Autodesk vs Workday
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Autodesk and Workday side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Workday is the larger business, with $9.6B of revenue in fiscal 2026 against $7.2B for Autodesk.
- Autodesk grew revenue faster (17.5%, against 13.1%).
- Autodesk kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (21.9% operating margin, against 7.6%).
- Autodesk turned more of its sales into free cash flow (33.4% FCF margin, against 29.1%).
- Autodesk earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (37.0%, against 10.6%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Workday’s earnings: a P/E of 42.2x against 32.3x for Autodesk.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Autodesk
ADSK
8/10
Revenue growthOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityPiotroski F-scoreShare count change
Workday
WDAY
2/10
5-year growthNet debt / EBITDA
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | ADSK FY26 | WDAY FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $52.6B | $51.4B |
| Revenue | $7.2B | $9.6B |
| Free cash flow | $2.4B | $2.8B |
| Net income | $1.1B | $693M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 17.5% | 13.1% |
| 5-year growth | 13.7% | 17.2% |
| Share count change | −0.9% | −0.4% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 91.0% | — |
| Operating margin | 21.9% | 7.6% |
| Net margin | 15.6% | 7.3% |
| FCF margin | 33.4% | 29.1% |
| Return on capital | 37.0% | 10.6% |
| Return on equity | 39.7% | 8.2% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | −$97.0M | −$2.5B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | −0.1x | −2.6x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $1.4B | $2.9B |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 32.3x | 42.2x |
| Piotroski F-score | 8 | 7 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.