Screened 2026-09-16 · the tape above runs as of 21:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
The Label · The Season, Not the Day
This name holds its distribution label.
BlackLine, Inc. holds its Distribution at $28.16. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 30 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-09-16
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 30 days
Price at the screen
$28.16
Valuation
50.29 trailing · 10.13 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
0.65
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
52.31%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 52.3% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
22.06%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 22.1% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
34.56%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 34.6% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
4.69%
Below 5%
Only 4.7% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-16 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 57.6% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 10 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +26% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-16 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Finance teams still wrestling with month end spreadsheets
Every month end, finance teams chase numbers across dozens of systems and time zones. BlackLine sells cloud tools that promise to automate the close and reconciliation grind. The business clears our ethical screen and trades at 10.8 times forward earnings with a 65 percent gap to our fair value of 50 dollars.
Yet the numbers do not justify stepping in. Revenue growth sits at just 10 percent, profit margins at 4 percent and return on equity at 7 percent, while the moat remains unknown. Eleven analysts rate the shares a hold with a 40 dollar median target. Opportunity rating stays at none.
Low returns and modest growth leave little room for error if competition intensifies or budgets tighten. Currency moves and customer concentration add further pressure on an already thin margin base. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market; it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
BL trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-08-23Markup$28.42-6.2%Entry 5
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 6.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $42.
2026-07-23Markup · changed$30.29+5.4%Entry 4
The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 5.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $42.
2026-07-18Distribution$28.73+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (13 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $42.
2026-07-03Distribution$28.73+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$28.73Entry 1
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
