Autodesk shares rose 3.8% in pre-market trading after Schneider Electric announced a $22.6 billion cash acquisition of PTC, an industrial design and product lifecycle management software provider. The deal, Schneider's largest to date, valued PTC at a 42.3% premium to its previous closing price. The transaction provides a valuation benchmark for the industrial and engineering software sector where Autodesk operates. The company recently announced wider rollout of Autodesk Assistant across its Fusion product portfolio, extending AI capabilities to products including Inventor, Moldflow and Vault. Autodesk reported 16% revenue growth and 57% net income increase in its most recent quarter. The broader market saw smaller moves, with the S&P 500 up 0.1%.

Autodesk shares trade at $217, down 32% from a year ago, despite revenue reaching $7.8 billion over the past twelve months, up 17.9%. Investors worry AI tools could disrupt its software business. A three-year scenario projects the stock could reach $315, representing 45% upside, if revenue grows 15.2% annually whilst net margin eases from 21.1% to 20.0%. This assumes earnings rise about 45% and the price-to-earnings ratio holds at 27.7 times. The company guided fiscal 2027 revenue to approximately $8.32 billion. Strong construction and emerging markets performance, plus growing adoption of its Fusion design platform, support the outlook. However, margin faces pressure from the MaintainX acquisition, which adds only $60 million revenue in fiscal 2027's second half whilst operating unprofitably. Management also expects AI workloads to squeeze gross margin somewhat.

Workday and Autodesk both bet on monetising customer data through AI adoption. Workday manages HR and finance records, whilst Autodesk handles design, manufacturing, and construction data. Both companies raised guidance following strong fiscal Q2 2027 results. Workday lifted its fiscal 2027 subscription revenue outlook by 0.1%, projecting 11% subscription growth for fiscal 2028, down from 13% for fiscal 2027. Autodesk raised its total revenue outlook by 1.6%, including contributions from its MaintainX acquisition. Workday reports nearly $600 million in AI product annual recurring revenue, with over 200 customers using flex credits. However, Workday trades at a price-to-EBIT multiple of 33.0, compared to Autodesk's 21.1. Autodesk's revenue grew 17.9% over the past twelve months, versus Workday's 13.3%. Its GAAP operating margin reached 27.9%, more than double Workday's 12.0%.