ServiceNow
ServiceNow's revenue rose 20.9% to $13.3 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 13.7%, up from 12.4% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $4.6 billion, up 34.0%. It paid out $1.8 billion in dividends and buybacks, 40% of free cash flow. The diluted share count rose 0.4%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
What ServiceNow does
ServiceNow sells cloud-based software that helps large organizations run and automate their internal work, such as IT help desks, HR requests, customer service and risk and security tasks. Its products run on one platform, the ServiceNow AI Platform. The company has added artificial intelligence (AI) features, including Now Assist and AI agents that can carry out tasks, along with tools to monitor and govern those agents.
Its products fall into four groups: Technology; Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Industry; Core Business, which covers HR, legal, finance and supply chain; and Creator and Other, which covers low-code tools for building workflows. It releases two major platform upgrades a year. In its risk factors, ServiceNow says it recognizes revenue from subscription services over the subscription term, and that it relies on partners for a growing share of its revenue.
The company says its customers come from many industries and include public-sector and heavily regulated organizations. It bought Moveworks, whose technology adds enterprise search and a virtual agent for employee service requests. ServiceNow says its competitors are developing AI features, and that its customer deals are becoming more complex, with longer and costlier sales cycles.
Its biggest risks, as it describes them
- Failing to innovate quickly enough in an intensely competitive, fast-changing technology market.
- Challenges from adding AI to its products, including operational, legal, regulatory and ethical issues.
- Relying on partners for a growing share of its revenue.
- Customer deals that are getting more complex, with longer and costlier sales cycles and pricing pressure.
- Risks of working with government and heavily regulated customers, and of security events that could shake customer trust.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2019 to 2025, earnings per share grew 17.3% a year and net income 18.6% a year, as new shares raised the share count by 6% and diluted each share's earnings.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value ServiceNow yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from ServiceNow's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from ServiceNow's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $4.6B, net cash of $4.8B at December 31, 2025 and 1,047 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to ServiceNow: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 22.4% a year, kept between 0% and 20%; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 9% for a business of moderate risk (Systems Software); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $158.18
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from ServiceNow's earnings per share of $1.60 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 36.7×, the middle of ServiceNow's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (its peers' median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 10%, 9% and 8%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $158.18
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- ServiceNow's P/E at the last close
- 98.9×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceNowNOW | $158.18 | $1.60 | 98.9× |
| FortinetFTNT | $183.33 | $2.83 | 64.8× |
| TwilioTWLO | $263.65 | $7.19 | 36.7× |
| Gen DigitalGEN | $24.41 | $1.71 | 14.3× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 3,304 | 4,280 | 4,877 | 5,762 | 6,284 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 1,576 | 1,486 | 1,488 | 1,489 | 1,491 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | −1,728 | −2,794 | −3,389 | −4,273 | −4,793 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −2.4x | −3.5x | −2.6x | −2.2x | −1.9x |
| Debt to equity | 0.4x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x | 0.1x |
| Interest coverage | 9.2x | 13.2x | 33.1x | 59.3x | 82.9x |
| Current ratio | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.0x |
| Quick ratio | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.0x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 1 insider bought $3.0 million of ServiceNow shares on the open market, and 10 insiders sold $9.3 million, $5.7 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | Paul FippsPresident, Global Customer Ops | Sold | 2,034 | $147.87 | $300,768 | Form 4 |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Jacqueline P CanneyChief People & AI Enblmt. Off. | Sold plan | 7,847 | $138.00 | $1.1 million | Form 4 |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Paul Edward ChamberlainDirector | Sold | 2,700 | $135.50 | $365,850 | Form 4 |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Paul Edward ChamberlainDirector | Sold plan | 1,500 | $125.60 | $188,400 | Form 4 |
