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Blackline Inc (BL)
NASDAQ:BL

BlackLine (BL) AI Stock Analysis

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BL

BlackLine

(NASDAQ:BL)

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Neutral 61 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:61Neutral
Price Target:
$49.00
▲(9.18% Upside)
The score is primarily supported by improving profitability, strong gross margins, and solid free cash flow, plus constructive guidance and booking momentum. Offsetting factors are weak technical trend signals, premium valuation (high P/E with no dividend support), and added uncertainty from the activist board challenge.
Positive Factors
High gross margins and strong free cash flow
Sustained gross margins (consistently above 75% per income statement) and solid free cash flow provide durable operating leverage. This supports ongoing R&D, platform investment, and debt servicing, improving long-term resilience and optionality even through economic cycles.
Recurring SaaS model with accelerating enterprise bookings
A subscription-based recurring revenue model combined with a sharp increase in new enterprise bookings and much larger deal sizes improves revenue visibility and customer lifetime value. Larger enterprise deals create stickier relationships and greater upsell potential, supporting durable growth.
Product and geographic expansion, AI integration, and partner wins
Strategic moves—AI agent acquisition, local cloud region with Google Cloud, and partner-led enterprise wins—strengthen product differentiation, compliance/localization and go-to-market reach. These structural enhancements boost platform competitiveness and long-term addressable market expansion.
Negative Factors
High leverage on the balance sheet
Material reliance on debt increases financial risk and limits capital flexibility for organic investment, M&A, or shareholder returns. In adverse macro conditions higher leverage raises refinancing and interest exposure, constraining strategic choices over the medium term.
User attrition and planned churn from strategic deemphasis
Automation-driven user attrition and deliberate exits from lower-margin segments reduce net revenue retention and customer diversification. This structural churn requires sustained new bookings and upsells to offset lost recurring revenue and can depress growth durability until replacement rates normalize.
Activist nomination and board governance uncertainty
An activist nomination creates governance uncertainty and potential strategic disruption. Proxy contests can distract management, slow execution of medium-term initiatives, and introduce the prospect of strategic alternatives, which may delay consistent long-term value creation.

BlackLine (BL) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

BlackLine Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionBlackLine, Inc. provides cloud-based solutions to automate and streamline accounting and finance operations worldwide. It offers financial close management solutions, such as account reconciliations that provides a centralized workspace for users to collaborate on account reconciliations; transaction matching that analyzes and reconciles high volumes of individual transactions; and task management to create and manage processes and task lists. The company's financial close management solutions also include journal entry that allows users to generate, review, and post manual journal entries; variance analysis that monitors and identifies anomalous fluctuations in balance sheet and income statement account balances; consolidation integrity manager that manages the automated system-to-system tie-out process that occurs during the consolidation phase of the financial close; and compliance, an integrated solution that facilitates compliance-related initiatives, consolidates project management, and provides visibility over control self-assessments and testing. In addition, it offers accounts receivable automation solutions, which include cash application, credit and risk management, collections management, disputes and deductions, team and task management, and AR intelligence solutions. Further, the company provides intercompany workflow that stores permissions by entity and transaction type thereby ensuring both the initiator and the approver of the intercompany transaction are authorized to conduct business; intercompany processing, which records an organization's intercompany transactions; and netting and settlement that generates a real-time settlement matrix, which shows the balance of transactions. The company sells its solutions primarily through direct sales force to multinational corporations, large domestic enterprises, and mid-market companies across various industries. BlackLine, Inc. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Woodland Hills, California.
How the Company Makes MoneyBlackLine generates revenue primarily through subscription fees for its software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings. The company operates on a recurring revenue model, wherein clients pay for access to its platform on an annual or multi-year basis. Key revenue streams include subscription revenues from its various products, such as BlackLine Financial Close, BlackLine Account Reconciliations, and BlackLine Intercompany Hub. Additionally, BlackLine may earn revenue from professional services related to implementation, training, and support. Strategic partnerships with other technology and consulting firms further enhance its market reach and contribute to its earnings.

