Workday stock slips on light quarterly forecast

Workday shares slipped as much as 11% in extended trading on Tuesday after the human resources and finance software maker issued a quarterly forecast that came in below Wall Street projections.

For the fiscal fourth quarter, Workday called for an adjusted operating margin of 25% on $2.03 billion in subscription revenue. Analysts polled by StreetAccount were looking for a 25.5% margin and $2.04 billion in subscription revenue.

Here's how the company performed during the fiscal third quarter in relation to LSEG consensus:

Workday's total revenue grew about 16% year over year in the quarter ended on Oct. 31, according to a statement. Subscription revenue totaled $1.96 billion, up around 16%, consistent with the $1.96 billion consensus among analysts surveyed by StreetAccount.

The company reported net income of $193 million or 72 cents per share, up $114 million or 43 cents per share in the same quarter a year ago. The adjusted operating margin for the quarter was 26.3%. StreetAccount had expected 25.4%.

Workday said Rob Enslin, the former Google and SAP executive who stepped down as UiPath CEO in June, was joining as president and chief commercial officer. In October Workday told employees that Doug Robinson, a co-president, will retire

During the quarter, Workday acquired contract lifecycle management software startup Evisort. Workday also said artificial intelligence agents for spotting inefficiencies, filing expense reports and updating succession plans would become available in early access in 2025.

As of Tuesday's close, Workday shares were down 2% in 2024, while the S&P 500 index had gained 26%.

Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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