NICE stock raises 2026 EPS outlook after third-quarter beat

Published on 11/05/2026 at 18:14 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

NICE stock gets a stronger profit outlook after revenue and adjusted EPS topped the high end of guidance. AI ARR reached $392 million as the company planned a 5% workforce reduction.

AI growth meets efficiency push

Third-quarter revenue and non-GAAP EPS exceeded the upper ends of management's guidance ranges.
AI annual recurring revenue rose 46% year over year, while international revenue increased 33%.
Management retained its revenue outlook and raised its adjusted earnings outlook for 2026.
A planned workforce reduction and restructuring charges add execution risk to the efficiency drive.

NICE, US6536561086, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

NiCE reported its third-quarter results on Wednesday, November 4, with revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share above the high ends of its guidance ranges. The company also raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook while announcing a plan to reduce its global workforce by approximately 5%.

AI momentum supports the outlook

Total third-quarter revenue rose 8.0% year over year to $790.7 million for the period ended September 30. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $2.84, while GAAP diluted EPS was $1.60. NiCE said an atypical $10 million customer credit reduced reported growth; excluding that item, total revenue growth would have been 9.4% and cloud revenue growth 12.2%.

AI annual recurring revenue increased 46% year over year to $392 million, equal to 16% of cloud revenue. International revenue grew 33%, providing additional support for the company's CX AI expansion. The company said its third-quarter operating margin declined on both GAAP and non-GAAP measures, keeping execution and cost control central to the investment case.

Efficiency plan changes the risk profile

NiCE said it will simplify its organization, reduce management layers and strengthen partner-led go-to-market and delivery capabilities. The workforce reduction is expected to affect product development, go-to-market, customer support and services. Pre-tax restructuring charges of $15 million to $20 million are expected mainly in the fourth quarter and will be excluded from non-GAAP results.

For 2026, NiCE reiterated non-GAAP revenue guidance of $3.17 billion to $3.19 billion and raised non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance to $11.12 to $11.32. The outlook includes expected cloud revenue growth of approximately 12%, making the conversion of AI demand into recurring cloud revenue a key issue for investors.

The real-time quote of NICE stock was 87.25 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 6:03 p.m. CET on Thursday, November 5. The quote does not include a direction or percentage comparison because a dated Xetra close was not established.