BlackLine Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Customers
Customers
Shows the number of clients using BlackLine's services, indicating market penetration and potential for upselling or cross-selling opportunities.
Chart InsightsBlackLine's customer base has shown steady growth, reaching over 4,400 by mid-2025. The earnings call highlights a strategic pivot towards larger deals and partnerships, which is driving significant growth in deal size and revenue. However, the company faces challenges with mid-market customer churn and deal slippage. Despite these hurdles, BlackLine's focus on larger, complex accounts and successful public sector entry suggests a promising trajectory, aligning with their guidance for sustained revenue growth and margin expansion.
Data provided by:The Fly

BlackLine Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 06, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Feb 10, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call presented several positive developments, such as revenue growth, successful new customer acquisitions, and partner wins. However, challenges included user attrition, strategic deemphasis impacts, and delayed deals. The sentiment is cautiously optimistic, with confidence in future growth and operational improvements.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Increased Revenue and Margin Expansion
Revenue growth increased to 7.5%. Achieved a non-GAAP operating margin of 21.4% and a free cash flow margin of 32%.
New Customer Acquisition Success
New customer bookings were up 45% with the average new deal size more than doubling by 111% and the median new deal size up by approximately 50%.
Significant Partner Wins
Closed deals with Coca-Cola Europe Pacific Partners and Boots U.K. Limited through the SolEx channel, showing the strength of the SAP partnership.
Improved Implementation Efficiency
Number of customer go-lives increased by nearly 70% year-over-year and 17% sequentially.
Positive Outlook for 2026
Anticipates accelerating revenue growth and continued margin expansion assuming a stable macro environment.
Negative Updates
User Attrition Challenges
Higher levels of automation led to user attrition, and several large customers paused user adds due to strategic discussions about platform pricing and AI offerings.
Impact of Strategic Deemphasis
Planned churn from the strategic deemphasis of the lower end of the market is nearing its conclusion, which created a slight headwind to net revenue retention.
Delayed Deals
A couple of million dollars of deals were delayed at the end of the third quarter due to interest in AI offerings, impacting net new ARR.
Company Guidance
During the BlackLine Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call, the company provided guidance for Q4 and the full year 2025. For Q4, BlackLine expects total GAAP revenue to be in the range of $182 million to $184 million, with a non-GAAP operating margin between 24% and 25%, and non-GAAP net income attributable to BlackLine anticipated to be $42 million to $44 million, translating to $0.58 to $0.61 per share. For the full year 2025, the company projects total GAAP revenue between $699 million and $701 million, with growth of 7% to 7.3%. The non-GAAP operating margin is expected to be between 22% and 22.5%, and non-GAAP net income attributable to BlackLine is forecasted at $153 million to $157 million, or $2.08 to $2.13 per share. Looking ahead, BlackLine anticipates accelerating revenue growth and continued margin expansion in 2026, driven by a strong pipeline, platform pricing adoption, and operational improvements, assuming a stable macro environment.

BlackLine Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong gross margins and improving profitability with solid free cash flow generation, but high leverage and some volatility in operating efficiency constrain the score.
Income Statement
75
Positive
BlackLine's income statement shows a strong gross profit margin consistently above 75%, indicating efficient cost management. The net profit margin has improved significantly from negative to positive over the years, reflecting enhanced profitability. Revenue growth has been steady, with a notable increase in the TTM period. However, the EBIT and EBITDA margins have fluctuated, suggesting some volatility in operational efficiency.
Balance Sheet
60
Neutral
The balance sheet reveals a high debt-to-equity ratio, indicating significant leverage, which could pose financial risks. However, the return on equity has improved, showing better utilization of equity. The equity ratio is relatively low, suggesting a higher reliance on debt financing. Overall, while there are improvements, the high leverage remains a concern.
Cash Flow
70
Positive
Cash flow analysis indicates strong free cash flow growth and a healthy free cash flow to net income ratio, suggesting efficient cash generation relative to profits. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is moderate, indicating a reasonable conversion of income into cash. Overall, cash flow management appears solid, but there is room for improvement in operating cash flow efficiency.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue686.71M653.34M590.00M522.94M425.71M351.74M
Gross Profit517.36M491.37M443.20M393.55M327.83M282.76M
EBITDA106.73M183.80M116.51M1.25M-10.79M5.50M
Net Income76.05M161.17M52.83M-29.39M-115.16M-46.91M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets1.70B1.83B2.10B1.94B1.82B1.11B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments804.18M885.91M1.20B1.08B1.20B542.62M
Total Debt920.21M916.60M1.41B1.40B1.13B418.54M
Total Liabilities1.34B1.34B1.81B1.81B1.46B678.91M
Stockholders Equity328.30M446.67M260.88M111.87M325.04M422.07M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow170.31M188.71M99.02M25.83M56.83M35.31M
Operating Cash Flow186.68M190.84M126.61M56.01M80.09M54.73M
Investing Cash Flow-289.46M924.44M-62.48M-395.62M-506.94M173.59M
Financing Cash Flow-202.69M-500.14M6.15M1.44M599.24M18.86M

