tiprankstipranks
Trending News
More News >
Clearwater Analytics Holdings, Inc. Class A (CWAN)
NYSE:CWAN
US Market

Clearwater Analytics Holdings (CWAN) AI Stock Analysis

Compare
489 Followers

Top Page

CWAN

Clearwater Analytics Holdings

(NYSE:CWAN)

Select Model
Select Model
Select Model
Outperform 71 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 71 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 71 (OpenAI - 5.2)
,
Outperform 71 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:71Outperform
Price Target:
$26.00
▲(10.92% Upside)
Action:UpgradedDate:03/21/26
The score is driven mainly by strong cash-flow fundamentals and the announced take-private merger, which meaningfully supports the near-term setup. These positives are tempered by inconsistent GAAP profitability, increased leverage, and only neutral technical momentum, while valuation looks weak due to the negative P/E.
Positive Factors
Free Cash Flow Generation
Strong cash generation in 2025 (OCF ~$176M, FCF ~$164M) shows durable cash conversion for a SaaS business. Material free cash flow supports organic R&D, integration of acquisitions, and reduces near-term reliance on external financing, bolstering multi‑month operational flexibility.
Recurring SaaS Model and Revenue Scale
The company’s subscription-based platform has scaled materially, with high gross margins (~67–74%) and multi-year revenue growth. Durable recurring revenue and strong gross margins create scalable unit economics that support long-term margin expansion as sales scale and implementation churn stabilizes.
Sponsor-backed Take-private Enables Long-term Investment
Agreement to be taken private by a reputable sponsor group with committed financing creates structural runway for multi-year strategic moves. Sponsor ownership can reduce public reporting pressure, enabling accelerated product investment, integration of recent capabilities, and execution of longer-term growth initiatives.
Negative Factors
Inconsistent GAAP Profitability
GAAP profitability has been volatile, with 2025 swinging back to a net loss and prior years showing swings (an unusually large 2024 profit appears non‑recurring). This earnings volatility undermines predictability of margins and complicates long‑range planning and performance benchmarking.
Rising Leverage
Debt increased materially in 2025, pushing debt/equity to ~0.43 from ~0.07. Higher leverage raises interest and refinancing risk, constrains capital allocation flexibility, and heightens sensitivity to cash‑flow swings—an important structural risk during a multi‑month execution window.
Narrowed Strategic Optionality
The go‑shop ended with no superior proposals after outreach to 44 parties and six NDAs, and Clearwater has entered a customary no‑shop phase. That reduces strategic optionality and market validation, concentrating outcome risk with the current sponsor group and limiting alternative strategic paths.

Clearwater Analytics Holdings (CWAN) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionClearwater Analytics Holdings, Inc. develops and provides a Software-as-a-Service solution for automated investment data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, and reporting services to insurers, investment managers, corporations, institutional investors, and government entities. The company offers investment accounting and reporting, performance measurement, compliance monitoring, and risk analytics solutions. Its Clearwater Prism solution enables self-service access to data feeds from accounting, compliance, performance, and risk systems, including those offered by the company and other third-party software vendors, as well as provides flexible reporting to various users. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
How the Company Makes MoneyClearwater primarily makes money by selling access to its software platform as a subscription-based service (SaaS). Customers pay recurring fees to use Clearwater’s investment accounting and analytics capabilities, typically under multi-period contracts, with pricing generally tied to factors such as the scope of functionality licensed and the scale/complexity of assets or portfolios supported. In addition to recurring subscription revenue, Clearwater generates revenue from implementation and onboarding services associated with deploying the platform, integrating data sources/custodians, configuring reporting, and migrating historical data. The company may also earn incremental revenue from expanded usage over time (e.g., additional modules/features, more portfolios/accounts, new asset classes, or broader enterprise adoption) and from professional services related to ongoing support and specialized reporting needs. Information on any specific revenue-sharing partnerships or quantitatively significant partner arrangements is null.

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Geography
Revenue by Geography
Breaks down revenue across different regions, revealing where the company is strongest and where it may face risk or growth potential due to local economic conditions or market share shifts.
Chart InsightsClearwater Analytics is experiencing robust growth in both the United States and Rest of World segments, with a notable surge in the latest quarter. The U.S. market shows consistent expansion, while the Rest of World segment has doubled, reflecting strategic global initiatives. The earnings call highlights a 70% revenue increase and successful acquisitions, suggesting strong future prospects. The partnership with Bloomberg and high client engagement further bolster growth potential, despite a GAAP loss due to acquisition costs. Investors should watch for continued momentum and integration benefits.
Data provided by:The Fly

