Dassault Systemes slumps in Paris. Ai fears and 2026 guidance cut weighed heavily

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor)- Dassault Systemes thud on the Paris Stock Exchange, which closes at -20.8% after the release of its accounts and lower guidance for 2026. In detail, the French software company ended 2025 with a net profit attributable to 1.2 billion and revenue of 6.2 billion and is taking a cautious approach for the coming months, continuing to invest in Ai. For 2026, the 3D design software company expects total revenues of between 6.2bn and 6.4bn, an increase of 1% to 3% (3% to 5% at constant exchange rates), as well as an operating margin of between 32.2% and 32.6%. "Our ambition is clear: to lead the transformation of industrial Ai," but "a real transformation takes time, both for our customers and for ourselves," stressed the group's CEO, Pascal Daloz.

According to analysts at Jp Morgan, the accounts were 'worse than even the most pessimistic feared'. Jefferies points the finger at 'fourth quarter revenue growth of just 1%, at the low end of forecasts and below expectations'. Furthermore, 'forecasts for 2026 of between 3% and 5%' are also 'below analysts' estimates'.

In general, the software sector has been grappling with fears related to artificial intelligence for some time. Last week, concerns spread more widely to other industries, when new Anthropic PBC tools triggered a sharp sell-off in stocks in the software, financial services, wealth management, and legal services sectors. The same fears hit US insurance broker stocks on Monday 9 February, after online marketplace Insurify unveiled a new application that uses ChatGpt to compare car insurance rates. On the eve of the event, wealth management stocks were hit by Altruist's product Hazel, which helps financial advisors customise strategies for clients.