Blackline Analyst Optimistic About Margin Growth Through 2027
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 02 2025
0mins
Should l Buy BL?
Source: Benzinga
Analyst Coverage: Rosenblatt Securities initiated coverage of Blackline Inc with a Buy rating and a price target of $65, highlighting the company's strong positioning for growth, particularly with its AI capabilities.
Competitive Positioning: The company has enhanced its competitive edge through a redesigned platform and a new pricing model that aligns monetization with value, contributing to an improved financial outlook.
Revenue Growth Projections: Blackline is expected to achieve accelerating revenue growth, reaching 10% by the end of 2026 and 13% by the end of 2027, alongside significant margin expansion of approximately 700 basis points through 2027.
Market Activity: Following reported takeover interest from SAP SE, some investors are encouraging Blackline to consider a potential sale, while shares of the company saw a 1.5% increase to $56.95 at the time of publication.
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Analyst Views on BL
Wall Street analysts forecast BL stock price to rise
11 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 38.530
Low
48.00
Averages
59.00
High
73.00
Current: 38.530
Low
48.00
Averages
59.00
High
73.00
About BL
BlackLine, Inc. provides a unified, scalable, and flexible platform tailored to the needs of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and delivers purpose-built applications. The Company's comprehensive platform addresses mission-critical processes, including record-to-report and invoice-to-cash, enabling unified data, streamlined and optimized processes, and real-time insight through visibility, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). Its cloud-based applications, powered by its BlackLine Studio360 Platform, include account reconciliations, transaction matching, task management, financial reporting analytics, journal entry, variance analysis, compliance, credit & risk management, collections management, electronic invoicing & payments, intercompany create, intercompany balance & resolve, and intercompany net & settle. Its BlackLine Studio360 Platform includes Studio360 Integrate, Studio360 Orchestrate, Studio360 Visualize, Studio360 Blueprint and Studio360 Control.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
BlackLine Q4 2025 Earnings Call Insights
- Significant Revenue Growth: BlackLine reported total revenue of $183 million for Q4 2025, reflecting an 8% year-over-year increase, with subscription and services revenue growing by 8% and 17% respectively, indicating accelerated customer implementations that strengthen its market position.
- Customer Base Expansion: The company now serves approximately 70% of the Fortune 100, up from 50% in 2022, and new customer deal sizes increased by 35%, demonstrating the success of its strategic shift towards larger enterprise clients.
- Annual Recurring Revenue: BlackLine's Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) reached $702 million, up nearly 10%, with platform pricing ARR rising from 4% to 11% of eligible ARR, showcasing a successful transition in its pricing model.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management expects total revenue for 2026 to be between $764 million and $768 million, representing growth of 9.1% to 9.6%, and plans to achieve 25% to 35% customer adoption of platform pricing by year-end, reflecting strong confidence in future growth.
See More
BlackLine Q4 Earnings Exceed Expectations
- Earnings Beat: BlackLine reported a Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $0.63, surpassing expectations by $0.04, indicating a sustained improvement in profitability that boosts investor confidence.
- Significant Revenue Growth: The company achieved Q4 revenue of $183.18 million, an 8.1% year-over-year increase, exceeding market expectations by $200,000, suggesting a strong business growth momentum that may attract more investor interest.
- Increased Billings and Obligations: Billings totaled $226.9 million, up 9.5%, while remaining performance obligations reached $1.1 billion, a 23.5% increase, highlighting strong future revenue potential for the company.
- Optimistic Financial Outlook: For Q1 2026, GAAP revenue is expected to range between $180 million and $182 million, with non-GAAP net income projected between $31 million and $33 million, reflecting the company's confidence in future performance.
See More
BlackLine Q4 Earnings Preview and Market Expectations
- Earnings Announcement Date: BlackLine (BL) is set to announce its Q4 earnings on February 10th after market close, with a consensus EPS estimate of $0.59, reflecting a 25.5% year-over-year increase, indicating potential improvement in profitability.
- Revenue Expectations: The consensus revenue estimate stands at $182.98 million, representing an 8.0% year-over-year growth, which, while modest, demonstrates the company's efforts to stabilize its revenue streams.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, BlackLine has surpassed EPS estimates 88% of the time and achieved a 100% success rate in beating revenue estimates, suggesting that the company typically delivers positive surprises during earnings releases.
