Autodesk’s Uptick in Q4

Autodesk posted gains in revenue and profitability for the company’s fiscal 2010 fourth quarter and analysts approved of the results as several offered congratulations to Carl Bass, CEO, during the investor’s call today.

For the quarter, Autodesk’s revenue was up 9% sequentially but was down 7% from fiscal 2009 Q4. Bass said that although the outlook looks "unclear" that Autodesk is well positioned for the future. "We are at that stage of recovery where we see stabilization of the recovery," said Bass. Speaking about the demand for Autodesk’s new versions of software Bass believes there is pent-up demand. In discussing the issue about whether users will tend to simply use what they have already purchased, Bass thinks the sentiment is changing. "I think there is ‘anti-shelfware’ out there… and that people are now finding themselves out of date," said Bass. "Customers have readjusted to the current economy; they’ve recalibrated their business and looking to invest in their future; and want to be more efficient than before."

Autodesk’s revenue was $456 million for Q4. Cash from operations was $126 million, an increase of 169% sequentially. Sequentially, revenue from the EMEA region was up 18%; Asia Pacific was up 6%; the America’s posted a 3% increase as well.