Adobe CEO Handover: Stock Drops, But Is It a Buy?

Adobe (ADBE) announced on September 3 that Anil Chakravarthy, who currently leads its customer experience orchestration business, will become president and CEO on December 1. Shantanu Narayen, who has been CEO since 2007, will transition to executive chairman on the same day.

The news came after market close, and shares fell 6.7% the next day to $266.51, about 28% below the stock's 52-week high. This marks only the second CEO handover in 19 years, with the previous one occurring in 2007 when Bruce Chizen stepped down and Narayen took over.

Chakravarthy is an insider with prior CEO experience at Informatica from 2015 to 2020 before joining Adobe. The transition appears orderly, as Narayen had telegraphed his intention to step down in March once a successor was chosen.

However, the market reaction may also reflect the departure of David Wadhwani, who ran Adobe's creativity business and was reportedly a contender for the CEO role. He is leaving the company, adding to the uncertainty.

The stock has been under pressure since 2024 due to concerns about AI disrupting software makers, and this news adds to that narrative.

The CEO transition is significant because it marks a rare leadership change at a major software company. The last time Adobe changed CEOs was in 2007, just as the Great Recession hit, and the stock lost half its value in the following year.

However, the circumstances are different now. Adobe has transitioned to a subscription-based model, with $27.1 billion in annualized recurring revenue. This provides more stability than the old license model, which saw revenue drop 18% in fiscal 2009 during the recession.

The company is still growing, with fiscal Q2 2026 revenue up 13% year over year to a record $6.62 billion. Management has also raised its full-year targets.

Valuation is a key factor. In 2007, shares traded at about 26 times adjusted earnings, just as a recession was starting. Today, shares sell for about 9.5 times projected fiscal 2027 earnings, even with double-digit revenue growth.

The market's negative reaction may be overdone, as the article suggests that the first year after a CEO change is often determined more by the economy and starting valuation than the new CEO's actions.

However, risks remain, including the potential for an economic downturn and the ongoing threat of AI disruption to Adobe's core businesses.