As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the design software industry, including Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) and its peers.
The demand for rich, interactive 2D, 3D, VR and AR experiences is growing, and while the ubiquitous metaverse might still be more of a buzzword than a real thing, what is real is the demand for the tools to create these experiences, whether they are games, 3D tours or interactive movies.
The 6 design software stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 9.3% since the latest earnings results.
Best Q4: Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK)
Founded in 1982 by John Walker and growing into one of the industry's behemoths, Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) makes computer-aided design (CAD) software for engineering, construction, and architecture companies.
Autodesk reported revenues of $1.64 billion, up 11.6% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with full-year guidance of accelerating revenue growth and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
"Autodesk is focused on the convergence of design and make in the cloud, enabled by platform, industry clouds, and AI. We are reallocating internal resources toward these critical areas and beginning the optimization of our go-to-market functions to better meet the evolving needs of our customers and channel partners," said Andrew Anagnost, Autodesk president and CEO.
Autodesk delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. The stock is down 9.2% since reporting and currently trades at $256.51.
We think Autodesk is a good business, but is it a buy today? Read our full report here, it’s free.
Unity (NYSE: U)
Started as a game studio by three friends in a Copenhagen apartment, Unity (NYSE: U) is a software as a service platform that makes it easier to develop and monetize new games and other visual digital experiences.
Unity reported revenues of $457.1 million, down 25% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.9%. The business had a satisfactory quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates but revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations.
Unity scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 10.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $23.69.
Is now the time to buy Unity? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)
Used to design the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial airplanes, PTC’s (NASDAQ: PTC) software-as-service platform helps engineers and designers create and test products before manufacturing.
PTC reported revenues of $565.1 million, up 2.7% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
PTC delivered the weakest full-year guidance update in the group. As expected, the stock is down 14.7% since the results and currently trades at $161.75.
Read our full analysis of PTC’s results here.
Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE)
One of the most well-known Silicon Valley software companies around, Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) is a leading provider of software as service in the digital design and document management space.
Adobe reported revenues of $5.61 billion, up 11.1% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Aside from that, it was a slower quarter as it logged a miss of analysts’ billings estimates and full-year EPS guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.
The stock is down 19.1% since reporting and currently trades at $444.65.
Read our full, actionable report on Adobe here, it’s free.
Procore (NYSE: PCOR)
Used to manage the multi-year expansion of the Panama Canal that began in 2007, Procore (NYSE: PCOR) offers a software-as-service project, finance, and quality management platform for the construction industry.
Procore reported revenues of $302 million, up 16.2% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. More broadly, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Procore scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The company added 113 customers to reach a total of 17,088. The stock is down 3.2% since reporting and currently trades at $72.71.
Read our full, actionable report on Procore here, it’s free.
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