3 software stocks that can help companies control AI costs

Enterprise AI is facing a cost reality check as companies rein in token usage, push for cheaper models, and question how much money they’re willing to spend on premium providers like OpenAI and Anthropic. This has put cost optimization software in the spotlight as boards and finance teams seek a clearer view of their IT and AI spend, more control, and better value for existing contracts. In this article, we highlight three stocks from our screen of enterprise cost optimization software providers that we believe are positively exposed to that change. This will help you assess where disciplined cost management tools do or do not fit into your portfolio.

Gartner (IT)

overview: Gartner is a global research and advisory firm that helps executives make business and technology decisions through subscription research, expert access, conferences, and consulting services focused on IT cost optimization, digital transformation, procurement, and more.

operation: Gartner generates the majority of its $6.5 billion in revenue from Insights subscriptions of approximately $5.1 billion, with approximately $650 million from conferences, $532 million from consulting, and $181 million from other sources. Geographically, the United States and Canada contributed approximately USD 4 billion, EMEA approximately USD 1.7 billion, and other international regions approximately USD 780 million.

Market capitalization: $8.7 billion

Gartner is at the center of the AI ​​cost conversation, advising CIOs and CFOs who are capping AI spending, demanding clearer ROI, and seeking help adjusting model selection, contracts, and usage. This advisory role is supported by a large regular Insights business and tools like AskGartner. Recent earnings updates have noted contract value trends and higher guidance, but some investors have noted slowing subscription growth and concentrated exposure to large enterprise budgets. Analysts note that the stock is trading below some estimates of its fair value, giving it room for price appreciation. Gartner presents a combination of AI-related demand, high margins, and debt-related risks that may require close consideration for investors focused on disciplined corporate cost management.

Gartner’s repeated advisory work on the Insights engine and AI may be masking the real tension between growth expectations, margins, and debt. Get the full context of 3 key rewards and 2 important warning signs.

Sage Group (LSE:SGE)

overview: Sage Group is a UK-based software company that provides cloud-based accounting, payroll, human resources, and financial management tools, including Sage Intacct and Sage Accounting, to small and medium-sized businesses in North America, Europe, the UK, and other international markets.

operation: Sage Group generates revenues of approximately £1.2bn from North America and £682m from Europe, with a segment adjustment of £766m applied across its reporting structure.

Market capitalization: 7.1 billion pounds

Investors focused on cost pressures on premium AI providers may find Sage Group interesting. Because Sage Group is already embedded within customers’ financial and HR workflows, helping them track expenses, cash flow, and budgets while overlaying proprietary domain-specific AI agents such as Sage Copilot. The company has integrated AI into Intacct, X3, and HCM, partnered with Amazon Web Services, and continues to return cash through dividends and significant share buybacks. It also trades at a lower earnings multiple than the European software sector as a whole. But there are also obvious risks, including high debt, insider sales, and questions about how quickly Sage can turn its use of AI into lasting revenue, so it’s worth taking a closer look at the current setup rather than simply taking a “yes” or “no” decision.

Sage Group sits at the convergence of AI hype and real-world financial workflows, where dividends, share buybacks, and lower earnings multiples are raising new questions about risk and reward. See 6 major rewards and 2 key warning signs of what you might be missing next.

Coupa Software (COUP)

overview: Coupa Software provides a cloud-based business spend management platform that enables companies to manage procurement, invoices, expenses, payments, and supplier risk. This allows finance and IT teams to understand where their money is going and aim to reduce waste across their operations.

Market capitalization: 6.1 billion dollars

Coupa Software is integrated directly into the enterprise purchasing chain and is at the center of current efforts to contain AI and IT costs while reaping value from premium providers. While its platform and new AI tools like Coupa Compose and Business Spend Index leverage real trading data to help customers rein in runaway spending, investors still face significant trade-offs, including ongoing losses, high P/S multiples, and reliance on external borrowing. With partnerships such as Celonis and Trustpair expected to deliver strong revenue growth but not short-term profitability, a key consideration is whether Coupa’s spend intelligence and AI agents justify the risk profile of an enterprise’s efficiency-focused, cost-conscious portfolio.

Coupa Software’s spend engine and AI agents have the potential to reshape the way businesses monitor all their invoices and contracts. But the real story lies in 2 significant rewards and 1 significant warning sign.

These three stocks are just a starting point. Simply Wall St’s complete enterprise cost optimization software provider screen revealed 13 more companies with equally compelling stories for spend analytics, IT cost management, and operational discipline that we haven’t seen yet in this article. To go further, use the Enterprise Cost Optimization Software Provider Screener to identify and analyze the specific triggers and narratives that are most important to you, so you can focus on the ideas with the highest conviction on the subject.

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Looking for a fresh alternative beyond the current?

Fresh ideas don’t stay in the spotlight for long, and momentum can change quickly as new themes break out or cool down, so consider your next steps before the crowd and act on your own strategy.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary using only unbiased methodologies, based on historical data and analyst forecasts, and articles are not intended to be financial advice. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take into account your objectives or financial situation. We aim to provide long-term, focused analysis based on fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest announcements or qualitative material from price-sensitive companies. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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