NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The technology company reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. NiCE had a return on equity of 18.48% and a net margin of 20.78%.The business had revenue of $786.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.95 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.02 earnings per share. NiCE’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. NiCE updated its FY 2026 guidance to 10.850-11.050 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance to 2.450-2.550 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from NiCE’s conference call:

• NICE closed 2025 on a strong note, meeting guidance with total revenue of $2.945B (+8%), cloud revenue up 13%, and AI ARR up 66% to $328 million, alongside record AI logo wins and seven-figure cloud ACV bookings that grew cloud backlog ~25%.
• The cash-funded acquisition of Cognigy makes NICE the only vendor claiming a fully AI-native CX platform; management plans full integration into CXone, new features (Cognigy Simulator, Copilot task assist), and expects Cognigy to be accretive within ~18 months.
• Financial flexibility improved—NICE fully repaid $460M of debt, ended the year debt-free, repurchased $489M of shares in 2025, and authorized a new $600M buyback (?$1B of remaining repurchase capacity), supporting capital returns.
• Management will make deliberate, front-loaded investments in 2026 (COGS, R&D, and S&M) that will weigh on near-term margins and cash generation; FY 2026 non-GAAP EPS guide of $10.85–$11.05 is below 2025’s $12.30, signaling near-term earnings pressure.
• International momentum accelerated (international revenue +16% FY, +29% Q4) aided by partner channels and an earlier-than-expected large go?live, offering a sizable growth runway that depends on continued execution and conversions.

NiCE Price Performance

Shares of NICE opened at $117.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $111.38 and a 200-day moving average of $124.72. NiCE has a one year low of $94.65 and a one year high of $180.61.

NiCE announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Key NiCE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NiCE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results slightly beat expectations and showed strength in cloud business (cloud revenue +14% Y/Y), driven by AI-related demand—this was the main catalyst cited for the upside. Zacks: NICE Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: NiCE raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $10.85–$11.05, above Wall Street consensus, which supports a constructive longer?term earnings outlook. FY2026 Guidance (press release/slide deck)
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $600 million share repurchase program (up to ~9.6% of shares outstanding), signaling management believes shares are undervalued and providing buyback-driven EPS support. RTT News: Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Sell?side support remains: Rosenblatt reaffirmed a “buy” and $155 price target, showing continued analyst conviction among some firms. Benzinga: Rosenblatt rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed overall—Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating with a $120 target, reflecting differing views on near?term execution vs. long?term opportunity. Benzinga: Wedbush rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings and the conference call-transcript are available for deeper read?throughs of product traction, channel commentary and AI pipeline details. MSN: Q4 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance came in below Wall Street expectations (EPS $2.45–$2.55 vs. consensus ~2.76 and revenue guidance below consensus), creating near?term execution uncertainty that could cap upside. Q1 Guidance (slide deck/press materials)
• Negative Sentiment: RBC trimmed its price target (from $175 to $150) despite keeping an outperform rating—this reduction tempers some upside expectations from peer analysts. The Fly: RBC target cut

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NICE. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of NiCE from $185.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of NiCE in a report on Friday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of NiCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of NiCE in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of NiCE from $200.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NiCE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC bought a new stake in NiCE in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of NiCE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of NiCE by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 845 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in NiCE in the 4th quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in NiCE by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,083 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.34% of the company’s stock.

NiCE Company Profile

NiCE Ltd is a global software provider specializing in solutions for customer engagement, financial crime prevention, public safety, workforce optimization and border security. Its product offerings include cloud-native and on-premises platforms that leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and automation to help organizations enhance customer experiences, streamline operations and ensure regulatory compliance. NiCE’s portfolio addresses the needs of contact centers, financial institutions, government agencies and enterprises across a broad range of industries.

In customer engagement, NiCE delivers tools for omnichannel interaction management, real-time and historical analytics, workforce management, and quality management.