As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q4. Today, we are looking at finance and HR software stocks, starting with Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU).
Organizations are constantly looking to improve organizational efficiencies, whether it is financial planning, tax management or payroll. Finance and HR software benefit from the SaaS-ification of businesses, large and small, who much prefer the flexibility of cloud-based, web-browser delivered software paid for on a subscription basis than the hassle and expense of purchasing and managing on-premise enterprise software.
The 14 finance and HR software stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.5% below.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 14.6% since the latest earnings results.
Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU)
Created in 1983 when founder Scott Cook watched his wife struggle to reconcile the family's checkbook, Intuit provides tax and accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses.
Intuit reported revenues of $3.96 billion, up 17% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.
"We are making great progress fueling the financial success of consumers, businesses, and accountants with our AI-driven expert platform," said Sasan Goodarzi, Intuit's chief executive officer.
Intuit scored the biggest analyst estimates beat of the whole group. The stock is up 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $595.50.
Is now the time to buy Intuit? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q4: Paycor (NASDAQ:PYCR)
Founded in 1990 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Paycor (NASDAQ: PYCR) provides software for small businesses to manage their payroll and HR needs in one place.
Paycor reported revenues of $180.4 million, up 13.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates.
However, the results were likely priced into the stock as it’s traded sideways since reporting. Shares currently sit at $22.26.
Is now the time to buy Paycor? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Flywire (NASDAQ:FLYW)
Originally created to process international tuition payments for universities, Flywire (NASDAQ:FLYW) is a cross border payments processor and software platform focusing on complex, high-value transactions like education, healthcare and B2B payments.
Flywire reported revenues of $117.6 million, up 22.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.9%. It was a softer quarter as it posted revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations.
Flywire delivered the fastest revenue growth but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 47.3% since the results and currently trades at $9.29.
Read our full analysis of Flywire’s results here.
Global Business Travel (NYSE:GBTG)
Holding close ties to American Express, Global Business Travel (NYSE:GBTG) is a comprehensive travel and expense management services provider to corporations worldwide.
Global Business Travel reported revenues of $591 million, up 7.7% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged full-year EBITDA guidance slightly topping analysts’ expectations.
The stock is down 19.7% since reporting and currently trades at $6.92.
Read our full, actionable report on Global Business Travel here, it’s free.
Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY)
Founded by payroll software veteran Steve Sarowitz in 1997, Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) is a provider of payroll and HR software for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Paylocity reported revenues of $377 million, up 15.5% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 2.7%. It was a strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The stock is down 14.2% since reporting and currently trades at $181.76.
Read our full, actionable report on Paylocity here, it’s free.
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