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Adobe remains a dominant force in digital media and marketing software, with a sticky, recurring revenue model. While near-term growth is decelerating to high single digits, extreme cash flow generation and aggressive share repurchases support a durable compounding thesis despite emerging AI competitive threats. Fair value range: low $322, high $505, with mid-point at $413.
Stock analysis

ADBE Adobe Inc. fair value $413–$505

ADBE
By StockMarketAgent.AI team· supervised by
Analyzed: 2026-05-09Next update: 2026-08-09Methodology v2.4Archetype: Mature compounderNASDAQ · Information Technology
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Last price
$253.04
▲ +160.00 (+63.23%)
Fair value
$413
$413–$505
Rating
Strong Buy
confidence 88/100
Upside
+63.2%
upside to fair value
Margin of Safety
$351.08
buy below · 15%
Market Cap
$102.3B
P/E fwd 9.6

§1 Executive summary

  • Unprecedented valuation discount at ~14.7x PE offers massive margin of safety.
  • High FCF conversion funds accretive $11B share repurchases.
  • Durable recurring revenue protects against near-term macro volatility.
  • AI disruption remains a risk, but base case factors in 36.5% margin stability.
Fair value
$413
Margin of safety
+38.7%
Confidence
88/100
Moat
9/10

Educational analysis only — not financial advice. Always do your own due diligence.

$253.04Price
FV $413.04
High $505.19

Adobe remains a dominant force in digital media and marketing software, with a sticky, recurring revenue model. While near-term growth is decelerating to high single digits, extreme cash flow generation and aggressive share repurchases support a durable compounding thesis despite emerging AI competitive threats.

  • Sticky, recurring revenue model
    Sticky, recurring revenue model
  • Enterprise workflow entrenchment
    Enterprise workflow entrenchment
  • Cycle upside
    Enterprise AI software integration drives a massive capex and upgrade cycle, favoring incumbent platforms.

§2 Bear case

Under a severe downside scenario, generative AI fundamentally displaces Adobe's core toolsets. Revenue growthRevenue growthYear-over-year change in revenue, expressed as a percentage. The starting point for any forward-earnings model and the lens through which scale, mix, and pricing power become visible. permanently stagnates to 2-3%, and peak operating margins erode toward 25%. In this environment, terminal multiples compress to ~12x, erasing the compounding premium and testing the $322 downside threshold.

Ways this thesis can break

Generative AI Displacement

· Medium

Competitors use open-source AI to replicate Adobe's core creative features, eliminating the need for premium subscriptions.

FV impact
Severe, driving intrinsic value below $322.
Trigger
12-24 months

Enterprise IT Spending Freeze

· Low

A protracted macro downturn causes enterprises to slash marketing budgets and consolidate vendor software seats.

FV impact
Moderate, delaying growth re-acceleration.
Trigger
6-12 months

Regulatory Antitrust Gridlock

· High

Regulators block all meaningful M&A, forcing Adobe to rely purely on organic R&D for product expansion.

FV impact
Mild, multiple compression already prices this in.
Trigger
Ongoing
Early-warning signals to monitor
MetricCurrentTrigger threshold
Sequential deceleration in Digital Media ARR.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Decline in gross retention rates among enterprise customers.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Failure of Firefly monetization to offset seat compression.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Operating margins structurally breach below 35%.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Deceleration of the $11B share repurchase pace.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis

§3 Financial history

Income statement — last six periods
Line itemT−0T−1T−2T−3CAGR
Period2022-11-302023-11-302024-11-302025-11-30Trend
Revenue$17.61B$19.41B$21.51B$23.77B+10.5%
Gross profit$15.44B$17.06B$19.15B$21.22B+11.2%
Operating income$6.10B$6.65B$7.74B$8.71B+12.6%
Net income$4.76B$5.43B$5.56B$7.13B+14.5%
EPS (diluted)$10.10$11.82$12.36$16.70+18.2%
EBITDA$6.98B$7.78B$7.96B$9.82B+12.1%
R&D$2.99B$3.47B$3.94B$4.29B+12.9%
SG&A$6.19B$6.76B$7.29B$8.06B+9.2%

Quality scores

Piotroski F-score
7 / 9
0–9 quality composite
Altman Z-score
7.31
Bankruptcy risk (>3 safe)
Beneish M-score
-2.85
Earnings manipulation risk
OCF / Net income
1.41×
>1 indicates high earnings quality
Accounting quality gate
Pass
Sector-adjusted gate
ROIC
38.9%
Return on invested capital
§3

Numbers analysis

Individual subscribers — §4 onwards11 more sections

Read the full analysis — 11 more sections.

Competitive moat, industry cycle, peer comparison, intrinsic valuation, sensitivity, scenarios, earnings decision tree, position management, investor perspectives, scorecard, and final recommendation.

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FAQ

ADBE — frequently asked questions

  1. Based on our latest analysis, ADBE looks meaningfully undervalued. The current price is $253 versus a composite fair-value midpoint of $413 (range $322–$505), which implies roughly 63.2% upside to the midpoint.
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