Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Acquires New Position in Adobe Inc. $ADBE
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemClarkston Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 20,991 shares of the software company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,347,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADBE. Willis Investment Counsel grew its position in Adobe by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 40,715 shares of the software company’s stock worth $14,250,000 after acquiring an additional 23,671 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Adobe by 112.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,341,410 shares of the software company’s stock worth $469,467,000 after acquiring an additional 710,357 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. grew its position in Adobe by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 174,626 shares of the software company’s stock worth $61,117,000 after acquiring an additional 12,400 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in Adobe by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 215,611 shares of the software company’s stock worth $75,462,000 after acquiring an additional 25,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in Adobe by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 55,179 shares of the software company’s stock worth $19,312,000 after acquiring an additional 6,426 shares in the last quarter. 81.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Adobe from $270.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Adobe from $420.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Adobe from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Adobe from $285.00 to $230.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Adobe in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Adobe currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $278.16.
Read Our Latest Analysis on ADBE
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO Shantanu Narayen sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.54, for a total transaction of $18,265,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 359,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,561,884.52. This represents a 17.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel Durn sold 1,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.02, for a total transaction of $331,354.72. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,623,440.66. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 77,091 shares of company stock valued at $18,782,773. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Adobe News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Adobe this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Adobe reported record Q2 revenue of $6.62 billion and EPS of $5.96, both above expectations, while also raising full-year revenue and earnings guidance. The company said AI-driven demand and stronger subscription spending supported results. Adobe Reports Record Q2 Results
- Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted accelerating adoption of Adobe’s AI tools, with AI-first annual recurring revenue topping $500 million, which supports the long-term growth case. Adobe Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Up Y/Y, Shares Fall
- Neutral Sentiment: Despite the beat, Adobe signaled a strategic shift toward freemium AI products and prioritizing user growth over immediate monetization, which adds uncertainty around near-term ARR growth. ADBE Q2 Earnings Call Centers on Freemium AI Push, Raised Outlook
- Negative Sentiment: Investors were rattled by the sudden departure of CFO Dan Durn, which adds to leadership uncertainty while Adobe is also in the middle of a CEO succession process. Adobe raises annual revenue forecast, CFO to exit
- Negative Sentiment: Wall Street reacted with multiple price-target cuts and downgrades, reflecting concerns that Adobe’s core growth may be decelerating and that AI monetization is still not proven. Leadership Exits, Decelerating Core Growth Cloud Adobe’s Earnings Beat
Adobe Price Performance
NASDAQ ADBE opened at $204.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.61. The company has a market cap of $82.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.42. Adobe Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.90 and a 1 year high of $405.00.
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 11th. The software company reported $5.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.82 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $6.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. Adobe had a net margin of 28.69% and a return on equity of 64.99%. Adobe’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.06 EPS. Adobe has set its FY 2026 guidance at 24.350-24.450 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.050-6.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Adobe Inc. will post 19.14 EPS for the current year.
Adobe declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, April 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $25.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the software company to purchase up to 24.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Adobe Company Profile
Adobe Inc, founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke and headquartered in San Jose, California, is a global software company that develops tools and services for creative professionals, marketers and enterprises. Under the leadership of CEO Shantanu Narayen, who has led the company since 2007, Adobe has evolved from a provider of desktop publishing tools into a cloud-centric provider of digital media and digital experience solutions.
The company’s core offerings are organized around digital media and digital experience.
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