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 19.1% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Progress Software Corporation
PRGS · Nasdaq · USD · Market cap $1.9B · 2,801 employees
Progress Software Corporation provides software products that develops, deploys, and manages artificial intelligence (AI) powered applications and digital experiences in the United States and internationally.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenPrice as of 23 Oct 2026Daily close, not a live quoteLast reviewed 7 days ago
Screened 2026-10-23 · the tape above runs as of 06:02 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
Key facts today
- Price46.45 USD at the 23 Oct 2026 close
- Ethical screenDoes not pass
- OptionsOpen interest leans heavily to calls (put/call 0.10)
- Last reviewed23 Oct 2026 (7 days ago)
A summary of the dated readings below, not a live quote and not advice.
What this means: price 46.45 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 66.25, over the last year.
- Trend Markup
- Insiders insiders sold, $90,678, latest filing 2026-10-21
- Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- Options put/call open interest 0.10, read 2026-10-29
- Ethical does not pass the values gate
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
This name holds its markup label.
Progress Software Corporation holds its Markup at $46.45. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 79 days.
| Phase | Markup |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 79 days |
| Price at the screen | $46.45 |
| Valuation | 21.19 trailing · 6.41 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 70.0 |
| Beta | 0.89 |
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 | 58.18% | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is 58.2% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | 0.00% | Below 33% | Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. | Pass |
| Receivables | 11.82% | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is 11.8% of assets, under the 49% limit. | Pass |
| Revenue purity | 0.18% | Below 5% | Only 0.2% 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.
The Ethical ReadWhy It Falls Short, in Plain English
Progress Software's business is in a permissible area, but its interest-bearing debt is about 58% of the company, well over the ~33% line, so it does not pass on the financial screens.
Read as at 2026-10-29. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
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The Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-23 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 42.6% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 5 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +14% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere 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 2026-10-23 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 WordsLow growth leaves Progress Software on the shelf
Every firm wants its apps to feel smart these days, yet Progress Software sells the tools that help build those AI driven experiences. The business clears our ethical screen and sits on a forward multiple of just 6.5 times, with a 19 percent return on equity and a 40 percent gap to our fair value estimate. Still the opportunity rating stays at none because revenue is rising only 7 percent a year and the moat remains unknown.
That combination of modest growth and an unclear edge keeps us on the sidelines even though profit margins sit at 9 percent and six analysts see little upside beyond 46 dollars. We look for clearer signs that the software can compound over time rather than simply look inexpensive today.
Risk sits around the unknown durability of its products in a crowded AI market and the chance that slow top line expansion turns the low multiple into a trap rather than a bargain. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 6.4xvery cheap relative to earnings |
| Trailing P/E | 21.2xa premium valuation |
| EPS, trailing | 2.17 |
| EPS, forward | 7.18 |
| Revenue growth | -1.5%revenue is shrinking |
| Profit margin | 9.2%thin but positive margins |
| Return on equity | 18.3%a solid return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | 17.05% |
| Debt to equity | 2.39heavy leverage: higher risk if revenue softens |
| Current ratio | 0.80below 1: short-term bills exceed liquid assets |
| Beta | 0.89steadier than the market |
| Short interest, float | 0.17% |
| 52-week range | 23.82 - 47.25 |
| Market cap | $1.9B |
| Employees | 2,801 |
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 TradePRGS 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.
Every Entry, As Written
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 3.7% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Our analysis 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: 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 4.2% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 7.5% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework has shifted from markup to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 11.5% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 28.9% 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. 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 C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $51.
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. 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.
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. 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.
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Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-21 | Jarrett Loren | EVP, GM Digital Experience | S - Sale | 2,086 | $90,678 |
| 2026-10-16 | Folger Anthony | CFO | S - Sale | 3,067 | $123,776 |
| 2026-10-05 | Wang Yufan Stephanie | GC | S - Sale | 1,245 | $46,065 |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
| Date | Politician | Party | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | Kevin Hern | Republican | sell | 15K–50K |
| 2026-08-31 | Kevin Hern | Republican | sell | 15K–50K |
| 2026-08-31 | Kevin Hern | Republican | sell | 15K–50K |
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $28.37 | +12.4% | · | $1,124 | +12.4% |
| 2 months | $26.65 | +19.6% | · | $1,196 | +19.6% |
| 3 months | $35.69 | -10.7% | · | $893 | -10.7% |
| 6 months | $45.10 | -29.3% | · | $707 | -29.3% |
| 1 year | $64.66 | -50.7% | · | $493 | -50.7% |
| 2 years | $49.53 | -35.7% | $0.18 | $647 | -35.3% |
| 3 years | $58.93 | -45.9% | $0.88 | $556 | -44.4% |
| 5 years | $46.09 | -30.8% | $2.28 | $741 | -25.9% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever PRGS does next, these words stay.
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Join the deskScreening is research, not a fatwa and not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public accounts at the screen date shown. Always manage your risk.