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Aspen Technology (AZPN - Free Report) reported third-quarter fiscal 2021 non-GAAP earnings of $1.05 per share that missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.5%. The company reported non-GAAP earnings of 72 cents in the year-ago quarter.
Revenues of $162.7 million also fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.9%. The company reported revenues of $130.6 million in the year-ago quarter.
The year-over-year upside in top line was owing to increases in total bookings. In the quarter under review, the company noted that alarming COVID situation in several parts of the world along with the polar vortex weather event in February negatively impacted refining and chemicals industry and in turn affected transaction closings.
Aspen Technology, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Total bookings were $175.6 million, up 39% year over year on the back of higher renewal activity.
Following lower-than-expected results, shares are down 11.7% in the premarket trading on Apr 29. In the past year, shares of Aspen Technology have returned 48.9% compared with the industry’s rally of 46.4%.
Quarter in Detail
License revenues (67.7% of revenues) rallied 40.8% year over year to $110.1 million.
Maintenance revenues (28.2%) increased 3.8% year over year to $45.9 million.
Services and other revenues (4.1%) declined 18.2% from the year-ago quarter’s figure to $6.7 million.
As of Mar 31, 2021, the annual spend (which Aspen Technology defines as the annualized value of all term license and maintenance contracts at the end of the quarter) amounted to $609.9 million, up 6% year over year and 1% quarter over quarter.
Margins
Gross profit increased 27.7% year over year to $146.7 million. As a percentage of total revenues, the figure expanded 210 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis to 90.1%.
Total operating expenses increased 10.9% from the year-ago quarter’s figure to $77.8 million due to increase in general & administrative expenses, research and development as well as selling and marketing.
Non-GAAP operating income of $80.9 million compared with $53.9 million reported in the prior-year quarter. Non-GAAP operating margin was 49.7% compared with 41.3% operating margin reported in the year-ago quarter.
Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
As of Mar 31, 2021, cash and cash equivalents were $317.1 million compared with $217.5 million as of Dec 31, 2020. The company’s total borrowings, net of debt issuance costs, stood at $297 million as of Mar 31, 2021.
The company generated $98.7 million cash from operations during the quarter under review compared with $37.8 million in the previous quarter. Free cash flow was $100 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2021.
The company did not repurchase any shares in first three quarters of fiscal 2021. The company also stated that it was unlikely to meet its targeted $200-million buyback in fiscal 2021.
A Look at Fiscal 2021 View
Due to reimposition of lockdown in several parts of the world like India and Europe due to alarming COVID-19 situation as well as cautious spending patterns of customers in the chemical and refining industry that was hit hard by the polar vortex weather event in United States in February this year, management has adopted a cautious stance regarding fiscal 2021 outlook.
For fiscal 2021, Aspen Technology now expects revenues in the range of $705-$729 million compared with $731-$760 million guided earlier.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $747.04 million, indicating year-over-year growth of 26.6%.
Further, annual spend growth rate for fiscal 2021 is now expected to be between 4% and 5.5% compared with the previous range of 6-8%.
Total bookings are expected in the range of $771-$809 million compared with $805-$850 million guided previously.
Non-GAAP net income is anticipated in the range of $4.98-$5.22 per share. The company’s earlier guidance for non-GAAP net income per share was $5.29-$5.58. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $5.47. indicating year-over-year growth of 47.04%.
Management now projects non-GAAP operating income in the range of $395-$415 million as against earlier guided range of $418-$442 million. Free cash flow is anticipated between $265 million and $275 million.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Currently, Aspen Technology carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Vishay is set to report its quarterly results on May 4. Qorvo and Microchip are scheduled to report their quarterly results on May 5 and May 6, respectively.
Long-term earnings growth rate of Qorvo, Vishay Intertechnology and Microchip is pegged at 14%, 20.3% and 15.5%, respectively.
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.
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Aspen (AZPN) Lags Q3 Earnings & Revenue Estimates, Shares Slump
Aspen Technology (AZPN - Free Report) reported third-quarter fiscal 2021 non-GAAP earnings of $1.05 per share that missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.5%. The company reported non-GAAP earnings of 72 cents in the year-ago quarter.
