Autodesk delivers strong Q4 results but offers a cautious outlook for the year to come

Computer-aided design software pioneer Autodesk Inc. posted strong fourth-quarter financial results today, beating expectations on earnings and revenue.

However, the company followed up with weak guidance for the next three-month period and its stock dipped slightly in the after-hours trading session, having made gains earlier in the day.

The company reported earnings before certain costs such as stock compensation of $1.50 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion, up 17% from a year ago. That resulted in a net income for the period of $89.1 million.

The results surpassed expectations, with analysts looking for earnings of $1.43 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion. Autodesk also posted its full fiscal 2021 results, revealing a net profit of $497 million on revenue of $4.39 billion.

Autodesk President and Chief Executive Andrew Anagnost said the company is building “enduring partnerships” and enjoying “shared growth” with its customers. “With consistent investment in technology and talent, and the evolution of our business model and customer experience, I’m excited and optimistic about Autodesk’s future,” he insisted.

Autodesk sells computer aided design software to customers in a wide range of industries, including the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, media and entertainment sectors, to name just a few. The company is one of the pioneers of CAD, and has played a key role in the development of new technologies such as robotics, augmented and virtual reality and 3D printing. Customers use Autodesk’s software to design everything from movies to skyscrapers to high-performance sports cars.

The company derives its revenue from three business segments, the most valuable of which by far is its Design segment. Revenue there came to $1.05 billion, Autodesk said, up 16% from a year ago. Meanwhile, revenue from the Make business came to $99 million, up 21%, and sales from Maintenance plans added another $23 million, down 25% from the year before.

Autodesk also reported total billings of $1.66 billion at the end of the quarter, up 13% from a year ago. Billings is an important metric for investors that refers to the invoice amount billed to customers. Hence, it’s a strong indicator of a company’s future revenue.

Despite the solid if unspectacular growth the company has enjoyed over the past year, Autodesk executives took a cautious stance on the next quarter and full year. The company said it’s expecting first quarter earnings of between $1.30 and $1.36 per share, which is well below the consensus estimate of $1.51. Similarly, Autodesk’s revenue forecast of $1.15 billion to $1.16 billion was below Wall Street’s estimate of $1.18 billion.

For the full year, Autodesk said it expects earnings of between $6.46 and $6.83 per share, the midpoint of which is below Wall Street’s forecast of $6.78 per share.

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