Braze (NASDAQ:BRZE) Cut to Hold at Barclays

Barclays downgraded shares of Braze (NASDAQ:BRZE – Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on BRZE. Raymond James Financial cut Braze from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut Braze from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $47.50 in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson downgraded Braze from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $40.00 to $47.50 in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of Braze in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Braze from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.50 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.95.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Braze

Braze Stock Performance

Shares of BRZE opened at $45.86 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.39. Braze has a 52 week low of $15.26 and a 52 week high of $45.95. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.52 and a beta of 0.91.

Braze (NASDAQ:BRZE – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 8th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $227.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.27 million. Braze had a negative return on equity of 16.11% and a negative net margin of 13.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.15 earnings per share. Braze has set its FY 2027 guidance at 0.640-0.650 EPS and its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.130-0.140 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Braze will post -0.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Braze

In related news, insider Astha Malik sold 15,724 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.57, for a total value of $464,958.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 326,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,646,709.81. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Jonathan Hyman sold 285,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.33, for a total transaction of $12,919,050.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 848,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,449,767.27. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 498,568 shares of company stock worth $19,315,911 in the last three months. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Braze by 3,650.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 825 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new stake in Braze during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Braze in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Essential Partners LLC increased its position in Braze by 109.8% in the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Braze in the second quarter worth about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.47% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Braze

Here are the key news stories impacting Braze this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Salesforce’s proposed acquisition values Braze at approximately $5.66 billion and offers shareholders $47.50 per share, representing roughly a 58% premium to Braze’s pre-announcement price. The transaction gives investors a defined cash exit and supports the stock’s move toward the offer price. Salesforce Fuels AI Engine With $5.66B Braze Buyout
  • Positive Sentiment: UBS described the acquisition as a strategic fit at a reasonable price, noting that Braze would add a faster-growing marketing-technology platform to Salesforce’s portfolio and strengthen its real-time data and AI offerings. Salesforce’s Braze deal wins UBS backing
  • Positive Sentiment: Trading activity also reflects bullish sentiment: investors purchased a high volume of Braze call options, while a separate analysis argued that the stock could remain undervalued despite its approximately 80% run. Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Braze Call Options
  • Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson lowered its rating from Buy to Hold, and Citigroup cut its rating from Buy to Neutral. However, both firms set price targets of $47.50, leaving limited upside but broadly aligning with Salesforce’s offer.
  • Neutral Sentiment: The deal remains subject to shareholder approval and antitrust review, with completion expected in Salesforce’s fiscal 2028. The current price below $47.50 reflects some uncertainty about closing and timing.
  • Negative Sentiment: Several law firms are investigating whether the proposed price and sale process adequately protect Braze shareholders. These inquiries do not currently change the offer but could create legal or deal-completion risks. Braze Investor Alert
  • Negative Sentiment: CTO Jonathan Hyman sold a combined 295,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Although the sales were scheduled and he retains a substantial stake, the transactions may weigh modestly on sentiment after the recent rally.

About Braze

(Get Free Report)

Braze, Inc is a customer engagement software company that provides a platform for businesses to build, manage and measure personalized interactions with consumers. Its technology is designed to help brands communicate with customers across digital channels, including mobile applications, websites, email, SMS and messaging services.

The Braze platform supports customer data collection and segmentation, campaign creation, journey orchestration, experimentation and engagement analytics. Its capabilities include in-app and web messaging, push notifications, email marketing, content personalization and automated lifecycle campaigns.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Braze (NASDAQ:BRZE)

Receive News & Ratings for Braze Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Braze and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.