Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) ended Wednesday, December 17, 2025 lower in regular trading, then turned modestly higher in after-hours action — a familiar pattern on a day when investors broadly de-risked across U.S. equities.
By the closing bell, Intuit shares finished at $660.78, down 1.28%. [1] That left the stock about 18.8% below its 52-week high of $813.70 (set July 30), underscoring how far the tax-and-small-business software leader has pulled back from its mid-year peak. [2]
After the bell, the stock nudged back into the low-$660s in extended trading. Intuit’s own historical-data feed showed $663.32 at 6:23 p.m. ET, up 0.38% after-hours, while other market data snapshots showed prices ranging from roughly $661 to $664 during the evening. [3]
Below is what mattered for INTU after hours — and what traders and long-term investors will be watching before the market opens Thursday, December 18.
INTU after-hours: a small rebound after a weak close
The key numbers from Wednesday’s session and the after-hours tape:
- Regular session close:$660.78 (down 1.28%) [4]
- After-hours: hovered around $661–$664, depending on timestamp and venue [5]
- After-hours activity: Intuit’s historical-data page reported after-hours volume alongside the late quote [6]
The move wasn’t a headline-driven spike; it looked more like post-close stabilization after a risk-off regular session.
Why Intuit stock fell Wednesday: market-wide pressure, not an INTU-specific shock
Intuit’s decline played out during an “all-around dismal” day for stocks, with the S&P 500 down 1.16% and the Dow down 0.47% by the close, according to MarketWatch’s end-of-day recap. [7] Barron’s similarly described a midweek market drop that hit tech particularly hard, noting the Nasdaq’s deeper slide in that rotation. [8]
Reuters coverage of the day’s market tone pointed to investors juggling rate-path uncertainty, inflation worries, and AI-related capex concerns across big tech and infrastructure. [9] That matters for Intuit because, like many high-quality software franchises, the stock’s valuation and sentiment can swing with bond yields and the market’s appetite for growth.
Peer check: INTU underperformed some software neighbors
In Wednesday’s tape, Intuit lagged several peers highlighted in the same MarketWatch recap — including Adobe and Paychex — even as Oracle was notably weaker. [10]
Today’s INTU-related news cycle: brand marketing + valuation/AI debate
While there wasn’t a single blockbuster corporate filing moving the stock late Wednesday, several INTU-adjacent items shaped the day’s narrative:
1) Intuit’s own news flow: no new top-tier press release dated Dec. 17
Intuit’s investor-relations press-release page shows the most recent company releases clustered earlier in December and November, with no new IR release dated December 17 on the list view. [11]
2) QuickBooks launches a new brand campaign (published Dec. 17)
Intuit’s QuickBooks blog published a campaign-focused post on December 17 highlighting the “Outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks” brand push, centered on the message that QuickBooks pairs AI agents with human experts to help small businesses. [12]
This isn’t the kind of item that typically moves a mega-cap stock overnight, but it reinforces a key theme investors keep circling: Intuit positioning AI as a product layer that drives retention, pricing power, and new services.
3) “AI laggards” narrative includes Intuit in today’s market commentary
Barron’s pointed to investor interest in AI-related companies that may have fallen behind the leaders and could “catch up,” explicitly naming Intuit among other large enterprise/tech names investors are reconsidering on valuation and earnings power. [13]
4) Fresh valuation takes published today
A Simply Wall St write-up published today argued Intuit looks undervalued by about 12.6% using its DCF framework. [14]
Treat this as one analytical model (not a consensus fact), but it fits with what’s been happening across the tape: investors have been re-pricing “quality software” as macro uncertainty rises.
5) Technical/trading-oriented analysis published today
A StockTradersDaily post dated Dec. 17 provided a multi-timeframe readout that framed near- and mid-term signals as “neutral,” with specific support/resistance zones. [15]
This kind of analysis can influence very short-term trading behavior (especially around key macro prints), even if long-term investors focus more on fundamentals.
Analyst forecasts and price targets: what the Street implies from here
Even after Wednesday’s pullback, the broad analyst picture remains constructive:
- Investing.com’s consensus snapshot lists an average 12‑month price target around $803.89, with a wide range (high estimate $971, low estimate $600) and an overall “Buy”-leaning consensus. [16]
- MarketBeat’s consensus price target sits near $796.60, implying about 20% upside from Wednesday’s close. [17]
Those targets aren’t guarantees — but they do show that, despite volatility, Wall Street’s baseline expectation still leans toward INTU recovering into 2026.
