Computer Software Stock Outlook: Growth Prospects Bullish

The Zacks Computer Software industry comprises companies that provide software applications related to cloud computing, electronic product designing, digital media and marketing, customer relationship management, on-premise as well as cloud-based database management, accounting & tax purposes, human capital management, cybersecurity and application performance monitoring, among others.

Major companies in the industry include Adobe Systems (ADBE), Cadence Design System (CDNS), Citrix (CTXS), Intuit (INTU), Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), salesforce.com (CRM) and Synopsis (SNPS). Meanwhile, companies like Autodesk (ADSK) and ANSYS (ANSS) develop and market simulation software globally.

Software is ubiquitous and has become the focal point of technological innovation. The industry is highly dynamic. The primary mode of software deployment has shifted from legacy on-premise to cloud architecture with SaaS becoming the preferred delivery mode.

Here are the three major industry themes:

• The software industry is benefiting from the continued digital transformation drive. The last few years have witnessed a series of breakthroughs in cloud computing, predictive analysis, AI, digital personal assistants and IoT, which have set the stage for strong growth. The near-term prospects are bright, given increased spending by enterprises on software procurement.

 

• Continued enterprise investment in big data and analytics along with the ongoing adoption of SaaS opens up significant opportunity for industry players. Notably, cloud offers a flexible and cost-effective platform to develop and test applications and the deployment time is also much shorter compared to legacy systems. SaaS companies are expected to register strong top-line growth on a higher percentage of recurring revenues, subscription gross margin and a lower churn rate.

 

• The increasing need to secure cloud platforms, amid growing incidents of cyber-attacks and hacking, drives demand for cyber security software. Further, enterprises are focusing on rapid migration to cloud and DevOps technologies to achieve scalability and agility for software development as well as IT operations, which helps in delivering flawless digital experience to clients. This trend has brought immense value to application and infrastructure performance monitoring. It is driving demand for performance management monitoring tools that are not only scalable but also suitable for cloud-based environments.

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bright Prospects

The Zacks Computer Software industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer And Technology sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #63, which places it in the top 25% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates continued outperformance in the near term. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

The industry’s positioning in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gaining confidence in this group’s earnings growth potential. Since Jan 31, the industry’s earnings estimate for the current year has moved 3.2% north.

Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.

Industry Outperforms Sector and S&P 500

The Zacks Computer Software industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Computer And Technology sector as well as the S&P 500 Index over the past year.

The industry has rallied 32.4% over this period compared with the S&P 500’s rise of 18.6% and the broader sector’s increase of 21.8%.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry’s Current Valuation

On the basis of forward 12-month P/E, which is a commonly used multiple for valuing software companies, we see that the industry is currently trading at 27.72X compared with the S&P 500’s 18.19X. It is also above the sector’s forward-12-month P/E of 21.32X.

Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 28.33X, as low as 17.61X and at the median of 23.53X, as the chart below shows.


Forward 12-Month Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio

Bottom Line

The role of software is evolving. Apart from running devices and applications, its usage is expanding in managing infrastructure. Moreover, the industry is benefiting significantly from the ongoing cloud transition.

Here we present four stocks that either have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

These stocks are well positioned to grow in the near term.

Mountain View, CA-based Synopsis sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The stock of this electronic design automation (EDA) software provider has returned 59.3% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fiscal 2020 earnings has climbed 2% over the past 30 days to $5.09 per share.

Price and Consensus: SNPS

San Jose-based Cadence Design Systems provides electronic product designing solutions. Over the past year, the stock has returned 54.9%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings for this Zacks Rank #2 stock has stayed at $2.19 per share over the past 30 days.

Price and Consensus: CDNS

 



Salesforce.com carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has rallied 15.1% in a year’s time.

The consensus mark for fiscal 2020 earnings of this San Francisco-based on-demand Customer Relationship Management software provider has moved up 1.8% to $2.89 per share over the past 30 days.

Price and Consensus: CRM

Redmond, CA-based Microsoft also carries a Zacks Rank #2. The stock of this Azure cloud and Windows operating system provider has gained 33.8% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2020 earnings stayed at $5.35 per share over the past month.

Price and Consensus: MSFT

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Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Oracle Corporation (ORCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Intuit Inc. (INTU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
salesforce.com, inc. (CRM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Adobe Systems Incorporated (ADBE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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