NOW vs. PTC: ServiceNow vs. PTC Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC) both belong to the Software industry, though NOW is classified under Systems Software while PTC falls under Application Software.

Company profile comparison for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Profile Item	NOW	PTC
Name	ServiceNow Inc.	PTC Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Systems Software	Application Software
Market Capitalization	105.84 billion USD	21.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 29, 2012	December 8, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NOW

PTC

GSPC

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Total Return (1Y)	-39.72%	11.18%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-5.71%	9.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.55%	9.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NOW

PTC

GSPC

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	64.49%	48.48%
Beta (5Y)	0.98	0.90
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.54%	-48.12%
Avg. Volume (3M)	15.74M	2.42M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NOW and PTC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.68	0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.89	0.27

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 28.55% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ServiceNow (NOW) at 11.85% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PTC.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

11.85%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
NOW: 11.85%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

28.55%

Max: 53.85%
PTC: 28.55%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 37.80% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of ServiceNow (NOW) at 9.36%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

9.36%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
NOW: 9.36%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

37.80%

Max: 41.17%
PTC: 37.80%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 32.87% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ServiceNow (NOW) at 17.39%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

17.39%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
NOW: 17.39%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

32.87%

Max: 46.89%
PTC: 32.87%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
ROE (TTM)	11.85%	28.55%
ROA (TTM)	4.59%	8.86%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.36%	37.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.39%	32.87%
Gross Margin (TTM)	73.08%	83.29%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 20.88% and PTC (PTC) at 19.18% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

PTC (PTC) at 96.79% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while ServiceNow (NOW) at 22.08% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for PTC.

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	20.88%	19.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.38%	12.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.08%	96.79%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	73.46%	32.32%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: ServiceNow (NOW) shows current ratio of 0.72 against its industry benchmark, while PTC (PTC) has no reading this period.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.72

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
NOW: 0.72
Min: 0.03

PTC

Software & Services industry group

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03
PTC: --

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): PTC does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; NOW is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 0.64 and PTC (PTC) at 0.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
NOW: 0.64
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.53

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
PTC: 0.53
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.72	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.64	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.18	1.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither ServiceNow (NOW) nor PTC (PTC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PTC: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither ServiceNow (NOW) nor PTC (PTC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PTC

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PTC: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PTC (PTC) at 21.84 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while ServiceNow (NOW) at 73.36 sits in the richer quartile — NOW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

73.36

Max: 112.94
NOW: 73.36
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

PTC

Software & Services industry group

21.84

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
PTC: 21.84
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both ServiceNow (NOW) at 6.86 and PTC (PTC) at 7.75 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

6.86

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
NOW: 6.86
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

PTC

Software & Services industry group

7.75

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
PTC: 7.75
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both ServiceNow (NOW) at 8.08 and PTC (PTC) at 6.22 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

8.08

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
NOW: 8.08
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

PTC

Software & Services industry group

6.22

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
PTC: 6.22
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. PTC (PTC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and PTC (PTC)
Metric	NOW	PTC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	73.36	21.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.86	7.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.08	6.22
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.44%	--