HubSpot Faces Pressure Amid AI Disruption in Software Sector
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 24 2025
0mins
Should l Buy HUBS?
Source: Coinmarketcap
HubSpot Inc. has seen its stock drop significantly, hitting a 52-week low as investor concerns about AI disruptions weigh heavily on the software sector.
The software sector is currently facing intense pressure due to rising competition from AI technologies, with many companies, including HubSpot, experiencing substantial stock declines. Despite some analysts suggesting that HubSpot maintains strong fundamentals, the overall market sentiment remains pessimistic, leading to a significant erosion of confidence across the sector.
This situation highlights the urgent need for software companies to adapt to the evolving landscape shaped by AI advancements. As traditional software solutions face potential obsolescence, companies like HubSpot must innovate to retain their market positions.
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Analyst Views on HUBS
Wall Street analysts forecast HUBS stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HUBS is 582.08 USD with a low forecast of 450.00 USD and a high forecast of 800.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
27 Analyst Rating
24 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 223.490
Low
450.00
Averages
582.08
High
800.00
Current: 223.490
Low
450.00
Averages
582.08
High
800.00
About HUBS
HubSpot, Inc. provides a customer platform that helps businesses connect and grow better. The Company delivers seamless connection for customer-facing teams with a unified platform that includes artificial intelligence (AI)-powered engagement hubs, a Smart CRM, and a connected ecosystem with over 1,700 app marketplace integrations, a community network, and educational content. Its AI-powered engagement hubs include Marketing, Sales, Service, Operations, Content, and Commerce, as well as other tools and integrations that enable companies to attract, engage, and delight customers throughout the customer lifecycle. Its customer platform features a central database of lead and customer interactions, and integrated applications designed to help businesses attract visitors to their websites, convert visitors into leads, close leads into customers, transact with those customers, and delight them so they become promoters of those businesses. Breeze is its AI that powers the customer platform.
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.
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
RBC Analyst Highlights Software Stock Opportunities
- HubSpot Investment Opportunity: Despite HubSpot's stock dropping about 70% over the past year, Rishi Jaluria believes its innovation and unified platform will keep it competitive in the SMB software market, presenting significant growth potential ahead.
- MongoDB Market Outlook: With a 20% decline in stock this year, MongoDB is viewed as the preferred platform for building new AI applications, particularly those utilizing unstructured data, with an expanding customer base expected in the future.
- Intuit's AI Potential: Although Intuit's stock has fallen around 30% this year, Rishi highlights the substantial potential of embedding AI in TurboTax and QuickBooks, which could enhance user experience and disrupt traditional accounting services, creating significant market opportunities.
- Market Reaction to Software Stocks: Rishi Jaluria argues that the market has overreacted to software stocks, especially in the context of rapid advancements in AI technology, suggesting investors should focus on these companies' long-term innovation capabilities and market adaptability.
See More
Software Stocks Decline 30% Amid AI Concerns
- Market Overreaction: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues that the sell-off in software stocks due to the introduction of AI tools is irrational, as these tools are designed to work alongside existing software rather than replace it, indicating a lack of rationality in the market's pessimism towards the software industry.
- Microsoft's Strong Performance: Microsoft has seen a 160% increase in paid users for its generative AI copilots in products like Microsoft 365, and despite a 27% drop from its high, its adjusted earnings grew by 24% in the last quarter, showcasing the company's robust performance in the AI sector.
- AppLovin's Rapid Growth: AppLovin's Axon machine learning engine provides a competitive edge in its ad tech software, and although its stock is down 52%, its earnings surged by 96% in the last quarter, indicating strong potential in the advertising technology space.
- HubSpot's Innovative Leadership: HubSpot has become the first CRM vendor to integrate its platform with three leading generative AI tools, and despite a 73% decline in stock price, its adjusted earnings increased by 22%, demonstrating its ongoing innovation capabilities in customer relationship management.
See More
Citi and Piper Sandler Adjust HubSpot Price Targets
- Price Target Adjustment: Citi lowered HubSpot's (NYSE:HUBS) price target from $660 to $600 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting a cautious outlook on the company's future growth despite its market potential.
- Rating Update: Piper Sandler revised HubSpot's price target from $590 to $400 on February 2, keeping an Overweight rating, indicating a complex view on the software industry, especially in the current market environment.
- Market Outlook Analysis: Analysts noted that seat compression and vibe coding narratives could limit HubSpot's valuation multiples, and despite a pessimistic outlook on the software sector, they recommend focusing on hyperscaler, consumption, and vertical sub-sectors.
- Competitive Landscape: While HubSpot remains competitive in the customer service and sales software market, analysts believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential, suggesting investors consider more attractive investment options.
See More
Testing the AI Threat to Software Companies
- AI Tool Threat: CNBC tested the threat of AI to software companies using Anthropic's AI coding tool Claude Code, which demonstrated the ability to generate functional prototypes in a short time, posing a challenge to traditional software like Monday.com, valued at $5 billion.
- Market Reaction: Recent sell-offs in software, legal services, and video game stocks stem from fears of AI's new features, with investors particularly concerned about tools like Atlassian, Adobe, and HubSpot that are seen as more vulnerable to disruption.
- System Security Analysis: While record systems like Salesforce are relatively secure due to their core enterprise data, they are not immune; analysts suggest that the rapid advancement of AI could impact these systems' market positions, especially in a fast-evolving tech landscape.