- Estimate Revision Dynamics: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions to EPS estimates, with 14 downward adjustments, while revenue estimates saw 2 upward and 11 downward revisions, reflecting a cautious market sentiment regarding the company's future performance.
See More
BlackLine Confirms Director Nominations for 2026 Annual Meeting
- Director Nomination Confirmation: BlackLine has confirmed that Engaged Capital has nominated three director candidates for the 2026 Annual Meeting, although the meeting date is yet to be announced, this move could impact the company's governance structure and attract shareholder attention.
- Board Review Process: The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board will review the nominees according to the company's guidelines and provide recommendations in the definitive proxy statement, indicating the company's commitment to transparency and shareholder communication.
- Strategic Committee Formation: The Board of Directors has maintained an independent Strategic Committee for over a year, aimed at enhancing shareholder value through ongoing strategic discussions, demonstrating the company's commitment to long-term strategic planning.
- Board Size Adjustment: Following Tom Unterman's decision not to seek reelection, BlackLine plans to reduce its Board size from 12 to 11 members, with three Class I director seats up for election at the Annual Meeting, which may affect the board's decision-making efficiency and diversity.
See More
Engaged Capital Nominates Candidates for BlackLine Board
- Board Nomination: Activist investor Engaged Capital has formally nominated three candidates, Storm Duncan, Christopher Hallenbeck, and Christopher L. Young, for BlackLine's board, indicating a strong focus on corporate governance.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following the nomination announcement, BlackLine's shares rose by 1.7%, reflecting a positive market response to Engaged Capital's involvement, which may signal investor optimism regarding the company's future direction.
- Proxy Fight Context: This nomination comes amid Engaged Capital's plans to initiate a proxy fight at BlackLine, highlighting dissatisfaction with the company's strategic direction, particularly after SAP's rejected acquisition offer in the high $60s per share.
- Acquisition Rumors Impact: Engaged Capital's push for BlackLine to consider a sale in October underscores dissatisfaction with the company's current state, and the failed SAP bid may intensify pressure on corporate governance and strategic decisions.
See More
OneStream Inc. Acquired by Hg Capital at $24 per Share
- Acquisition Offer: Hg Capital has proposed to acquire OneStream at $24 per share, valuing the company at an acceptable level that reflects its current growth rate, despite uncertainties regarding revenue growth sustainability.
- Analyst Rating Adjustments: Needham analyst downgraded OneStream's rating from Buy to Hold and removed the price target, indicating a cautious market sentiment regarding the transaction.
- Competitor Response: Following the acquisition announcement, shares of OneStream's competitors, BlackLine and Workiva, rose, demonstrating a positive market reaction to M&A activity in the software sector.
- Investor Confidence: BTIG analysts believe this acquisition will bolster investor confidence in current software valuations, marking a broader appetite for acquisitions in the software industry, potentially leading to more deals in the future.
See More
BlackLine Q4 2025 Earnings Call Insights
- Significant Revenue Growth: BlackLine reported total revenue of $183 million for Q4 2025, reflecting an 8% year-over-year increase, with subscription and services revenue growing by 8% and 17% respectively, indicating accelerated customer implementations that strengthen its market position.
- Customer Base Expansion: The company now serves approximately 70% of the Fortune 100, up from 50% in 2022, and new customer deal sizes increased by 35%, demonstrating the success of its strategic shift towards larger enterprise clients.
- Annual Recurring Revenue: BlackLine's Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) reached $702 million, up nearly 10%, with platform pricing ARR rising from 4% to 11% of eligible ARR, showcasing a successful transition in its pricing model.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management expects total revenue for 2026 to be between $764 million and $768 million, representing growth of 9.1% to 9.6%, and plans to achieve 25% to 35% customer adoption of platform pricing by year-end, reflecting strong confidence in future growth.
See More
BlackLine Q4 Earnings Exceed Expectations
- Earnings Beat: BlackLine reported a Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $0.63, surpassing expectations by $0.04, indicating a sustained improvement in profitability that boosts investor confidence.
