Workflow
service management
icon
Search documents
3 Reasons to Stay Away From Datadog Stock Despite Q4 Earnings Beat
ZACKS· 2026-02-12 16:26
Core Insights - Datadog (DDOG) reported strong fourth-quarter 2025 results with revenues of $953.19 million, reflecting a 29% year-over-year growth, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.22% [1] - Adjusted earnings per share were 59 cents, surpassing the consensus estimate by 7.27% [1] Financial Performance - The company achieved record bookings of $1.63 billion, marking a 37% annual increase [2] - For first-quarter 2026, management guided revenues between $951 million and $961 million, indicating a year-over-year growth of 25% to 26% [3] - Full-year 2026 revenue guidance is set at $4.06 billion to $4.10 billion, suggesting a growth deceleration to 18% to 20% compared to 28% growth in 2025 [3] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is $2.27 per share, reflecting a 10.73% year-over-year increase [4] - Projected non-GAAP operating income for 2026 is between $840 million and $880 million, with non-GAAP earnings per share expected to be in the range of $2.08 to $2.16 [5] Operating Expenses and Margins - Datadog's non-GAAP operating margin was approximately 23.4% in the fourth quarter, but full-year net income declined to $107.74 million despite revenue growth [6] - The company continues to invest heavily in research and development, which may pressure operating margins in the near term [6] Competitive Landscape - Datadog faces increasing competition in the observability market, with established vendors like IBM and Dynatrace intensifying their efforts [12] - The company's forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is around 10.75x, significantly higher than the industry average of 4.02x, indicating that anticipated growth is already priced in [13] Conclusion - Despite a strong fourth-quarter performance, Datadog's decelerating growth guidance, rising expenses, and stretched valuation present challenges for investors [17]