year improvement [14]

Core Viewpoint - A competitive landscape is emerging in the enterprise software market, particularly between Salesforce and ServiceNow, as Salesforce aims to enhance its AI capabilities and revenue growth through new product offerings and strategic partnerships [1][3]. Group 1: Salesforce's AI Strategy - Salesforce is focusing on increasing the adoption of AI products among enterprise customers, leveraging its acquisition of Slack Technologies and introducing the Agentforce 360 platform for building AI agents [2][3]. - The introduction of new Slackbots as personal AI companions and an expanded partnership with OpenAI to integrate Agentforce apps into ChatGPT are key components of Salesforce's AI strategy [3][4]. Group 2: Product Developments - At the Dreamforce 2025 conference, Salesforce evolved its Customer 360 into Agentforce 360, positioning itself as an AI orchestration layer for enterprises, which overlaps with ServiceNow's automation and workflow solutions [4][6]. - New products such as Agentforce Voice and Agentforce Vibes were unveiled, allowing for natural communication with customers and enabling users to build applications using natural language [5]. Group 3: Market Performance and Stock Analysis - Salesforce stock rose nearly 1% to $241.51 in early trading, despite a 3.6% decline the previous day and a 27% drop in 2025 [4][10]. - The stock currently holds a sub-par Composite Rating of 61 out of 99 and an Accumulation/Distribution Rating of D-plus, indicating weak institutional buying [8]. Group 4: Competitive Landscape - The competition between Salesforce and ServiceNow is intensifying as both companies focus on workflow automation, data context, and AI agent deployment [4][6]. - Salesforce's recent acquisition of Informatica for $8 billion is part of its strategy to enhance its AI capabilities and compete more effectively in the market [7].

Core Insights - ServiceNow, Inc. is recognized as a trending AI stock on Wall Street, with Oppenheimer analyst Brian Schwartz maintaining an Outperform rating and a price target of $1,150.00 [1] - Conversations with a significant ServiceNow partner indicate strong business activity and pipeline momentum in Q3, reflecting robust operational performance [2] - Despite slower customer relationship management (CRM) traction compared to Salesforce, ServiceNow is gaining momentum by integrating logic, workflows, and AI automation into its platform [3] - Oppenheimer notes that while demand for artificial intelligence is beginning to slow, ServiceNow retains a strong position and pricing power in the AI sector, positioning the company for durable growth as a leading enterprise integration engine [4] Business Performance - The partner's strong business activity and pipeline momentum in Q3 suggest positive operational performance for ServiceNow [2] - The company is actively migrating its logic and workflows to enhance its AI capabilities, which is expected to improve its competitive stance against Salesforce [3] Market Position - ServiceNow is well-positioned for sustainable growth in the enterprise software market, particularly as a cloud-based platform for automating business workflows [4]

Market Overview - U.S. equity markets continued to rise in Q3, with the Russell 1000 Growth Index increasing by 10.5% and achieving 24 new all-time highs [3] - The S&P 500 rose by 8.1%, the Nasdaq 100 advanced by 11.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 5.2% [3] - The rally was largely driven by significant infrastructure investments in the AI sector, including a $90 billion plan announced by President Trump and various multi-billion dollar partnerships among major AI companies [3] Economic Impact - Deutsche Bank estimates that tech spending, primarily in AI, will contribute approximately 1-1.5 percentage points to U.S. GDP growth in 2025 [3] - The U.S. government has been running around $2 trillion in fiscal deficits for the first 11 months of FY-2025, which, along with easing monetary policy, has supported equity market performance [3][6] Monetary Policy - The Federal Reserve cut the Federal Funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4.00%-4.25% in mid-September, with a more accommodative policy outlook for the coming years [6] - The Fed's median projection for the fed funds rate in 2025 has decreased to 3.6% from 3.9% [6] Sector Performance - Ithaka's portfolio underperformed the Russell 1000 Growth Index by 940 basis points in Q3, with stock selection and sector allocation negatively impacting performance [8] - Positive relative returns were generated in the Financial Services sector, while Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors were the largest sources of underperformance [9] Key Contributors and Detractors - Top contributors included NVIDIA (18.0% return impact), Robinhood Markets (52.9%), and Shopify (28.8%) [10] - Major detractors were ServiceNow (-10.5%), Chipotle Mexican Grill (-24.6%), and Intuitive Surgical (-17.7%) [10] AI Investment Landscape - The AI infrastructure buildout is projected to reach $400 billion to $600 billion in 2025, with U.S. hyperscalers expected to account for $300 billion to $350 billion of this total [18] - The current wave of AI-driven capital expenditures is compared to historical infrastructure projects, indicating a significant shift in technology investment [18] Future Outlook - The ongoing AI buildout may redefine human interaction across various sectors, with companies viewing this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity [18][21] - Early productivity gains from AI implementations have shown efficiency improvements of 20%-50% in key business operations [20]