The ticker for Snap Inc. (SNAP) is flashing red on screens again. If you’re looking at the snapchat stock price today, it’s sitting at roughly $7.88 as of mid-afternoon on January 14, 2026. That’s a drop of about 1.4% since the morning opening.
Honestly, it feels like a familiar story for anyone who has held these shares over the last couple of years.
While the broader tech sector has been riding a wave of AI-fueled optimism, Snap continues to be the outlier. Just yesterday, the stock closed at $7.99, but today the bears seem to have the upper hand. The intraday low hit $7.78, which is uncomfortably close to that 52-week basement of $6.90.
The Elephant in the Room: Why is it Dropping?
You've probably noticed that when Meta or Google breathe, Snap catches a cold. But today's pressure is more specific. Analysts at BNP Paribas recently initiated coverage with an "Underperform" rating. They aren't exactly mincing words. They’re worried about "anemic" growth in Europe and a U.S. market that feels like it’s plateauing.
There's also the "Sora" factor.
Ever since OpenAI dropped its social video app, Sora, last October, investors have been terrified that Snapchat's core audience—the people who just want to make and watch short videos—will migrate to more "generative" pastures.
It’s a tough spot.
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Snap isn't just fighting TikTok anymore. It's fighting the very concept of how video is created.
What the Numbers Actually Say
Let's skip the corporate fluff and look at the hard data from the most recent reports:
- Market Cap: Roughly $13.56 billion. For context, this company was worth over $70 billion five years ago.
- Revenue Growth: The last quarter showed a 10% jump to $1.51 billion. That actually beat what Wall Street expected, but the market's memory is short.
- User Base: This is the weird part. People are still using the app. They hit 477 million daily active users recently.
- Earnings per Share (EPS): The trailing twelve months (TTM) EPS is sitting at -$0.29.
Basically, Snap has a "math" problem. They have the people, but they aren't turning those eyeballs into enough profit to satisfy the big institutional desks.
The "Perplexity" Hail Mary
Is there a silver lining? Kinda.
Back in November, Snap announced a $400 million partnership with Perplexity AI. The goal is to bake AI-powered search directly into the Snapchat chat interface. The market initially loved this—the stock surged nearly 20% on the news—but that excitement has mostly evaporated as we wait for the actual rollout this year.
If this works, Snapchat becomes a "distribution channel" for AI. If it doesn't, it's just another feature that users might ignore in favor of ChatGPT or Gemini.
Are We at the Bottom?
Investors like Brian Nowak from Morgan Stanley have been adjusting targets. He recently nudged a price target up from $8.50 to $9.50, which suggests there might be some "valuation support" at these levels.
But then you have Goldman Sachs lowering their target to $8.50.
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The "average" price target across 33 analysts is around $9.90. If you buy the snapchat stock price today at under $8.00, the math says there is a 20% upside if the analysts are right. That’s a big "if" in a market that has been punishing Snap for nearly three years straight.
The Real Risks Nobody Mentions
Everyone talks about TikTok. Nobody talks about the sixth-generation "Specs" launch. Snap is betting the farm on Augmented Reality (AR) glasses.
If the 2026 Specs launch is a dud, the "camera company" narrative might finally die.
Also, watch the insiders. The CFO recently offloaded about $249,000 worth of stock in late December. It’s not a massive "fire sale," but it’s rarely a vote of confidence when the C-suite is trimming their positions right before the Q4 earnings call, which is expected around February 3, 2026.
Actionable Insights for Your Portfolio
- Watch the $7.00 Level: This is the psychological floor. If the snapchat stock price today breaks below $7.70 and heads toward $7.00, the technical "sell-off" could accelerate.
- Earnings is the Catalyst: Mark February 3 on your calendar. Analysts are looking for an EPS of $0.15 and revenue of $1.7 billion. Anything less will likely be a bloodbath.
- Check the "Sponsored Snaps": This is a new ad format in the chat inbox. Early data suggests a 22% increase in conversions. If management mentions this growing in the next call, it’s a sign they’ve finally figured out how to monetize the "Chat" tab without annoying everyone.
- Hedge Your Bets: If you're long on SNAP, consider the competitive landscape. If you also own Meta, you're essentially betting on both the hunter and the hunted.
Snap is currently a "Hold" for most of the big firms. It's a high-risk, high-reward play that depends entirely on whether they can turn "fun filters" into "functional AI." For now, the market is firmly in "show me" mode.