ADBE
Adobe Inc.
Information Technology / Software Application / San Jose, CA
AnalystScope signal
Buy
Scheduled quote
$235
Base fair value
$270
Bear / base / bull
$221 / $270 / $304
Upside / downside
+15.1 upside
Confidence
High
Research updated Apr 9, 2026
Daily scheduled refresh as of Jul 21, 2026, 6:05 AM UTC. Fresh through Jul 22, 2026, 6:05 AM UTC.
Informational research only. Not personalized investment advice.
Investment summary
Current view and thesis
Adobe still looks like a high-quality software compounder with strong cash generation, and the current setup now screens as a more credible Buy after the multiple reset.
Fair value $270 vs. current $235 (+15.1 upside). Current base fair value is $270 versus $235, implying +15.1 upside.
Key drivers
Recurring subscription revenue and strong renewal behavior still anchor the growth and cash-generation base.
Document Cloud and enterprise workflow adoption broaden the valuation support beyond creative-seat expansion alone.
A lower entry multiple now gives more room for solid execution to show up in fair-value support.
Key risks
Faster competitive pressure from AI-native creation tools could narrow pricing or seat growth durability.
Enterprise seat expansion could remain choppy if budget scrutiny slows workflow upgrades.
If AI monetization disappoints, the market may resist giving Adobe a stronger re-rating.
What would change the view
Clearer evidence that AI products are sustaining higher net expansion would strengthen conviction.
A more persistent slowdown in enterprise seat growth would reduce confidence in the current base case.
If margin durability breaks while the multiple rerates higher, the Buy view would need revisiting.
Valuation
Price, range, and method support
Base case $270 / +15.1 upside / high confidence
Price vs fair value
+15.0%
Model-implied return
Scheduled quote
$235
Fair value
$270
Valuation method stack
Weighted fair value $270
Published method weights
DCF (Base)
$277 | 45%
NTM P/E Multiple
$266 | 35%
EV/EBITDA Cross-check
$262 | 20%
| Case / method | Value | Weight / support |
|---|---|---|
| DCF (Base) | $277 | 45% |
| NTM P/E Multiple | $266 | 35% |
| EV/EBITDA Cross-check | $262 | 20% |
| Bear case | $221 | Supportive |
| Base case | $270 | Supportive |
| Bull case | $304 | Mixed |
Fundamental analysis
Reported evidence and normalized model base
Normalized annual basis: FY2025
Normalized figures are AnalystScope's annual valuation model base.
| Normalized metric | Latest value | Growth / margin context |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $23.8B | +10.7% YoY |
| Operating income | $8.4B | 35.3% margin |
| Net income | $7.0B | EPS proxy $17.25 |
| Free cash flow | $9.1B | 38.2% margin |
| EBITDA | $8.9B | 37.4% margin |
| Net cash / (debt) | $4.8B | +20.2% of revenue |
| Metric | Reported | AnalystScope normalized | Basis note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (TTM) | $23.8B | $23.8B | Model revenue smooths enterprise seat timing and keeps the base on durable document and creative demand rather than one quarter of bookings noise. |
| Operating Margin | 36.6% | 35.3% | Margin input reduces temporary product-launch and go-to-market timing distortion while preserving Adobe's structural software economics. |
| FCF (TTM) | $9.9B | $9.1B | FCF input adjusts for working-capital timing and avoids over-reading unusually favorable billings conversion. |
| Net Cash / (Debt) | $2.2B | $4.8B | Balance-sheet treatment retains a conservative net-cash view without assuming all liquidity is immediately distributable. |
Fundamental snapshot
FY2025
Normalized annual model base
Revenue
+10.7% YoY
$23.8B
Op. margin
+0.4% pts
35.3%
FCF margin
+1.0% pts
38.2%
Revenue + margin trend
Annual normalized model-base history.
Revenue
Operating margin
AnalystScope annual model-base statements in USD across FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025.
Income statement
| Line item | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $19.4B | $21.5B | $23.8B |
| Gross Profit | $17.1B | $19.0B | $21.1B |
| Operating Income | $6.7B | $7.5B | $8.4B |
| EBITDA | $7.2B | $8.0B | $8.9B |
| Net Income | $5.2B | $6.1B | $7.0B |
Balance sheet
| Line item | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash & Investments | $7.5B | $8.2B | $8.8B |
| Total Debt | $4.1B | $3.9B | $4.0B |
| Net Cash / (Debt) | $3.4B | $4.3B | $4.8B |
| Total Assets | $31.0B | $33.0B | $35.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $15.0B | $15.0B | $15.0B |
| Shareholders' Equity | $16.0B | $18.0B | $20.0B |
Cash flow
| Line item | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $7.5B | $8.4B | $9.5B |
| Depreciation & Amortization | $500.0M | $500.0M | $500.0M |
| Capital Expenditures | ($300.0M) | ($400.0M) | ($400.0M) |
| Free Cash Flow | $7.2B | $8.0B | $9.1B |
Model assumptions
Base-case inputs and sensitivity
Published AnalystScope assumptions; private edits do not change this base case.