BlackLine Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price44.88
Price Trends
50DMA
55.09
Negative
100DMA
54.27
Negative
200DMA
53.98
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-2.64
Positive
RSI
27.56
Positive
STOCH
14.91
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For BL, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 44.88 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 51.89, below the 50-day MA of 55.09, and below the 200-day MA of 53.98, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -2.64 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 27.56 is Positive, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 14.91 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for BL.

BlackLine Risk Analysis

BlackLine disclosed 55 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. BlackLine reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

BlackLine Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
68
Neutral
$2.14B21.696.51%1.47%1077.70%
66
Neutral
$2.05B-87.12-6.04%17.11%-19.12%
61
Neutral
$37.18B12.37-10.20%1.83%8.50%-7.62%
61
Neutral
$2.67B40.9821.85%7.36%-40.62%
59
Neutral
$2.16B-99.58-2.04%12.14%-19.29%
51
Neutral
$2.16B-9.76-102.48%9.47%16.97%
47
Neutral
$863.78M-66.86%8.12%-12.37%-754.18%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
BL
BlackLine
44.88
-20.76
-31.63%
GTM
ZoomInfo Technologies
6.87
-3.59
-34.32%
NCNO
nCino
18.81
-13.93
-42.55%
ASAN
Asana
9.10
-13.05
-58.92%
ALIT
Alight
1.59
-4.76
-74.97%
INTA
Intapp
25.44
-47.18
-64.97%

BlackLine Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
BlackLine Faces Activist Board Challenge from Engaged Capital
Negative
Feb 2, 2026

On February 2, 2026, BlackLine confirmed that activist investor Engaged Capital has nominated three director candidates for election to the company’s board at its yet-to-be-scheduled 2026 annual meeting, triggering a review by the board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in line with its established guidelines. The company emphasized its history of engagement with Engaged Capital, highlighted a refreshed strategy introduced in November 2024, and pointed to ongoing work by an independent strategic committee formed more than a year ago, while also signaling board refreshment through the planned reduction of board size from 12 to 11 following director Tom Unterman’s decision, announced in December 2025, not to seek re-election, leaving three Class I seats up for contest at the upcoming meeting.

The most recent analyst rating on (BL) stock is a Hold with a $50.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on BlackLine stock, see the BL Stock Forecast page.

Executive/Board Changes
BlackLine announces board transition as longtime director retires
Neutral
Dec 22, 2025

On December 22, 2025, BlackLine announced that long-serving board member Tom Unterman, who has been on the board since 2010, intends to retire and will not stand for re-election at the company’s next annual meeting of stockholders in May 2026. Company leaders, including CEO and chairman Owen Ryan and founder and director Therese Tucker, credited Unterman with providing strategic oversight, mentorship and guidance that helped BlackLine evolve from a startup into a leader in Office of the CFO transformation, and noted that his departure marks the end of a significant era of board leadership. Unterman, who will continue to serve through the end of his current term, emphasized his confidence in BlackLine’s future, while the board signaled a modest governance shift by planning to reduce its size from 12 to 11 directors immediately after the 2026 director elections.

The most recent analyst rating on (BL) stock is a Hold with a $58.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on BlackLine stock, see the BL Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
BlackLine Forms Strategic Committee for Future Guidance
Neutral
Nov 10, 2025

On November 10, 2025, BlackLine, Inc. revealed that it has had an independent strategic committee of its board of directors in place for over a year. This committee, which includes David Henshall as Chairperson, Greg Hughes, and Tom Unterman, is likely to play a significant role in guiding the company’s strategic direction and decision-making processes.

The most recent analyst rating on (BL) stock is a Hold with a $50.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on BlackLine stock, see the BL Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 02, 2026