UiPath drops 20% as DOGE headwinds dent guidance

The move: UiPath sank 20% in premarket trading on Thursday, hitting a year-to-date low of $9.45 per share. The stock is down about 7% year-to-date through Wednesday's close.

Why: The AI-driven software firm posted revenue guidance that missed investors' expectations. For the first quarter, the automation software platform expects to deliver between $330 million and $335 million of revenue compared to consensus estimates of $367.4 million.

CEO Daniel Dines cited geopolitics as a fourth-quarter headwind, and pointed toward changes in Washington as an ongoing challenge in the quarters ahead.

"While we remain confident in our public sector business, the transition in the government that began in January impacted the timing of deal closures. And as a result, we came in slightly below our expectations for ARR in the fourth quarter," he said in a conference call statement.

Rising macro-volatility was also a factor in UiPath's outlook.

What it means: The comments are a nod to the vast budget cuts pursued by the Department of Government Efficiency. The body, formed under President Donald Trump, has been slashing federal spending across executive departments. Dines comments indicate an early example of how DOGE's actions may be impacting companies that contract with the government. The CEO noted that UiPath works closely with federal customers and that it's government business has been among the best-performing verticals. "We saw the disruption starting in January. In the conversations with customers, look, the disruption has continued, and we expect it to continue for the near future," he said. Shares in Palantir have been similarly tumbled through 2025 on federal transitions under Trump. Previous discussions to slash defense financing dented the retail darling, which works closely with the Department of Defense.