Revenue CAGR (5Y)
9.0%
+/- 1.0% => +/-$12/sh
Why this level: This is AnalystScope's base-case growth assumption, not a guarantee. It sits below the latest FY model-base revenue pace (2025.0%), so the model does not extend current strength too far into the outer years. Current company context: Recurring subscription revenue and strong renewal behavior still anchor the growth and cash-generation base.
Terminal Growth
2.8%
+/- 0.5% => +/-$9/sh
Why this level: This is AnalystScope's mature long-run growth assumption, not a perpetual hypergrowth claim. At 2.8%, it sits well below the 9.0% five-year revenue CAGR, so the model steps down from the explicit forecast period to a steadier long-run pace. For Adobe Inc., that means a durable franchise can keep compounding after year five without assuming today's faster growth profile lasts indefinitely.
WACC
8.8%
+/- 0.5% => -$11/sh
Why this level: This is AnalystScope's base-case cost-of-capital judgment, not a precise CAPM output. It reflects the current rates backdrop, equity risk premium, and the company's balance-sheet posture. Net cash supports product and platform investment
Operating Margin (Year 5)
36.5%
+/- 100 bps => +/-$8/sh
Why this level: This is AnalystScope's base-case margin view, not a promise of straight-line expansion. It keeps year-five margins close to today's model-base operating margin (35.3%), which implies the current margin structure is broadly durable. Margin input reduces temporary product-launch and go-to-market timing distortion while preserving Adobe's structural software economics.
Sensitivity drivers
Revenue CAGR (5Y)
9.0%
+/- 1.0% => +/-$12/sh
Terminal Growth
2.8%
+/- 0.5% => +/-$9/sh
WACC
8.8%
+/- 0.5% => -$11/sh
Operating Margin (Year 5)
36.5%
+/- 100 bps => +/-$8/sh
Confidence
High
Method outputs are tightly grouped at +5.6% dispersion.
Why the model view could be wrong
Faster competitive pressure from AI-native creation tools could narrow pricing or seat growth durability.
Enterprise seat expansion could remain choppy if budget scrutiny slows workflow upgrades.
If AI monetization disappoints, the market may resist giving Adobe a stronger re-rating.
Private analysis
Test your own assumptions in Scenario Builder
Private scenarios remain separate from AnalystScope's published base case.
Private workspace
Scenario Builder
Private scenario sandbox
This is a private modelling layer, not the public AnalystScope base case or printable snapshot. It keeps the public base case as the anchor, applies bounded changes to the four core valuation inputs, and updates your scenario fair-value estimate immediately.
Saved scenarios currently stay local to this browser for ADBE. Base-case rationale remains in the public assumptions section above. Your scenario output reprices the published valuation methods from projected operating anchors when those anchors are available, while keeping market-multiple and capital-structure assumptions anchored to the AnalystScope framework.
Editable assumptions
Adjust your scenario inputs within the displayed plausible range for this company. The workbench stays anchored to the public AnalystScope base case.
This is a bounded scenario tool, not a free-form spreadsheet. Values outside the displayed range snap back to the nearest allowed value when you leave the field.
Matches the published AnalystScope base case.
Revenue CAGR (5Y)
Public AnalystScope base case: 9.0% | +/- 1.0% => +/-$12/sh
Allowed range: 3.0% to 15.0%
Terminal Growth
Public AnalystScope base case: 2.8% | +/- 0.5% => +/-$9/sh
Allowed range: 1.3% to 4.3%
WACC
Public AnalystScope base case: 8.8% | +/- 0.5% => -$11/sh
Allowed range: 6.8% to 10.8%
Operating Margin (Year 5)
Public AnalystScope base case: 36.5% | +/- 100 bps => +/-$8/sh
Allowed range: 28.5% to 44.5%
Saved private scenarios
Save up to 5 named scenarios for ADBE. These are your scenarios: they never overwrite the public AnalystScope base case and remain clearly separate from public research.