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 05, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 06, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The earnings call reflects a strong positive performance for CWAN, with significant revenue and ARR growth driven by successful acquisitions and strategic integration of businesses. There are challenges in maintaining consistent ARR growth and net revenue retention, but the company's advancements in Generative AI and its expansion efforts demonstrate a solid competitive position.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Record Revenue and ARR Growth
CWAN delivered revenues of $205.1 million, marking a 77% year-over-year growth. Annualized recurring revenue (ARR) also grew by 77% year-over-year, reaching $807.5 million.
Improved EBITDA and Gross Margin
Adjusted quarterly EBITDA reached $70.7 million, up from $58.3 million in Q2. The EBITDA margin increased to 34.5% from 32.1%. Gross margin performance was strong at 78.5%, exceeding targets for 2027.
High Gross Revenue Retention
Gross revenue retention was at 98%, marking consistent high retention over nearly 7 years.
Successful Acquisitions and Integration
The acquisitions of Enfusion, Beacon, and Bistro contributed significantly to the revenue growth. The company improved the margin and profitability profile of these businesses close to CWAN's levels.
Generative AI Advancements
The use of Generative AI contributed to significant gross margin improvements. The technology is integrated and deployed into production, supporting over $10 trillion in institutional assets.
Global Expansion and New Client Wins
CWAN expanded its international presence, with significant wins in North America, Europe, and Asia, including a contract with Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust for $30 billion in state assets.
Negative Updates
Lower Net Revenue Retention
Net revenue retention decreased slightly to 108% from 110% in Q2, driven by lower contributions from AUM growth and asset-based upsells.
Challenges with Enfusion Growth
Enfusion's growth was slower in Q1 but improved in Q2 and Q3. The commercial model for Enfusion is being revised, with expected impact in 2026.
Lumpiness in ARR Growth
The core business ARR growth was 17%, slightly lower than expected, attributed to the lumpiness of large deals coming online.
Company Guidance
During CWAN's Q3 2025 earnings call, several key metrics were highlighted, showcasing the company's strong performance and strategic growth initiatives. Revenue for the quarter reached $205.1 million, reflecting a 77% year-on-year growth. Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) also increased by 77% year-over-year, hitting $807.5 million. The company's adjusted EBITDA was $70.7 million, up from $58.3 million in Q2, with a margin of 34.5%, which improved by 240 basis points from the previous quarter. Gross revenue retention stood at an impressive 98%, while net revenue retention was slightly lower at 108% due to a decrease in contributions from asset-based upsells. Gross margins for the integrated business were 78.5%, and for the core Clearwater steady-state clients, they reached 82%. The company's Total Addressable Market (TAM) has expanded to $23 billion, and significant growth was noted across various segments, including asset management, which now accounts for the largest share of bookings. CWAN is also leveraging Generative AI to enhance efficiency and client offerings, contributing to a significant reduction in manual reconciliation and faster financial reporting cycles. Looking ahead, CWAN expects Q4 2025 revenue of $216-$217 million, representing a 71-72% year-on-year growth, and full-year 2025 revenue of $730-$731 million, with a full-year adjusted EBITDA margin of 34%.

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong operating and free cash flow (2025 FCF about $164M) alongside high gross margins supports the business model. Offsetting this, reported profitability is inconsistent (2025 returned to a net loss) and leverage increased materially in 2025 (debt-to-equity about 0.43), which adds risk.
Income Statement
62
Positive
Revenue has scaled strongly over time (from $203M in 2020 to $731M in 2025), with solid recent growth in 2025 (+14.2%). Gross margins are consistently healthy (~67%–74%), supporting the software model. However, profitability is inconsistent: 2025 swung back to a net loss (about -5.3% margin) and slightly negative EBITDA margin, and prior years also show periodic losses. The unusually large 2024 net profit (94% margin) looks non-recurring versus the company’s broader earnings pattern, which reduces confidence in earnings quality and stability.
Balance Sheet
54
Neutral
The balance sheet shows meaningful scale-up in assets and equity by 2025 (assets ~$3.0B, equity ~$2.0B), but leverage increased sharply: total debt rose to ~$860M in 2025 and debt-to-equity moved up to ~0.43 versus ~0.07 in 2024. Returns on equity are also currently negative in 2025, reflecting the net loss. While today’s equity base is positive and sizable, the step-up in debt and profitability volatility adds risk compared with a cleaner, consistently profitable balance sheet.
Cash Flow
78
Positive
Cash generation is a clear strength. Operating cash flow improved materially to ~$176M in 2025 and free cash flow reached ~$164M, with very strong free cash flow growth in 2025. Free cash flow remains positive and sizable despite earnings volatility, indicating good cash conversion. A watch item is that 2024 free cash flow declined modestly versus 2023, and earlier years (notably 2020–2021) showed weak/negative cash flow, but the more recent multi-year trend is meaningfully stronger.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue731.37M451.80M368.17M303.43M252.02M
Gross Profit492.15M328.82M261.04M215.64M184.16M
EBITDA113.63M24.41M-6.82M10.26M31.95M
Net Income-38.81M424.38M-21.63M-7.97M-8.21M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets3.03B1.17B558.74M481.94M344.36M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments91.25M255.49M296.22M255.61M254.60M
Total Debt882.89M71.92M72.08M76.60M53.91M
Total Liabilities1.00B139.34M149.09M143.56M82.49M
Stockholders Equity2.02B1.01B354.33M269.52M196.87M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow164.34M69.06M78.98M50.25M-1.67M
Operating Cash Flow175.90M74.32M84.60M58.01M3.36M
Investing Cash Flow-988.13M-55.65M-95.06M-76.55M-5.03M
Financing Cash Flow725.41M-61.67M-19.29M16.23M195.29M

