Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Adobe (ADBE) Gears Up for Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE - Free Report) is set to report fiscal first-quarter 2021 results on Mar 23. In the last reported quarter, the software giant delivered an earnings surprise of 6.04%.

For the fiscal first quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has remained stable at $2.79 per share over the past 30 days. This indicates growth of 22.9% from the year-ago reported figure.

The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $3.77 billion, implying growth of 22% from the year-ago reported figure.

Let’s see how things have shaped up for this announcement.

Focus on Digital Media Business

The company witnessed strong demand for Adobe’s Digital Media Solutions in the fiscal fourth quarter. The trend is expected to have continued in the to-be-reported quarter driven by impressive growth in Creative Cloud (CC) and Document Cloud (DC) businesses.

Net new subscriptions, adoption of enterprise services and focus on high-potential segments like education are likely to have driven Creative Annualized Recurring Revenues (ARR) in the fiscal first quarter.

In addition, it witnessed increased demand for professional video products, given strong engagement for Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. This is expected to have driven its creative revenues.

DC ARR is expected to have increased in the quarter to be reported, driven by solid enterprise adoption of Acrobat and DC services, as well as strong performance of Adobe Sign.

Adobe Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Adobe Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Adobe Inc. price-eps-surprise | Adobe Inc. Quote

Strength in Digital Marketing Business

Within the Digital Marketing segment, Adobe Experience Cloud revenues are anticipated to have improved in the quarter to be reported. Adobe Experience Cloud includes Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Analytics Cloud and Adobe Advertising Cloud.

The ever-increasing demand for data and insights, content and personalization, customer journey management, commerce and advertising should have expanded revenues in this segment.

New capabilities in Adobe Target are expected to have further enhanced customer recommendation and targeting, as well as boosted revenues from this segment.

Notably, it has been able to create a niche for itself in the cloud software market. Strong demand for the company’s innovative solutions and products, strength across geographies, along with growing subscription of cloud application are likely to reflect on the to-be-reported quarter’s results.

Management’s Expectations

For first-quarter fiscal 2021, Adobe expects year-over-year revenue growth of 26% from Digital Media. Digital Experience segment revenues are expected to grow 19% on a year-over-year basis, while Digital Experience subscription revenues are likely to increase 22%.

Management expects revenues and non-GAAP earnings to be $3.75 billion and $2.78 per share, respectively.

What Our Model Says

Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Adobe this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Adobe has a Zacks Rank #3.

Stocks to Consider

You may consider the following stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and favorable Zacks Rank:

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.33% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.43% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.38% and a Zacks Rank #3.

These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.

Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.

See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>

Published in