Checking private workspace session...
Private scenario note
Keep a short thesis, main risk, or why this case differs from the published base case.
0 / 280
Notes stay local to this browser unless you sign in to the private workspace, and they never appear as published AnalystScope research.
No private scenarios saved yet. Make a change to the published base case, then save a named scenario here.
Published base case
Fair value
$270
Upside / Downside
+15.1 upside
Model signal
Buy
Published base-case output
Scenario output reprices the published DCF and multiple methods from projected year-5 revenue, margin, free cash flow, EBITDA, and EPS anchors. Market multiples and capital structure stay anchored to the published base framework.
Fair value
$270
$0/sh vs published base case
Upside / Downside
+15.1 upside
+0.0 pts vs published base case
Model signal
Buy
Unchanged versus the published base case.
Method movement inside the scenario
This breakdown shows what moved inside the published valuation framework when you edit the scenario. The published AnalystScope base case stays anchored, and any method without a clean projected anchor remains pinned to that framework.
Method rows below reflect the current edited scenario state, not just the saved scenario snapshots.
Influence tags are directional rather than exact attribution. They estimate which edited input is moving each method most by reverting one assumption at a time while the other edited inputs stay in place.
| Method | Published base | Edited scenario | Delta | How it moved / main drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DCF (Base) DCF-style | 45% weight | $277 | $277 | $0/sh | Base-aligned This method is supported by the model-native bridge and currently stays aligned with the published base case. Edited inputs are largely offsetting each other, so this row stays close to the published base case. |
NTM P/E Multiple P/E-style | 35% weight | $266 | $266 | $0/sh | Base-aligned This method is supported by the model-native bridge and currently stays aligned with the published base case. Edited inputs are largely offsetting each other, so this row stays close to the published base case. |
EV/EBITDA Cross-check EV-based multiple | 20% weight | $262 | $262 | $0/sh | Base-aligned This method is supported by the model-native bridge and currently stays aligned with the published base case. Edited inputs are largely offsetting each other, so this row stays close to the published base case. |
Weighted fair value Published framework result | Published framework result | $270 | $270 | +$0/sh | Moved Combines the repriced method outputs using the published AnalystScope weights. No single edited assumption is dominating this move in a material way. |
Published base case vs private scenarios
Compare the published AnalystScope base case against your saved private scenarios in one view. Saved scenarios remain local to this browser, and the table below reflects saved snapshots rather than any unsaved edits currently sitting in the editor.
Fair-value comparisons use the same workbench recalculation path as the editor above.
Published base case stays pinned as the anchor row.
| Scenario | Revenue CAGR (5Y) | Terminal Growth | WACC | Op. Margin (Y5) | Fair Value | Upside / Downside | Model Signal | Delta vs Base | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AnalystScope base case PublishedOfficial AnalystScope anchor row. | 9.0% | 2.8% | 8.8% | 36.5% | $270 | +15.1 upside | Buy | Published anchor |
Supporting research
Quality, normalization, and monitoring evidence
Annual model base: FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025
Thesis scorecard
Growth
StrongCreative Cloud and document workflow still support a healthy medium-term growth base.
Profitability
StrongHigh gross margin and strong conversion keep the operating model resilient.
Balance sheet
StrongNet cash and recurring software economics support flexibility.
Valuation
StrongThe multiple has reset enough to make the spread more attractive than it was a year ago.
Execution / Resilience
ModerateAI product execution still matters, but Adobe retains strong workflow entrenchment.
Current source status
Quote: Daily scheduled refresh as of Jul 21, 2026, 6:05 AM UTC. Fresh through Jul 22, 2026, 6:05 AM UTC.
Reported fundamentals: Fundamentals refreshed 21 Jul 2026, 01:32 UTC. Fresh through 21 Jul 2026, 13:32 UTC.
Latest filing: 4 filed Jul 17, 2026 | Reporting period Jul 15, 2026. Filing refreshed Jul 21, 2026, 1:32 AM UTC. Fresh through Jul 21, 2026, 1:32 PM UTC.
Annual model-base income-statement, cash-flow, and balance-sheet metrics, plus cross-statement quality relationships with compact prior-FY direction cues, derived from the curated statement backbone.
Basis: FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025. Live reported fundamentals remain available in the reconciliation section.