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price23.44
Price Trends
50DMA
23.66
Negative
100DMA
22.35
Positive
200DMA
21.33
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.04
Negative
RSI
51.55
Neutral
STOCH
60.44
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CWAN, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 23.44 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 23.36, below the 50-day MA of 23.66, and above the 200-day MA of 21.33, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.04 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 51.55 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 60.44 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for CWAN.

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Risk Analysis

Clearwater Analytics Holdings disclosed 54 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Clearwater Analytics Holdings 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

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
71
Outperform
$6.93B-168.64-2.19%50.91%54812.50%
67
Neutral
$3.01B86.248.62%13.93%
66
Neutral
$1.80B26.417.96%1.47%1077.70%
66
Neutral
$2.07B-156.46-5.49%17.11%-19.12%
62
Neutral
$5.06B-101.06-8.52%22.69%-32.47%
61
Neutral
$37.18B12.37-10.20%1.83%8.50%-7.62%
59
Neutral
$343.53M-15.25-22.88%13.09%32.34%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CWAN
Clearwater Analytics Holdings
23.44
-3.63
-13.41%
QTWO
Q2 Holdings
48.19
-34.63
-41.81%
SPT
Sprout Social
5.76
-19.51
-77.21%
GTM
ZoomInfo Technologies
5.91
-5.16
-46.61%
FROG
JFrog
42.27
7.63
22.03%
INTA
Intapp
25.73
-35.89
-58.24%

Clearwater Analytics Holdings Corporate Events

M&A Transactions
Clearwater Analytics Ends Go-Shop, Confirms GT Silver Merger
Neutral
Jan 23, 2026

On January 23, 2026, the go-shop period under Clearwater Analytics Holdings’ previously announced merger agreement with GT Silver BidCo, Inc. and its wholly owned merger subsidiary expired, following a market check run by the company’s board-appointed special committee and its financial advisors. During the go-shop window, Clearwater’s advisors contacted 44 potential bidders, including financial sponsors and strategic buyers, with six parties entering confidentiality agreements and accessing non-public information, but no alternative acquisition proposals emerged; as a result, Clearwater has now entered a customary no-shop phase that restricts it from soliciting rival bids, effectively reinforcing the original merger agreement and signaling limited competitive interest at this stage, a development that consolidates deal certainty for the buyer while narrowing strategic optionality for existing shareholders.

The most recent analyst rating on (CWAN) stock is a Hold with a $24.55 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Clearwater Analytics Holdings stock, see the CWAN Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyDelistings and Listing ChangesM&A Transactions
Clearwater Analytics to Be Taken Private in Merger
Positive
Dec 22, 2025

On December 20, 2025, Clearwater Analytics Holdings entered into a definitive merger agreement under which GT Silver Merger Sub, an affiliate of a Permira and Warburg Pincus–led investor group with participation from Temasek and support from Francisco Partners, will merge with Clearwater, valuing the company at about $8.4 billion and taking it private. Under the agreed terms, Clearwater stockholders will receive $24.55 in cash per share—representing a roughly 47% premium to the company’s undisturbed share price on November 10, 2025—with existing equity awards largely cashed out on similar economics, and the company’s Class A common stock delisted from the NYSE upon closing, which is targeted for the first half of 2026 pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. The transaction, unanimously recommended by a special committee of independent directors and subsequently approved by the full board, includes a go-shop period through January 23, 2026 that allows Clearwater to solicit superior bids, as well as a detailed framework of termination and reverse-termination fees and fully committed equity and debt financing to support the cash consideration, underscoring a tightly structured, sponsor-backed buyout that will reposition Clearwater as a private fintech platform focused on accelerated product investment and integration of recently acquired capabilities.

The most recent analyst rating on (CWAN) stock is a Buy with a $36.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Clearwater Analytics Holdings stock, see the CWAN 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: Mar 21, 2026