10 AI News Investors Probably Missed

3. NICE Ltd. (NASDAQ:NICE)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 24

NICE Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) provides cloud-based AI platforms designed to improve customer engagement, automate workflows, and strengthen decision-making processes.

On December 19, Jefferies downgraded NICE (NASDAQ:NICE) from Buy to Hold, citing factors such as a CEO transition, slower-than-expected cloud growth for 2025, and heightened competition. The firm reduced its price target to $200 from $215. Incoming CEO Scott Russell, formerly of SAP, has received positive feedback, but Jefferies sees potential risks from the departure of long-time CEO Barak Eilam. Analyst Samad Samana forecasted 2025 cloud revenue growth at 15%, below the 16.6% consensus, and noted increasing competition in the CCaaS market from incumbents, large software vendors, and hyperscalers introducing GenAI tools.