Intuit Inc. INTU is rapidly transforming from a financial software provider into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered financial technology platform. Rather than adding AI as a standalone feature, the company is embedding it across TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, Mailchimp and Intuit Enterprise Suite to automate financial tasks, improve decision-making and create new growth opportunities.
While the company's long-term AI strategy is gaining momentum, investor sentiment has remained cautious in recent months. The company's shares have declined 27.2% over the past three months compared with the industry's 8.4% fall and the S&P 500 composite's 6.7% rise. Its peers, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP and Paychex Inc. PAYX have gained 27% and 23.2%, respectively, during the same period.
The weakness reflects challenges in the price-sensitive do-it-yourself tax market. Management acknowledged losing share among lower-income filers due to pricing, with TurboTax Online units expected to decline modestly during fiscal 2026.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
How AI Is Becoming the Core of Intuit's Strategy
Intuit now describes itself as an AI-driven expert platform rather than a traditional software company. Its AI capabilities already generate recommendations across more than 50 million financial transactions every week, and management expects these AI agents to increasingly automate accounting, tax compliance, payments, cash-flow management and business decision-making, making its software more valuable while improving customer productivity.
Another key advantage is Intuit's ecosystem of approximately 10 million business customers and one million accountants. This large user base provides proprietary financial data that continuously improves AI models, creating a competitive advantage that becomes stronger as adoption expands.
How Is INTU Embedding AI Across Its Verticals?
In May, Intuit launched Analytics AI within Mailchimp, enabling marketers to ask questions in natural language instead of manually building reports. The AI analyzes campaign performance, customer engagement, ecommerce activity and revenue trends before recommending actions businesses should take.
In the same month, the company expanded Intuit Enterprise Suite, its AI-native enterprise resource planning platform for mid-market businesses. The cloud-based platform integrates accounting, payroll, payments, HR, project management, marketing and business intelligence while using conversational AI and virtual agents to automate recurring financial workflows.
Importantly, AI is already translating into measurable business growth. Revenues from QuickBooks Online Advanced and Enterprise Suite increased about 38%, indicating growing customer adoption of Intuit's AI-powered enterprise solutions.
TurboTax is also shifting toward higher-value AI-assisted services. Instead of relying primarily on do-it-yourself tax software, Intuit is expanding TurboTax Live, which combines AI with human tax professionals.
Management expects TurboTax Live revenues to reach approximately $2.8 billion in fiscal 2026, representing 36% growth year over year. Customers are projected to increase 38%, while TurboTax Live is expected to contribute about 53% of total TurboTax revenues. The company estimates the assisted-tax market represents a $37 billion opportunity, highlighting the significant runway for future expansion.
INTU’s Estimate Revision & Valuation
Analysts remain constructive on Intuit's earnings outlook despite near-term headwinds. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Intuit's fiscal 2026 earnings per share (EPS) has marginally increased to $23.86 over the past month. The 2026 EPS estimate suggests 18.41% growth from the prior-year quarter, supported by continued expansion across the company's AI-driven businesses and higher-value service offerings.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Shares of Intuit are trading at a discount. Based on the forward 12-month Price-to-Sales (P/S) ratio, INTU trades at 3.39X, below the Zacks Computer - Software industry average of 5.24X.
The stock also carries a lower valuation than several industry peers. For comparison, PAYX trades at a forward P/S multiple of 5.95, while ADP trades at 4.41, highlighting Intuit's relatively discounted valuation.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Investment Outlook
While pricing pressure in the DIY tax business and continued AI investments could weigh on near-term results, Intuit appears well-positioned to benefit from the long-term expansion of AI-powered financial services. Investors should monitor AI monetization, TurboTax performance and margin trends for evidence that these initiatives are translating into sustainable earnings growth.
Given the current balance of opportunities and risks, the stock appears well-suited for existing shareholders to hold. Prospective investors, however, may prefer to wait for a more attractive entry point or greater visibility into future growth.
Currently, Intuit carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days
Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."
Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention.
See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Intuit Inc. (INTU): Free Stock Analysis Report
Paychex, Inc. (PAYX): Free Stock Analysis Report
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).