ServiceNOW stock hits a wall amid AI boom, 'frustrates' veteran trader

Bill McDermott summed things up quite succinctly.

“The long history of enterprise tech can be described in a single word: pain,” ServiceNow's chairman and CEO told analysts during the company's earnings call.

“That's because people and devices and apps and data and clouds don't work well together.”

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Without ServiceNow, he said, “we run the real risk of a new generation of pain, this time with AI agents scattered around like spare parts. We have no intention, ladies and gentlemen, of allowing that to happen.”

On July 23 the Santa Clara, Calif., provider of workflow-automation platforms posted stronger-than-expected second-quarter results and boosted its outlook as more companies adopt artificial intelligence.

The Q2 results “were outstanding,” McDermott said. “They continue our long track record of elite-level execution, and we are at the forefront of enterprise AI.”

ServiceNow's CEO says the company is executing well.

ServiceNow

McDermott discussed the company's Agentic AI capabilities, which refer to systems that can make decisions and take actions without constant human oversight.

ServiceNow CEO cites differentiation

This is a growing part of the AI story.

A survey of business and technical decision-makers by Cisco Systems found that by 2028 more than two-thirds (68%) of all customer-service and support interactions with technology vendors are expected to be handled by agentic AI.

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“We've become the CEO's agentic AI story in enterprise software,” McDermott said. “And notice I didn't say [software as a service]. We actually don't live in a SaaS neighborhood. We live in an enterprise AI neighborhood. On a one-of-one platform.”

SaaS uses the internet to deliver software by subscription.

“And that differentiation is now being imported to our customers and to our partners in a clear and articulate manner, and that's why we're different,” he said.

Following a report from Melius Research, CNBC's Jim Cramer, on the Aug, 11 “Mad Money,” said he liked ServiceNow's prospects longer term. He said the report was influencing the stock.

In a note downgrading Adobe (ADBE) to sell, Melius warned that the shift toward AI was triggering “a multiple contraction phase in early innings” for leading SaaS companies.

“The world is coming around to the reality that ‘AI is eating software,’” Melius wrote.

AI is “likely to kill” growth in seats — individual software subscriptions — as companies consolidate roles in marketing, sales, creative and human resources, the firm said.

Cramer didn't see it that way.

“I think longer term ServiceNow has really good AI, and it would not be a stock that I would want to bet against,” Cramer said. “So, ServiceNow longer term I think is fine. Shorter term I think it needs to be under pressure.”

TheStreet Pro Trader: ServiceNow investors ‘frustrated'

Late in January ServiceNow shares touched a 52-week high above $1,198. Through the close of regular trading on Aug. 18, they've since dropped 26%. They finished Aug. 18 trading at $892.05.

TheStreet Pro's Bob Lang noted in his Aug. 14 column that a “strong quarter and guidance from ServiceNow was not good enough to propel the stock higher.” Lang said.

“We are just as frustrated as you by this development, but are encouraged by the repeated bounces off support over the years.”

Lang, an options trader and market technician, added that “there's no question the chart action since late July is ugly.” The stock is off 10% since the July 29 close at $993.20.

“With the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hitting new highs this week, it stymies us to see NOW hitting four-month lows, but it is what it is,” Lang continued. “This is a high-quality company that is likely to turn more good earnings come October, but for now we are concerned about the current price action.”

Lang said that the pullback seemed “to be a bit much for a strong name, so a little addition here might be wise.”

“We like ServiceNow in TheStreet Pro portfolio and rate it a one, buy at any time,” he said.

Chris Versace, TheStreet Pro portfolio's lead manager, said he was buying NOW shares.

“We’ve sat on the sidelines over the last several trading sessions, letting ServiceNow shares pull back, alongside other enterprise software stocks, to levels that are well below the Pro Portfolio’s average cost basis,” Versace wrote in his Aug. 18 column.

“At the same time, we continue to see signs of accelerating enterprise AI adoption, which keeps Big Tech companies' capacity constrained, leading to higher capital spending levels in the second half of 2025.”

Versace said he bought 22 shares of ServiceNow at or near $878.50. Following the trade, the company's shares will account for roughly 3.5% of the Pro Portfolio’s assets.

Versace said he was leaving some room to acquire additional shares, subject to what Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell comments during his keynote address at the central bank’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.