Shares in Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) are roaring back to life on Friday.
During afternoon trade, the ASX tech stock surged 9.5% to $80.69 as investors piled back into the beaten-down software giant following Thursday's brutal sell-off.
Even after today's strong rebound, Xero shares remain down around 29% year to date and roughly 53% over the past 12 months at the time of writing. That is a dramatic underperformance compared to the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has gained about 5% over the same period.
So, why are investors suddenly warming to the tech stock again?
Image source: Getty Images
Classic relief rally
The biggest driver for Xero shares today appears to be a classic relief rally.
On Thursday, investors aggressively dumped Xero shares. They reacted negatively to concerns around profitability and falling margins tied to the company's major US expansion push and integration costs associated with its acquisition of Melio.
But after the initial panic selling faded, the market seems to have refocused on the stronger parts of Xero's latest result — and there were plenty of positives hiding beneath the surface.
Revenue for the year surged 31% to NZ$2.75 billion. It shows that customer demand for the company's accounting software platform remains very strong.
Cracking the US market
Subscriber growth also continued accelerating, particularly in the US, where organic growth reportedly climbed 30%. That is significant because cracking the massive US small-business market has long been seen as one of Xero's biggest long-term growth opportunities.
The company also delivered strong recurring revenue growth, with annualised recurring revenue jumping 37%.
Importantly, management's FY27 outlook also appears to have reassured investors. Xero's guidance points toward another year of roughly 34% revenue growth. It suggests the company still sees substantial momentum ahead despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.
Artificial intelligence also seems to become a bigger part of the investment story. Management highlighted growing adoption of AI-powered tools including its "Just Ask Xero" assistant, alongside partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic.
Those initiatives should improve automation, boost productivity, and deepen customer engagement across the platform.
What next for Xero shares?
Another factor likely supporting today's rally was Xero's announcement of a NZ$550 million share buyback. Buybacks are often interpreted as a sign management believes the market has become overly pessimistic about the company's valuation.
And after a 53% share price collapse over the past year, investors may finally be starting to view Xero shares as oversold.
Of course, risks still remain. The company continues investing heavily in growth, particularly in the US. Investors will want evidence that margins can eventually stabilise and recover. Tech sector volatility also remains elevated more broadly.
Still, today's powerful rebound suggests many investors believe the market may have overreacted to Thursday's sell-off. And that Xero's long-term growth story remains very much intact.