Fundamentals investors are still anchoring to: Intuit’s FY2026 outlook and AI push
Although not “new today,” the most important fundamental reference point for INTU remains the company’s most recent earnings and guidance, which still frames the stock’s medium-term debate.
In Intuit’s fiscal Q1 2026 update (released in November), the company reiterated full-year guidance and discussed momentum tied to its AI-driven platform strategy. [18] Key items from that guidance package included:
- FY2026 revenue growth outlook: roughly 12%–13% [19]
- Q2 FY2026 outlook (quarter ending Jan. 31): revenue growth ~14%–15% and non-GAAP EPS $3.63–$3.68 (as guided at that time) [20]
- A continued drumbeat around AI-enabled workflows across QuickBooks/TurboTax/Credit Karma, and the company’s partnership activity in that direction [21]
This matters for tomorrow morning because, in the absence of new company-specific news, macro and rates usually dominate the next day’s open — but investors still decide whether to “buy dips” or “sell rips” based on how confident they are in that underlying growth-and-margin story.
What to know before the market opens Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025
Here are the main near-term catalysts that could affect INTU at the open — even if none are “about Intuit” directly.
1) CPI is due Thursday morning (and it may be market-moving)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics schedule shows the Consumer Price Index release for November 2025 is set for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 (8:30 a.m. ET). [22]
One important wrinkle: BLS also noted that, following the 2025 data-lapse disruption, the November CPI release “will not include 1‑month percent changes” for categories where October data are missing. [23]
That could raise the odds of headline confusion even if the broader inflation trend is clear — and confusion can amplify volatility in index futures and high-duration software stocks.
Why INTU cares: If CPI comes in hotter than expected (or is perceived as sticky), yields can rise and compress multiples. If CPI cools, the market often rotates back toward higher-quality growth.
2) Weekly jobless claims hit at the same time
Initial jobless claims are also scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET Thursday. [24]
With inflation and labor data landing together, the open can turn into a quick “rates repricing” event — again, something that tends to spill into software leaders like Intuit.
3) Big premarket earnings can shape software/services sentiment
NASDAQ’s pre-market earnings preview for Dec. 18 flagged several widely followed names reporting before the bell — including Accenture (ACN) and FactSet (FDS) among others. [25]
Even though Accenture and FactSet aren’t direct “TurboTax competitors,” their commentary can influence how investors feel about enterprise demand, spending priorities, and AI ROI, which has been a major market theme. [26]
4) Keep an eye on “AI trade” positioning and macro headlines
Reuters’ market coverage Wednesday emphasized how quickly sentiment can shift around AI spending narratives and interest-rate expectations. [27]
If futures are volatile overnight, INTU can gap even without company news.
Levels investors are watching after Wednesday’s close
Without turning this into a trading call, Wednesday’s action leaves a few obvious reference points on the chart that market participants often focus on:
- The $660 area now acts as a near-term pivot because it was Wednesday’s closing neighborhood. [28]
- If volatility spikes on CPI, traders often watch whether the stock holds above recent support zones flagged by short-term technical services. [29]
- On the upside, any rebound typically faces friction near prior intraday congestion from recent sessions (where sellers previously stepped in).
The takeaway for INTU holders heading into Dec. 18
Intuit stock closed down meaningfully Wednesday, then firmed slightly after hours, suggesting there’s still interest in the name at these levels — but the next real direction cue is likely to come from Thursday morning macro data (CPI + jobless claims) and broader risk sentiment, not from an Intuit-specific headline.
At the same time, the “bull case” investors continue to cite — durable small business and consumer fintech ecosystems plus a deepening AI product layer — remains reflected in analyst targets clustered around the high-$700s to low-$800s over a 12‑month horizon. [30]
For the opening bell Thursday, the most practical question isn’t “What did Intuit announce after hours?” — it’s “How will the market reprice growth stocks once the CPI print hits the tape at 8:30 a.m. ET?” [31]
References
1. www.marketwatch.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. investors.intuit.com, 4. www.marketwatch.com, 5. investors.intuit.com, 6. investors.intuit.com, 7. www.marketwatch.com, 8. www.barrons.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.marketwatch.com, 11. investors.intuit.com, 12. quickbooks.intuit.com, 13. www.barrons.com, 14. simplywall.st, 15. news.stocktradersdaily.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. www.marketbeat.com, 18. investors.intuit.com, 19. investors.intuit.com, 20. investors.intuit.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.bls.gov, 23. www.bls.gov, 24. www.investing.com, 25. www.nasdaq.com, 26. www.barrons.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. www.marketwatch.com, 29. news.stocktradersdaily.com, 30. www.investing.com, 31. www.bls.gov
