NEBIUS (NBIS) experienced a significant pre-market plunge of 5.07% on Friday, reflecting heightened investor caution ahead of the regular trading session.

The sharp decline follows BNP Paribas initiating coverage of the stock with a Neutral rating and a $255 price target. Analyst Stefan Slowinski and his team noted that NEBIUS has surged over 210% year-to-date as a popular vehicle for investors betting on the AI compute shortage theme, and that the recent rally has significantly compressed future upside potential. The bank simultaneously initiated coverage on competitor CoreWeave with an Outperform rating, signaling a relative preference shift that may have prompted portfolio rebalancing away from NEBIUS. Furthermore, insider selling activity disclosed earlier in the week, including an executive's sale of 10,800 shares, contributed to the negative sentiment.

Adding to the pressure was a broad sell-off in the Systems Software sector, with peers like Oracle and CrowdStrike also trading lower, creating a sector-wide drag that amplified NEBIUS's pullback in the pre-market session.