Bill Ackman’s stock is off to a great start since its debut. But analysts are leery from here
Pershing Square has rallied in the weeks following its initial public offering, making the stock look a little too expensive to investors, according to several shops on the Street. The Bill Ackman-founded asset management went public nearly a month ago . In May, the stock has surged more than 27%. PS 1M mountain PS 1-mo chart The stock, which trades under the ticker PS, debuted alongside closed-end fund Pershing Square USA, or PSUS, on the New York Stock Exchange. Their combined IPO raised $5 billion, pricing at the lower end of analysts’ expectations. The investment firm’s rally suggests there’s a lot to like about its stock, some analysts say. But many analysts are still wary given the elevated valuation valuation. “Since the Apr ’26 IPO, PS has traded far above valuations of other asset managers, a result we found unsurprising directionally,” Wells Fargo analyst Robert Ryan said Tuesday in a note to clients. “This is supported by meaningful, differentiating positives (e.g., historical fund performance, lack of redemption risk, high margins and operating leverage, and scarcity value as a traded hedge fund with an unusual asymmetric hedging strategy). We expect PS to continue to command premium valuations but not necessarily to the current extent.” Wells Fargo has an equal weight rating on the stock. The bank also put a $37 price target on shares, suggesting roughly 4% upside from Friday’s close. Bank of America, UBS and RBC Capital Markets also initiated coverage with a hold-equivalent rating. One exception is Citi, which assigned a buy rating on Pershing Square and called for a big gain ahead. Bank of America: neutral, $42 Analyst Craig Siegenthaler’s price target indicates upside of nearly 18%. “Pershing Square is a high-quality, permanent capital asset manager with a differentiated ‘Baby Buffett’ model that earns a royalty on long-term compounding, and while we are constructive on its strong brand, scalable economics and ability to drive long-term NAV growth, we are more cautious on earnings volatility given its concentrated portfolio.” RBC Capital Markets: sector perform, $40 Analyst Kenneth Lee’s target points to 12% upside from Friday’s close. “Pershing Square, led by Mr. Bill Ackman, is a management company with a long, successful investment track record and many favorable attributes including permanent capital base; predominantly recurring fee-related earnings; high-margin business model with operating leverage. However we see limited upside potential to shares given the current valuation.” UBS: neutral, $39 Michael Brown’s target equates to 9% upside from Friday’s close. “PS is a differentiated, publicly traded hedge fund manager with ~96% permanent capital base that drives stable, recurring fees and long-term NAV compounding. PS is a ‘stock-of-one’ with a clear structural edge and its model is simple, scalable, and benefits from operating leverage…However, the stock already prices in much of this strength. At current levels, investors are paying for durability and growth visibility. Further upside likely depends on stronger performance or new capital raises, leaving risk/reward balanced.” Citi: buy, $50 Matthew Heimermann’s target corresponds to upside of around 40% from Friday’s close. “The company offers investors a combination of some of the best attributes of an asset manager—permanent capital, high recurring fee rates, and leading incremental margins—all of which are positive for relative valuation. However, current multiples appear to reflect these positives, which short-term implies upside is likely to be tied to asset gathering or performance.”
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