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NICE Boosts Share Repurchase Program: Time to Buy the Stock?
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Nice (NICE - Free Report) is expanding its share repurchase program, with the board of directors approving a new $500 million program. It plans to accelerate share buyback under the current $300 million program.
NICE has been aggressively acquiring shares in the past three years. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Nice bought shares worth $73 million, $145 million, and $288 million, respectively. In the first quarter of 2024, NICE used $41.5 million to buy back shares.
The latest program reflects the company’s commitment to continuously improve shareholders’ returns. Its strong balance sheet makes the capital distribution activity sustainable.
As of March 31, cash and cash equivalents (including short-term investments) were $1.5 billion. In the first quarter of 2024, NICE generated $254.5 million of net cash from operations.
In the trailing 12 months ending March 31, net cash from operations was $621 million, with free cash flow of $537.5 million providing ample liquidity.
Nice’s strong balance sheet and cash flow position has been driven by robust top-line growth. In 2023, revenues jumped 22% over 2022 to $2.38 billion. In first-quarter 2024, revenues surged 27% year over year to $659 million.
Nice boasts of a strong portfolio with growing adoption of its solutions like Actimize, Evidencentral, Inform Elite and CXone. The company’s focus on its cloud offerings, particularly its CXone platform, has been a major growth driver.
In the first quarter, Nice reported cloud revenues of $468.4 million, up 27% year over year. In the past 12 months, cloud revenues were $1.7 billion, and recurring revenues were $2.2 billion.
NICE witnessed a remarkable 200% year-over-year increase in AI deals in first-quarter 2024, highlighting the increasing demand for AI-driven CX solutions.
Nice’s efforts to enhance its customer base on the back of its robust cloud solutions are expected to drive top-line growth in the near term. It has more than 25K customers with more than 85% of Fortune 100 customers.
NICE is expanding its footprint in the global public sector with its Inform solution recently getting adopted by Italy’s national police force, the Carabinieri. NICE’s CXone recently won a major contract in the APAC region.
Its policy of frequently updating its portfolio has been a key catalyst. In March, NICE launched the next generation of Enlighten Copilot designed specifically for supervisors and CX decision-makers powered by purpose-built AI.
NICE also announced the availability of IFM 11 (Integrated Fraud Management), a new release of its market-leading, AI-driven fraud management and detection platform, Actimize. NICE recently launched new industry-leading WFM capabilities, enabling organizations to effortlessly manage their front and back office workstreams in the digital era.
NICE Earnings Estimate Revisions Are Positive
For second-quarter 2024, NICE projects non-GAAP revenues between $657 million and $667 million, indicating 14% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Non-GAAP earnings are estimated in the $2.53-2.63 per share band, suggesting a 21% year-over-year rise at the midpoint.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $662.98 million, indicating 14.09% growth year over year. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $2.53 per share, up 1.6% over the past 30 days, indicating an 18.78% year-over-year increase.
For 2024, NICE projects non-GAAP revenues between $2.715 billion and $2.735 billion, indicating 15% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Non-GAAP earnings are estimated in the $10.53-10.73 per share band, suggesting a 21% year-over-year rise at the midpoint.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.73 billion, indicating 14.79% growth year over year. The consensus for earnings is pegged at $10.64 per share, up 1.1% over the past 30 days and indicating a 21.05% year-over-year increase.
Moreover, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock is trading at a discount with a forward 12-month P/E of 15.48X compared with the Zacks Internet Software industry’s 34.46X and in line with the median, indicating that it is significantly undervalued. This makes NICE an attractive pick for investors. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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NICE Boosts Share Repurchase Program: Time to Buy the Stock?
Nice (NICE - Free Report) is expanding its share repurchase program, with the board of directors approving a new $500 million program. It plans to accelerate share buyback under the current $300 million program.
NICE has been aggressively acquiring shares in the past three years. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Nice bought shares worth $73 million, $145 million, and $288 million, respectively. In the first quarter of 2024, NICE used $41.5 million to buy back shares.
The latest program reflects the company’s commitment to continuously improve shareholders’ returns. Its strong balance sheet makes the capital distribution activity sustainable.
As of March 31, cash and cash equivalents (including short-term investments) were $1.5 billion. In the first quarter of 2024, NICE generated $254.5 million of net cash from operations.
In the trailing 12 months ending March 31, net cash from operations was $621 million, with free cash flow of $537.5 million providing ample liquidity.
NICE Stock Price and Consensus
Nice price-consensus-chart | Nice Quote
Strong Portfolio Boosts NICE’s Prospects
Nice’s strong balance sheet and cash flow position has been driven by robust top-line growth. In 2023, revenues jumped 22% over 2022 to $2.38 billion. In first-quarter 2024, revenues surged 27% year over year to $659 million.
Nice boasts of a strong portfolio with growing adoption of its solutions like Actimize, Evidencentral, Inform Elite and CXone. The company’s focus on its cloud offerings, particularly its CXone platform, has been a major growth driver.
In the first quarter, Nice reported cloud revenues of $468.4 million, up 27% year over year. In the past 12 months, cloud revenues were $1.7 billion, and recurring revenues were $2.2 billion.
NICE witnessed a remarkable 200% year-over-year increase in AI deals in first-quarter 2024, highlighting the increasing demand for AI-driven CX solutions.
Nice’s efforts to enhance its customer base on the back of its robust cloud solutions are expected to drive top-line growth in the near term. It has more than 25K customers with more than 85% of Fortune 100 customers.
NICE is expanding its footprint in the global public sector with its Inform solution recently getting adopted by Italy’s national police force, the Carabinieri. NICE’s CXone recently won a major contract in the APAC region.
Its policy of frequently updating its portfolio has been a key catalyst. In March, NICE launched the next generation of Enlighten Copilot designed specifically for supervisors and CX decision-makers powered by purpose-built AI.
NICE also announced the availability of IFM 11 (Integrated Fraud Management), a new release of its market-leading, AI-driven fraud management and detection platform, Actimize. NICE recently launched new industry-leading WFM capabilities, enabling organizations to effortlessly manage their front and back office workstreams in the digital era.
NICE Earnings Estimate Revisions Are Positive
For second-quarter 2024, NICE projects non-GAAP revenues between $657 million and $667 million, indicating 14% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Non-GAAP earnings are estimated in the $2.53-2.63 per share band, suggesting a 21% year-over-year rise at the midpoint.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $662.98 million, indicating 14.09% growth year over year. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $2.53 per share, up 1.6% over the past 30 days, indicating an 18.78% year-over-year increase.
For 2024, NICE projects non-GAAP revenues between $2.715 billion and $2.735 billion, indicating 15% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Non-GAAP earnings are estimated in the $10.53-10.73 per share band, suggesting a 21% year-over-year rise at the midpoint.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.73 billion, indicating 14.79% growth year over year. The consensus for earnings is pegged at $10.64 per share, up 1.1% over the past 30 days and indicating a 21.05% year-over-year increase.
Moreover, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock is trading at a discount with a forward 12-month P/E of 15.48X compared with the Zacks Internet Software industry’s 34.46X and in line with the median, indicating that it is significantly undervalued. This makes NICE an attractive pick for investors. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.