Low-code automation software company Appian (NASDAQ:APPN) will be announcing earnings results this Thursday before the bell. Here’s what investors should know.
Appian beat analysts’ revenue expectations by 7.4% last quarter, reporting revenues of $187 million, up 21.4% year on year. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Is Appian a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it’s free for active Edge members.
This quarter, analysts are expecting Appian’s revenue to grow 13.6% year on year to $189.3 million, slowing from the 14.7% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.08 per share.
Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Appian has a history of exceeding Wall Street’s expectations, beating revenue estimates every single time over the past two years by 3.1% on average.
Looking at Appian’s peers in the automation software segment, some have already reported their Q4 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Microsoft delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 16.7%, beating analysts’ expectations by 1.2%, and ServiceNow reported revenues up 20.7%, topping estimates by 1%. Microsoft traded down 10% following the results while ServiceNow was also down 9.9%.
Read our full analysis of Microsoft’s results here and ServiceNow’s results here.
Debates around the economy’s health and the impact of potential tariffs and corporate tax cuts have caused much uncertainty in 2025. While some of the automation software stocks have shown solid performance in this choppy environment, the group has generally underperformed, with share prices down 13.6% on average over the last month. Appian is down 18.1% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $40 (compared to the current share price of $22.59).
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