Bentley Systems: Defensive Vertical SW and Physical AI Beneficiary; Reinstate at Buy and $40 PO

Research evidence excerpt

Bentley Systems: Defensive Vertical SW and Physical AI Beneficiary; Reinstate at Buy and $40 PO

Durable FY26 outlook, highlighting cyclicality insulation

We believe that 2026 subscription revenue growth guidance of 12% in CC highlights the

durability of the company’s growth, largely in line with growth rates over the prior two

years, with some room for potential upside from Asset Analytics. ARR growth guidance

of 11.5% in CC is consistent with growth over the last few years, highlighting the

Company’s insulation against cyclical trends, as well as strong predictability of end-

markets.

We also favor FCF margin guidance of 31.5% above the vertical peer average of 23%;

minimal M&A impact of ~40bps to ARR growth, reflecting high-quality organic growth;

and a rebound in services revenue that management flagged as sustainable.

M&A deepens Bentley’s Infrastructure data moat

The integration of Cesium, along with the recent December acquisitions of Talon

Aerolytics and Pointivo, expands Bentley beyond design software into real-world

infrastructure data and analytics. Cesium adds accurate 3D location context, which

allows Bentley’s iTwin platform to tie engineering models to what exists above and

below the ground, making the data usable for automation and AI. Talon and Pointivo

strengthen this by turning drone imagery into automated inspections and asset

condition insights, driving Bentley’s asset analytics business to a ~$50mn revenue run

rate exiting 2025.

On the subsurface side, Seequent remains a competitive advantage, as Bentley controls

critical geological data that is embedded in infrastructure and mining workflows.

Continued progress in Seequent’s tools supports the idea that AI will improve specialized

engineering work rather than replace it.