SemRush Buy to Aid Adobe's AI Expertise: What's Ahead for the Stock?

Adobe ADBE has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Semrush, in an all-cash deal valued at $12 per share, or approximately $1.9 billion. Semrush’s tools for generative engine optimization (GEO) and search engine optimization (SEO) will enhance Adobe’s expanding portfolio of AI-driven customer experience solutions, including Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Analytics and Adobe Brand Concierge.

Semrush brings more than a decade of SEO expertise and GEO capabilities that will help Adobe customers improve their brand visibility and expand audience reach. Semush’s solutions help marketers remain discoverable in AI search as consumers increasingly turn to large language models, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, for information, recommendations and purchase decisions. Semrush has a strong enterprise clientele, including the likes of Amazon, JPMorganChase and TikTok.  

Adobe’s strategy of infusing AI into its portfolio is driving growth, as reflected by the third-quarter fiscal 2025 results. Adobe AI influenced annual recurring revenues (ARR), which surpassed $5 billion, and management expects it to continue to rise as a percentage of Adobe’s business. ARR from new AI-first products, including Firefly, Acrobat AI Assistant and GenStudio for performance marketing, hit Adobe’s end-of-year target of more than $250 million. The addition of Semrush is expected to further boost Adobe’s ARR growth.

An expanding portfolio bodes well for Adobe. The latest Adobe Firefly Foundry solution enables businesses to create tailored generative AI models that are unique to their brand. Adobe Firefly Foundry models can support all major asset types, including image, video, audio, vector and 3D. The availability of AI agents, powered by the AEP Agent Orchestrator, is helping businesses to manage and customize agents from Adobe and across third-party ecosystems. An expanding portfolio bodes well for Adobe’s top-line growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2025 revenues is currently pegged at $20.77 billion, indicating 12.76% growth over fiscal 2024’s reported figure.

Adobe Faces Tough Competition in the AI Domain

ADBE’s AI business is minuscule compared with Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet GOOGL. Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud revenues are benefiting from growth in Azure AI services and a rise in the AI Copilot business. Microsoft now has 900 million monthly active users of AI features across its products, with over 150 million monthly active users of first-party Copilots. More than 90% of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, with major customers deploying tens of thousands of seats.

Alphabet’s focus on leveraging AI to drive growth is a key catalyst. AI is infused heavily across its offerings, including Search and Google Cloud. AI Overviews and AI Mode are driving overall queries and commercial queries. AI Mode is now available in more than 40 languages globally and has more than 75 million daily active users. GOOGL added 100 improvements to AI Mode in the third quarter of 2025.

ADBE’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Adobe shares have lost 38.1% in a year, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 25.6% and the Zacks Computer Software industry’s appreciation of 8.3%.

Adobe Stock Lags Sector

ADBE stock is trading at a premium, as suggested by a Value Score of C.

In terms of trailing price/book, Adobe shares are trading at a higher multiple of 11.11 compared with the broader sector’s 10.27.

ADBE Stock is Overvalued

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at $5.39 per share, which has inched up a penny over the past 60 days, suggesting 12.1% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. 

Adobe Inc. Price and Consensus

Adobe Inc. price-consensus-chart | Adobe Inc. Quote

Adobe currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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