- Investment Opportunities: The wholesale sell-off in the software sector presents investors with the chance to differentiate between 'need-to-haves' and 'nice-to-haves', allowing them to identify companies that maintain competitive advantages amid the AI wave for long-term returns.
See More
Analysis of AI Tools' Threat to Software Industry
- Software Sell-off: Recent sell-offs in software, legal services, and video game stocks highlight market fears that new AI features could replace traditional tools, indicating a heightened sensitivity to technological disruption.
- AI Prototype Development: CNBC's team successfully created a project management dashboard similar to Monday.com using Anthropic's AI coding tool 'Claude Code' in under an hour, showcasing AI's potential to simplify the development process.
- Cost Efficiency Analysis: The development cost using AI tools ranges from $5 to $15, and as more data centers are built, this cost is expected to decrease further, making it more accessible for users.
- Investor Focus: Analysts suggest that companies like Atlassian, Adobe, and HubSpot face significant risks as their tools are not core to business operations, prompting investors to pay attention to the market performance of these 'nice-to-have' products.
See More
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
RBC Analyst Highlights Software Stock Opportunities
- HubSpot Investment Opportunity: Despite HubSpot's stock dropping about 70% over the past year, Rishi Jaluria believes its innovation and unified platform will keep it competitive in the SMB software market, presenting significant growth potential ahead.
- MongoDB Market Outlook: With a 20% decline in stock this year, MongoDB is viewed as the preferred platform for building new AI applications, particularly those utilizing unstructured data, with an expanding customer base expected in the future.
- Intuit's AI Potential: Although Intuit's stock has fallen around 30% this year, Rishi highlights the substantial potential of embedding AI in TurboTax and QuickBooks, which could enhance user experience and disrupt traditional accounting services, creating significant market opportunities.
- Market Reaction to Software Stocks: Rishi Jaluria argues that the market has overreacted to software stocks, especially in the context of rapid advancements in AI technology, suggesting investors should focus on these companies' long-term innovation capabilities and market adaptability.
See More
Software Stocks Decline 30% Amid AI Concerns
- Market Overreaction: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues that the sell-off in software stocks due to the introduction of AI tools is irrational, as these tools are designed to work alongside existing software rather than replace it, indicating a lack of rationality in the market's pessimism towards the software industry.
- Microsoft's Strong Performance: Microsoft has seen a 160% increase in paid users for its generative AI copilots in products like Microsoft 365, and despite a 27% drop from its high, its adjusted earnings grew by 24% in the last quarter, showcasing the company's robust performance in the AI sector.
- AppLovin's Rapid Growth: AppLovin's Axon machine learning engine provides a competitive edge in its ad tech software, and although its stock is down 52%, its earnings surged by 96% in the last quarter, indicating strong potential in the advertising technology space.
- HubSpot's Innovative Leadership: HubSpot has become the first CRM vendor to integrate its platform with three leading generative AI tools, and despite a 73% decline in stock price, its adjusted earnings increased by 22%, demonstrating its ongoing innovation capabilities in customer relationship management.
See More
Citi and Piper Sandler Adjust HubSpot Price Targets
- Price Target Adjustment: Citi lowered HubSpot's (NYSE:HUBS) price target from $660 to $600 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting a cautious outlook on the company's future growth despite its market potential.
- Rating Update: Piper Sandler revised HubSpot's price target from $590 to $400 on February 2, keeping an Overweight rating, indicating a complex view on the software industry, especially in the current market environment.
- Market Outlook Analysis: Analysts noted that seat compression and vibe coding narratives could limit HubSpot's valuation multiples, and despite a pessimistic outlook on the software sector, they recommend focusing on hyperscaler, consumption, and vertical sub-sectors.
- Competitive Landscape: While HubSpot remains competitive in the customer service and sales software market, analysts believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential, suggesting investors consider more attractive investment options.
See More
Testing the AI Threat to Software Companies
- AI Tool Threat: CNBC tested the threat of AI to software companies using Anthropic's AI coding tool Claude Code, which demonstrated the ability to generate functional prototypes in a short time, posing a challenge to traditional software like Monday.com, valued at $5 billion.
- Market Reaction: Recent sell-offs in software, legal services, and video game stocks stem from fears of AI's new features, with investors particularly concerned about tools like Atlassian, Adobe, and HubSpot that are seen as more vulnerable to disruption.
- System Security Analysis: While record systems like Salesforce are relatively secure due to their core enterprise data, they are not immune; analysts suggest that the rapid advancement of AI could impact these systems' market positions, especially in a fast-evolving tech landscape.
- Investment Opportunities: The wholesale sell-off in the software sector presents investors with the chance to differentiate between 'need-to-haves' and 'nice-to-haves', allowing them to identify companies that maintain competitive advantages amid the AI wave for long-term returns.
See More
Analysis of AI Tools' Threat to Software Industry
- Software Sell-off: Recent sell-offs in software, legal services, and video game stocks highlight market fears that new AI features could replace traditional tools, indicating a heightened sensitivity to technological disruption.
- AI Prototype Development: CNBC's team successfully created a project management dashboard similar to Monday.com using Anthropic's AI coding tool 'Claude Code' in under an hour, showcasing AI's potential to simplify the development process.
- Cost Efficiency Analysis: The development cost using AI tools ranges from $5 to $15, and as more data centers are built, this cost is expected to decrease further, making it more accessible for users.
- Investor Focus: Analysts suggest that companies like Atlassian, Adobe, and HubSpot face significant risks as their tools are not core to business operations, prompting investors to pay attention to the market performance of these 'nice-to-have' products.
See More
