SoundHound AI operates in the prepackaged software industry, providing voice AI and conversational intelligence solutions.
It is an emerging leader focused on enabling businesses to integrate advanced voice-enabled interfaces into their products as a key player in the conversational AI space.
Updated: February 09, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on the comprehensive analysis of SOUN, a sell/hold recommendation is advised. Investors should approach this stock with extreme caution.
The technical picture shows a stock in severe distress, deeply oversold and exhibiting extreme volatility that has led to substantial losses. Fundamentally, the company is burning cash at an alarming rate despite a clean balance sheet, with deeply negative profitability and poor operational efficiency. The inability to value the company on earnings metrics, combined with its high price-to-book ratio, suggests the current price lacks a fundamental earnings foundation.
While the strong liquidity and low debt provide a small buffer, the combination of persistent losses, cash burn, and extreme price volatility presents a significant risk of further capital erosion. This stock is suitable only for investors with a very high risk tolerance who are speculating on a distant future turnaround, not for those seeking a sound investment based on current fundamentals.
Based on the comprehensive analysis provided, the 12-month outlook for SOUN is highly speculative and carries significant downside risk. The primary catalysts for any positive movement would be a dramatic improvement in its underlying business fundamentals, such as a path to profitability or a major, unexpected partnership that validates its technology. However, the most significant risks are clear and present: persistent cash burn, deeply negative profitability, and extreme price volatility that could lead to further substantial capital erosion. In the absence of concrete analyst targets, the technical and fundamental distress suggests the current price near $9 is vulnerable, and a more plausible trading range could be wide, perhaps between $4 and $12, reflecting the stock's extreme volatility and lack of earnings foundation. This outlook is suitable only for speculative, high-risk capital.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about SoundHound AI, Inc.'s 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $8.81, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, SOUN has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
SOUN has experienced significant weakness with a substantial decline over recent months.
The stock shows severe short-term deterioration, dropping 19.56% over one month and 41.41% over three months while significantly underperforming the market by 44.37%. SOUN's beta of 2.876 indicates extreme volatility that has magnified these losses compared to broader market movements.
Currently trading near $8.87, SOUN sits closer to its 52-week low of $6.52 than its high of $22.17, suggesting the stock is deeply oversold despite the recent steep decline. The maximum drawdown of -65.65% over the past year confirms the severe selling pressure that has pushed the stock to distressed levels.
| Period | SOUN Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | -20.1% | +0.6% |
| 3m | -41.8% | +2.8% |
| 6m | -12.9% | +11.6% |
| 1y | -42.5% | +14.7% |
| ytd | -16.9% | +1.6% |
Revenue & Profitability SOUN demonstrates concerning profitability metrics with significant operating losses. The company reported a net loss of $109 million in Q3 2025, representing a -259% net profit margin, which deteriorated from -175% in Q2. While gross margins improved to 43% in Q3 from 39% in Q2, this was offset by massive operating expenses that drove substantial negative EBITDA of -$92 million.
Financial Health The company maintains a strong liquidity position with a current ratio of 5.1 and minimal debt, evidenced by a debt-to-equity ratio of just 0.01. However, cash flow metrics are alarming, with negative operating cash flow per share of -$0.08 and a cash flow to debt ratio of -6.8, indicating the company is burning cash despite its clean balance sheet.
Operational Efficiency Operational efficiency metrics reveal significant challenges, with negative returns on assets (-16%) and equity (-27%) indicating poor capital utilization. The low asset turnover of 0.06 suggests inefficient use of assets to generate revenue, while the extended cash conversion cycle of 91 days points to working capital management inefficiencies that are straining liquidity.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardValuation Level SOUN exhibits negative valuation metrics across all key measures (PE, EV/EBITDA), indicating the company is currently generating losses. The negative forward PE ratio further suggests analysts expect continued losses in the near term. Consequently, the stock cannot be considered undervalued based on earnings-based metrics, as these multiples imply no current profitability to support the share price.
Peer Comparison A proper peer comparison cannot be conducted as industry average data is unavailable. This lack of benchmark data makes it impossible to contextualize SOUN's high price-to-book ratio of 9.01 relative to its sector. The absence of comparative metrics significantly limits the ability to draw a meaningful conclusion about its relative valuation standing.
Volatility Risk: SOUN exhibits extremely high volatility with a beta of 2.876, indicating it is nearly three times more volatile than the broader market. This is compounded by a severe one-year maximum drawdown of -65.65%, highlighting significant historical price erosion and substantial downside risk during market downturns. Investors should be prepared for considerable price swings that can lead to rapid capital depreciation.
Other Risks: The stock surprisingly displays no significant short interest, which may suggest a lack of aggressive downside bets from sophisticated investors but does not eliminate fundamental risks. Potential liquidity concerns or dilution risks common in speculative technology stocks could pose material threats. The absence of short pressure should not be misconstrued as an all-clear on other structural vulnerabilities.
Bearish - SOUN carries significant risk at current levels. The stock exhibits extreme volatility (beta 2.9) with persistent operational losses (-259% net margin) and negative cash flow despite revenue growth. While the balance sheet is clean, inefficient capital utilization and high valuation multiples create substantial downside risk. Suitable only for highly risk-tolerant speculators comfortable with potential 65%+ drawdowns.
Based on the provided data, SOUN appears significantly overvalued. The valuation is entirely driven by future growth expectations, as traditional metrics are negative (P/E and Forward P/E) or extremely high (P/S of 24.23, P/B of 9.01) due to a complete lack of current profitability. The company is burning substantial cash with negative EBITDA and has poor operational efficiency. This valuation suggests the market is pricing in rapid, successful future monetization, creating a high-risk premium that is not supported by its present financial performance.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding SOUN stock, ordered by importance:
1. Extreme Financial Losses and Cash Burn: The company is reporting massive operating losses (a -259% net profit margin) and burning cash at an alarming rate, threatening its long-term viability despite a currently strong liquidity position. 2. Severe Price Volatility and Downside Risk: With a beta of nearly 3 and a maximum drawdown of -65.65%, the stock is subject to extreme price swings that have historically led to rapid and significant capital depreciation. 3. Poor Operational Efficiency and Capital Utilization: Negative returns on assets and equity, coupled with a very low asset turnover ratio, indicate fundamental weaknesses in the company's ability to efficiently use its capital to generate profits. 4. Potential for Dilution: As a speculative technology company with negative cash flow, there is a material risk that SOUN may need to raise capital by issuing more shares, which would dilute the ownership stake of existing shareholders.
Based on the alarming financials, SoundHound AI's (SOUN) 2026 outlook is speculative with a high probability of further downside. My forecast includes a base case target of $3-6 and a bull case of $10-15, contingent on a dramatic operational turnaround. Key growth drivers would need to be securing a major, profitable enterprise partnership and a drastic reduction in its cash burn to achieve profitability. The primary assumptions are that revenue growth accelerates meaningfully without a corresponding rise in operating expenses, and that investor sentiment shifts from speculative to fundamentals-based. Given the extreme volatility, negative cash flows, and lack of earnings foundation, this forecast carries very high uncertainty and is suitable only for high-risk, speculative capital.