ADSK
Wall Street’s game of musical chairs
Autodesk is heading into earnings with analysts doing what analysts do best: changing their minds in public. Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $315, KeyBanc chopped theirs to $341, Barclays lowered its target to $300, and BofA actually nudged the stock up from Neutral to Buy. Classic Wall Street: one hand reaching for the brakes, the other still holding the gas pedal.
The real plot twist
The bigger setup here isn’t just the target changes — it’s that Autodesk already handed investors a pretty good appetizer on February 26th, when it posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and lifted first-quarter guidance above estimates. So now the bar is higher, which is great if you love suspense and mildly stressful quarterly rituals.
Why investors should care
Autodesk’s stock was already wobbling a bit, slipping 0.5% to $237 on Wednesday before earnings. When analysts slash targets ahead of a report, they’re basically telling the market, “Maybe don’t get too cute here.” That can matter because valuation stocks hate bad vibes almost as much as they hate bad numbers.
Big picture
This is less about one analyst opinion and more about the market quietly recalibrating expectations. If Autodesk beats again, the stock could get its second wind; if not, Wall Street’s newly cautious stance starts looking pretty wise.