ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) Stock Price Up 2.4% – Here’s Why

18 Apr 2026, 15:18 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Shares of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW – Get Free Report) traded up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $99.39 and last traded at $96.4260. 21,878,600 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 19,827,703 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.19.

ServiceNow News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ServiceNow this week:

Positive Sentiment: Marketwide risk‑on tone and tech earnings lifted software names, providing an immediate catalyst for NOW’s intraday bounce. Stocks Settle Higher on Tech Earnings and Ceasefire Optimism
Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted NOW as able to move higher, citing buyback expansion and insider buying — a retail/TV boost that can attract momentum buyers. Jim Cramer on ServiceNow: “It can go higher”
Positive Sentiment: Product partnership: ComplianceCow announced integration with ServiceNow’s Integrated Risk Management product, supporting cross‑sell and platform adoption in GRC/security workflows. ComplianceCow Announces Integration with ServiceNow Integrated Risk Management
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on upcoming Q1 results and operational metrics beyond revenue/EPS (seat trends, ARR composition); Q1 guidance will likely be the next major catalyst. Countdown to ServiceNow (NOW) Q1 Earnings
Neutral Sentiment: Industry roundups and Q4 peer comparisons are mixed—useful context but not an immediate directional trigger. Automation Software Stocks Q4 In Review: ServiceNow Vs Peers
Negative Sentiment: Multiple major brokerages trimmed price targets (HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Capital One, Robert W. Baird, BMO, TD Cowen)—this cluster of downgrades/target cuts is weighing on sentiment and raises questions about future upside. HSBC target cut to $171 Deutsche Bank target cut to $135 Capital One target cut to $113
Negative Sentiment: Negative narratives in some outlets (so‑called “death of software” / “SaaSpocalypse” and AI seat‑contraction stories) are pressuring sentiment and could amplify downside if Q1 metrics disappoint. ServiceNow suffered from “Death of software” narrative ServiceNow Is The Main Victim Of The SaaSpocalypse

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of ServiceNow in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of ServiceNow in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of ServiceNow in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $155.00 to $115.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $150.00 to $121.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.46.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ServiceNow

ServiceNow Trading Up 0.2%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $105.72 and a 200-day moving average of $140.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The information technology services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.53 billion. ServiceNow had a return on equity of 18.54% and a net margin of 13.16%.ServiceNow’s revenue was up 20.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Paul Fipps sold 9,641 shares of ServiceNow stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.93, for a total value of $1,021,271.13. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,419.01. This trade represents a 45.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kevin Thomas Mcbride sold 1,400 shares of ServiceNow stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.71, for a total value of $147,994.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 26,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,781,652.94. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 16,237 shares of company stock valued at $1,697,162 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ServiceNow

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nautilus Advisors LLC boosted its position in ServiceNow by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Nautilus Advisors LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in ServiceNow by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 11,401 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 1,519 shares during the period. Riverbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in ServiceNow by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 549,784 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $57,480,000 after acquiring an additional 75,942 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP boosted its position in ServiceNow by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 1,236 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its position in ServiceNow by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 3,447 shares during the period. 87.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ServiceNow Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is a cloud computing company that builds enterprise software to manage digital workflows and automate business processes. Its offerings are designed to replace manual work and legacy systems with cloud-based, service-oriented applications that support IT operations, customer service, human resources, security response and other enterprise functions.

The company’s flagship product family is the Now Platform, a suite of subscription software and platform services that includes IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Operations Management (ITOM), IT Business Management (ITBM), Customer Service Management (CSM), HR Service Delivery, Security Operations and Asset Management.