- Significant Revenue Growth: The company achieved Q4 revenue of $183.18 million, an 8.1% year-over-year increase, exceeding market expectations by $200,000, suggesting a strong business growth momentum that may attract more investor interest.
- Increased Billings and Obligations: Billings totaled $226.9 million, up 9.5%, while remaining performance obligations reached $1.1 billion, a 23.5% increase, highlighting strong future revenue potential for the company.
- Optimistic Financial Outlook: For Q1 2026, GAAP revenue is expected to range between $180 million and $182 million, with non-GAAP net income projected between $31 million and $33 million, reflecting the company's confidence in future performance.
See More
BlackLine Q4 Earnings Preview and Market Expectations
- Earnings Announcement Date: BlackLine (BL) is set to announce its Q4 earnings on February 10th after market close, with a consensus EPS estimate of $0.59, reflecting a 25.5% year-over-year increase, indicating potential improvement in profitability.
- Revenue Expectations: The consensus revenue estimate stands at $182.98 million, representing an 8.0% year-over-year growth, which, while modest, demonstrates the company's efforts to stabilize its revenue streams.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, BlackLine has surpassed EPS estimates 88% of the time and achieved a 100% success rate in beating revenue estimates, suggesting that the company typically delivers positive surprises during earnings releases.
- Estimate Revision Dynamics: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions to EPS estimates, with 14 downward adjustments, while revenue estimates saw 2 upward and 11 downward revisions, reflecting a cautious market sentiment regarding the company's future performance.
See More
BlackLine Confirms Director Nominations for 2026 Annual Meeting
- Director Nomination Confirmation: BlackLine has confirmed that Engaged Capital has nominated three director candidates for the 2026 Annual Meeting, although the meeting date is yet to be announced, this move could impact the company's governance structure and attract shareholder attention.
- Board Review Process: The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board will review the nominees according to the company's guidelines and provide recommendations in the definitive proxy statement, indicating the company's commitment to transparency and shareholder communication.
- Strategic Committee Formation: The Board of Directors has maintained an independent Strategic Committee for over a year, aimed at enhancing shareholder value through ongoing strategic discussions, demonstrating the company's commitment to long-term strategic planning.
- Board Size Adjustment: Following Tom Unterman's decision not to seek reelection, BlackLine plans to reduce its Board size from 12 to 11 members, with three Class I director seats up for election at the Annual Meeting, which may affect the board's decision-making efficiency and diversity.
See More
Engaged Capital Nominates Candidates for BlackLine Board
- Board Nomination: Activist investor Engaged Capital has formally nominated three candidates, Storm Duncan, Christopher Hallenbeck, and Christopher L. Young, for BlackLine's board, indicating a strong focus on corporate governance.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following the nomination announcement, BlackLine's shares rose by 1.7%, reflecting a positive market response to Engaged Capital's involvement, which may signal investor optimism regarding the company's future direction.
- Proxy Fight Context: This nomination comes amid Engaged Capital's plans to initiate a proxy fight at BlackLine, highlighting dissatisfaction with the company's strategic direction, particularly after SAP's rejected acquisition offer in the high $60s per share.
- Acquisition Rumors Impact: Engaged Capital's push for BlackLine to consider a sale in October underscores dissatisfaction with the company's current state, and the failed SAP bid may intensify pressure on corporate governance and strategic decisions.
See More
OneStream Inc. Acquired by Hg Capital at $24 per Share
- Acquisition Offer: Hg Capital has proposed to acquire OneStream at $24 per share, valuing the company at an acceptable level that reflects its current growth rate, despite uncertainties regarding revenue growth sustainability.
- Analyst Rating Adjustments: Needham analyst downgraded OneStream's rating from Buy to Hold and removed the price target, indicating a cautious market sentiment regarding the transaction.
- Competitor Response: Following the acquisition announcement, shares of OneStream's competitors, BlackLine and Workiva, rose, demonstrating a positive market reaction to M&A activity in the software sector.
- Investor Confidence: BTIG analysts believe this acquisition will bolster investor confidence in current software valuations, marking a broader appetite for acquisitions in the software industry, potentially leading to more deals in the future.
See More