Revenues of $162.7 million also fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.9%. The company reported revenues of $130.6 million in the year-ago quarter.
The year-over-year upside in top line was owing to increases in total bookings. In the quarter under review, the company noted that alarming COVID situation in several parts of the world along with the polar vortex weather event in February negatively impacted refining and chemicals industry and in turn affected transaction closings.
Aspen Technology, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Aspen Technology, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Aspen Technology, Inc. Quote
Total bookings were $175.6 million, up 39% year over year on the back of higher renewal activity.
Following lower-than-expected results, shares are down 11.7% in the premarket trading on Apr 29. In the past year, shares of Aspen Technology have returned 48.9% compared with the industry’s rally of 46.4%.
Quarter in Detail
License revenues (67.7% of revenues) rallied 40.8% year over year to $110.1 million.
Maintenance revenues (28.2%) increased 3.8% year over year to $45.9 million.
Services and other revenues (4.1%) declined 18.2% from the year-ago quarter’s figure to $6.7 million.
As of Mar 31, 2021, the annual spend (which Aspen Technology defines as the annualized value of all term license and maintenance contracts at the end of the quarter) amounted to $609.9 million, up 6% year over year and 1% quarter over quarter.
Margins
Gross profit increased 27.7% year over year to $146.7 million. As a percentage of total revenues, the figure expanded 210 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis to 90.1%.
Total operating expenses increased 10.9% from the year-ago quarter’s figure to $77.8 million due to increase in general & administrative expenses, research and development as well as selling and marketing.
Non-GAAP operating income of $80.9 million compared with $53.9 million reported in the prior-year quarter. Non-GAAP operating margin was 49.7% compared with 41.3% operating margin reported in the year-ago quarter.
Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
As of Mar 31, 2021, cash and cash equivalents were $317.1 million compared with $217.5 million as of Dec 31, 2020. The company’s total borrowings, net of debt issuance costs, stood at $297 million as of Mar 31, 2021.
The company generated $98.7 million cash from operations during the quarter under review compared with $37.8 million in the previous quarter. Free cash flow was $100 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2021.
The company did not repurchase any shares in first three quarters of fiscal 2021. The company also stated that it was unlikely to meet its targeted $200-million buyback in fiscal 2021.
A Look at Fiscal 2021 View
Due to reimposition of lockdown in several parts of the world like India and Europe due to alarming COVID-19 situation as well as cautious spending patterns of customers in the chemical and refining industry that was hit hard by the polar vortex weather event in United States in February this year, management has adopted a cautious stance regarding fiscal 2021 outlook.
For fiscal 2021, Aspen Technology now expects revenues in the range of $705-$729 million compared with $731-$760 million guided earlier.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $747.04 million, indicating year-over-year growth of 26.6%.
Further, annual spend growth rate for fiscal 2021 is now expected to be between 4% and 5.5% compared with the previous range of 6-8%.
Total bookings are expected in the range of $771-$809 million compared with $805-$850 million guided previously.
Non-GAAP net income is anticipated in the range of $4.98-$5.22 per share. The company’s earlier guidance for non-GAAP net income per share was $5.29-$5.58. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $5.47. indicating year-over-year growth of 47.04%.
Management now projects non-GAAP operating income in the range of $395-$415 million as against earlier guided range of $418-$442 million. Free cash flow is anticipated between $265 million and $275 million.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Currently, Aspen Technology carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are Qorvo (QRVO - Free Report) , Vishay Intertechnology (VSH - Free Report) and Microchip (MCHP - Free Report) . Vishay Intertechnology sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Qorvo and Microchip carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Vishay is set to report its quarterly results on May 4. Qorvo and Microchip are scheduled to report their quarterly results on May 5 and May 6, respectively.
Long-term earnings growth rate of Qorvo, Vishay Intertechnology and Microchip is pegged at 14%, 20.3% and 15.5%, respectively.
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>>