| May 28, 2026 | Teresa BriggsDirector | Sold | 1,595 | $108.70 | $173,376 | Form 4 |
| May 18, 2026 | Paul FippsPresident, Global Customer Ops | Sold plan | 1,048 | $98.51 | $103,238 | Form 4 |
| May 14, 2026 | Anita M SandsDirector | Sold | 16,445 | $90.14 | $1.5 million | Form 4 |
| May 14, 2026 | Paul Edward ChamberlainDirector | Sold plan | 1,500 | $87.23 | $130,845 | Form 4 |
| May 8, 2026 | Paul FippsPresident, Global Customer Ops | Sold plan | 151 | $90.47 | $13,661 | Form 4 |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Jacqueline P CanneyChief People & AI Enblmt. Off. | Sold | 8,927 | $89.60 | $799,859 | Form 4 |
| Feb 27, 2026 | William R McDermottChairman & CEO, Director | Bought plan | 28,682 | $104.60 | $3.0 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 23, 2026 | Paul FippsPresident, Global Customer Ops | Sold plan | 3,696 | $101.77 | $376,142 | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Current ratio rose | Fail | Pass | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Gross margin rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| F-score | 7 of 9 | 6 of 9 | 6 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −10.9% | −15.1% | −15.9% |
Compare
Put ServiceNow side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceNow | FY25 | 20.9% | 13.7% | 34.5% | 20.9% | −1.9x | 6 | |
| Palo Alto Networks | FY26 | 24.5% | 6.0% | 35.8% | 2.6% | −0.8x | 4 | Compare |
| Fortinet | FY25 | 14.2% | 30.7% | 32.7% | — | −1.2x | 5 | Compare |
| Twilio | FY25 | 13.7% | 3.1% | 19.7% | 1.5% | −4.2x | 6 | Compare |
| Gen Digital | FY26 | 27.1% | 42.4% | 30.5% | 13.7% | 3.0x | 7 | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 1,390 | 1,933 | 2,609 | 3,460 | 4,519 | 5,896 | 7,245 | 8,971 | 10,984 | 13,278 |
| Revenue growth | 38.3% | 39.0% | 35.0% | 32.6% | 30.6% | 30.5% | 22.9% | 23.8% | 22.4% | 20.9% |
| Gross profit | 992 | 1,419 | 1,986 | 2,664 | 3,532 | 4,543 | 5,672 | 7,050 | 8,697 | 10,295 |
| Research and development | 285 | 378 | 530 | 749 | 1,024 | 1,397 | 1,768 | 2,124 | 2,543 | 2,960 |
| Operating income | −382 | −64 | −42 | 42 | 199 | 257 | 355 | 762 | 1,364 | 1,824 |
| Net income | −414 | −117 | −27 | 627 | 119 | 230 | 325 | 1,731 | 1,425 | 1,748 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | −0.50 | −0.14 | −0.03 | 0.64 | 0.12 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 1.68 | 1.37 | 1.67 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 823 | 856 | 889 | 986 | 1,012 | 1,016 | 1,018 | 1,028 | 1,042 | 1,047 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 159 | 643 | 811 | 1,236 | 1,786 | 2,191 | 2,723 | 3,398 | 4,267 | 5,444 |
| Capital expenditure | 106 | 150 | 224 | 265 | 419 | 392 | 550 | 694 | 852 | 868 |
| Free cash flow | 54 | 492 | 587 | 971 | 1,367 | 1,799 | 2,173 | 2,704 | 3,415 | 4,576 |
| Dividends paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share buybacks | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 538 | 696 | 1,840 |
| Acquisitions | 34 | 58 | 37 | 7 | 107 | 785 | 91 | 279 | 113 | 1,084 |
| Stock-based compensation | 318 | 394 | 544 | 662 | 870 | 1,131 | 1,401 | 1,604 | 1,746 | 1,955 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 401 | 1,779 | 1,498 | 1,691 | 3,092 | 3,304 | 4,280 | 4,877 | 5,762 | 6,284 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 508 | 630 | 662 | 695 | 1,640 | 1,576 | 1,486 | 1,488 | 1,489 | 1,491 |
| Total assets | 2,034 | 3,550 | 3,879 | 6,022 | 8,715 | 10,798 | 13,299 | 17,387 | 20,383 | 26,038 |
| Total liabilities | 1,647 | 2,772 | 2,768 | 3,894 | 5,881 | 7,103 | 8,267 | 9,759 | 10,774 | 13,074 |
| Shareholders' equity | 541 | 779 | 1,110 | 2,127 | 2,834 | 3,695 | 5,032 | 7,628 | 9,609 | 12,964 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 71.3% | 73.4% | 76.1% | 77.0% | 78.2% | 77.0% | 78.3% | 78.6% | 79.2% | 77.5% |
| Operating margin | −27.5% | −3.3% | −1.6% | 1.2% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 8.5% | 12.4% | 13.7% |
| Net margin | −29.8% | −6.0% | −1.0% | 18.1% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 4.5% | 19.3% | 13.0% | 13.2% |
| Free cash flow margin | 3.9% | 25.5% | 22.5% | 28.1% | 30.2% | 30.5% | 30.0% | 30.1% | 31.1% | 34.5% |
| Return on capital | −47.3% | — | — | 6.0% | 12.6% | 14.2% | 13.8% | 23.5% | 23.4% | 20.9% |
| Return on equity | −74.8% | −17.7% | −2.8% | 38.7% | 4.8% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 27.4% | 16.5% | 15.5% |
| Return on assets | −21.6% | −4.2% | −0.7% | 12.7% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 11.3% | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | — | −23.2x | −7.8x | −3.4x | −2.7x | −2.4x | −3.5x | −2.6x | −2.2x | −1.9x |