Operating and cash-flow trends
Revenue growth (1Y)
+10.7%
Gross margin
88.7%
Operating margin
35.3%
Operating margin change vs prior FY
+0.4 pts
EBITDA margin
37.4%
EBITDA margin change vs prior FY
+0.2 pts
Operating income growth (1Y)
+12.0%
Net margin
29.4%
FCF margin
38.2%
FCF margin change vs prior FY
+1.0 pts
FCF growth (1Y)
+13.8%
Balance sheet quality
Cash & investments
$8.8B
Total debt
$4.0B
Net cash / (debt)
Net cash $4.8B
Net cash / (debt) as % of revenue
Net cash 20.2% of revenue
Liabilities / assets
vs FY2024 (-2.6 pts)
42.9%
Cross-statement quality
Gross-to-operating spread
53.4 pts
Operating cash flow / net income
vs FY2024 (-0.0x)
1.4x
Operating cash flow / EBITDA
vs FY2024 (+0.0x)
1.1x
Free cash flow / net income
vs FY2024 (-0.0x)
1.3x
CapEx as % of revenue
vs FY2024 (-0.2 pts)
1.7%
CapEx as % of operating cash flow
vs FY2024 (-0.6 pts)
4.2%
CapEx / D&A
vs FY2024 (+0.0x)
0.8x
Cash & investments / total debt
vs FY2024 (+0.1x)
2.2x
Shareholders' equity as % of revenue
84.0%
Asset turnover
vs FY2024 (+0.0x)
0.7x
Compact model-base diagnostics for analyst triage, highlighting where the durable valuation base is diverging most clearly from the latest reported picture.
Adjustment focus
Large analyst adjustmentBalance sheet | Net Cash / (Debt) | +$2.6B / +11% of revenue
Revenue momentum
Stable+10.7% latest 1Y growth
vs +10.8% prior 1Y
Operating margin trend
Stable35.3% latest margin
+41 bps vs prior FY
FCF margin trend
Improving38.2% latest FCF margin
+103 bps vs prior FY
Balance-sheet posture
StableNet cash 20.2% of revenue
vs Net cash 20.0% of revenue prior FY
How to read this
Reported = the latest company-reported figure. Model base = AnalystScope's comparable operating base used for valuation and thesis work. It may include standardization, conservative balance-sheet treatment, working-capital cleanup, and through-cycle adjustments when current reported numbers do not look durable.
This is an analyst model base, not a claim of perfect adjusted truth. Larger gaps can reflect deliberate cyclical or base-case adjustments, not just light accounting cleanup.
Why the model base differs
For Adobe, the model base is meant to reflect durable subscription and workflow economics rather than short-term seat timing or quarter-specific demand noise.
Rows are sorted by largest comparable adjustment first.
| Metric | Model base | Live reported | Variance vs reported | Adjustment size | Why lower / higher? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net Cash / (Debt) | $4.8B FY2025 model base | $2.2B Live reported balance sheet | +$2.6B / +11% of revenue | Large analyst adjustment | Model base is less conservative than the live reported balance-sheet figure because the latest reported balance does not appear fully representative. It retains a conservative net-cash view without assuming all liquidity is immediately distributable. |
FCF (TTM) | $9.1B FY2025 model base | $9.9B Live reported TTM | -$800.0M / -8% | Close to reported | Model base is lower than live reported because cash generation is being smoothed for timing effects rather than taken at face value. It adjusts for working-capital timing and avoids over-reading unusually favorable billings conversion. |
Operating Margin | 35.3% FY2025 model base | 36.6% Live reported margin | -1.3 pts | Close to reported | Model base is lower than live reported because current margin strength is not being treated as a permanent through-cycle outcome. It reduces temporary product-launch and go-to-market timing distortion while preserving Adobe's structural software economics. |
Revenue (TTM) | $23.8B FY2025 model base | $23.8B Live reported TTM | +$0.0 / +0% | Close to reported | Model base keeps revenue close to live reported because the latest run-rate already looks broadly representative. It smooths enterprise seat timing and keeps the base on durable document and creative demand rather than one quarter of bookings noise. |
Near-term catalysts
Booking and remaining performance obligation commentary remain the cleanest near-term signals.
AI product monetization and attach-rate disclosures could materially influence the growth narrative.
Any cleaner evidence of enterprise workflow adoption would improve confidence in the current fair-value range.
What we are watching
Whether Adobe can translate AI product enthusiasm into durable paid workflow expansion.
How stable enterprise demand remains across both creative and document workflow budgets.
Any sign that the current cash-conversion quality is softening as the company invests for the next cycle.
| Date | Event | Published rating | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2026 | New | Buy | Started coverage with a Buy view on durable software economics and a more attractive post-reset valuation. |