Analyst Ratings February 20, 2026

Needham Lowers N‑Able Price Target to $8, Cites Valuation and Market Multiple Compression

Firm keeps Buy rating as revenue growth and ARR guidance point to back‑loaded momentum; Scotiabank also trims target amid mixed results

By Ajmal Hussain NABL
Needham Lowers N‑Able Price Target to $8, Cites Valuation and Market Multiple Compression
NABL

Needham reduced its 12-month price objective for N-Able Inc. (NABL) to $8.00 from $10.00 while retaining a Buy rating. The move reflects broader multiple compression across the market even as the company reported ARR growth and set guidance that implies accelerating growth in the second half of calendar 2026. N-Able’s latest quarter showed revenue growth but an earnings per share shortfall, and Scotiabank also lowered its target while keeping a Sector Perform rating.

Key Points

  • Needham cut its price target on N-Able to $8.00 from $10.00 but kept a Buy rating, attributing the cut to broader market multiple compression.
  • N-Able reported 7.7% constant-currency ARR growth for calendar 2025 and an FX-neutral net revenue retention rate of 102%; management’s 2026 guidance implies acceleration in H2 driven by retention and new product adoption.
  • Q4 2025 revenue rose 12% year-over-year to $130 million, slightly above expectations, while EPS missed at $0.06 versus $0.10 expected; Scotiabank also reduced its target to $5.25 and kept a Sector Perform rating.

Needham has trimmed its price target on N-Able Inc. to $8.00 from $10.00, but the firm kept its Buy rating on the cybersecurity software company. The adjustment reflects valuation pressure rather than a change in Needham’s assessment of N-Able’s operational execution, the firm said.

Shares are trading at $4.74, close to their 52-week low of $4.63, and have fallen roughly 11% over the past week.


Recent operating results

N-Able closed calendar 2025 with annual recurring revenue up 7.7% in constant currency. The company reported a foreign exchange-neutral net revenue retention rate that remained unchanged at 102%.

Management’s initial revenue guidance for calendar 2026 implies that constant-currency growth should accelerate in the back half of the year. Company commentary links that expected acceleration to stable to improving gross revenue retention and to new product rollouts that management expects will spur adoption among both new and existing customers. At the high end of the guidance range, N-Able’s outlook includes net-new annual recurring revenue growth of 20% year-over-year in constant currency.


Analyst view and market reaction

Needham suggested that some of the recent selling pressure reflects heightened expectations for stronger second-half growth that investors are reluctant to support in the current market environment. The firm also noted confidence in the company’s ability to execute, pointing to continued movement up-market and traction in extended detection and response as supporting factors.

The reduced price target incorporates what Needham described as broader multiple compression across the market rather than a deterioration in the company’s operational outlook.


Quarterly financials and other analyst moves

In fourth-quarter 2025 results, N-Able reported revenue of $130 million, a 12% increase from the prior year. The revenue figure slightly exceeded expectations. Earnings per share, however, came in at $0.06 versus an anticipated $0.10, representing a 40% negative surprise on EPS.

Despite the EPS shortfall, the revenue increase helped create a positive undercurrent among investors. Separately, Scotiabank lowered its price target for N-Able shares from $8.75 to $5.25 while maintaining a Sector Perform rating. Scotiabank characterized N-Able’s top-line and bottom-line results as respectable but unexciting, and noted that the company’s 2026 guidance suggests estimates are unlikely to rise in the near term.


Outlook

The combination of accelerating guidance for the second half of 2026, a steady net revenue retention rate, and product-driven adoption are central to the bull case that underpins Needham’s maintained Buy rating. Offsetting that are market-wide multiple compression dynamics and near-term investor skepticism about back‑loaded growth expectations.

These developments leave a mixed picture: solid revenue growth paired with an EPS miss and cautious analyst revisions that temper immediate upside for the shares.

Risks

  • Investor reluctance to support back-loaded growth assumptions could continue to pressure the stock, impacting market sentiment in technology and software sectors.
  • Near-term earnings shortfalls, as seen in the Q4 EPS miss, create uncertainty for profitability expectations and may weigh on valuations across the software and cybersecurity subsectors.
  • Broader market multiple compression, cited by Needham as a reason for the price target reduction, poses valuation risk for growth-oriented technology stocks.

More from Analyst Ratings

Truist Lifts Quanta Services Price Target After Strong Q4; Guidance Fuels Upgrades Feb 20, 2026 DA Davidson Lowers DoorDash Price Target, Cites Valuation as Key Constraint Feb 20, 2026 Truist Lowers Workiva Price Target to $90 Citing Softening Software Valuations Feb 20, 2026 Truist Trims Wayfair Price Target as Margin Outlook Clouds Growth Outlook Feb 20, 2026 Truist Lifts Walmart Target After Strong Q4; Analysts Push Prices Higher Feb 20, 2026