The Zacks Business-Software Services industry is benefiting from heightened demand for digital transformation and the ongoing shift to the cloud. Growing automation business processes across multiple industries and rapidly increasing enterprise data volumes are also driving demand for business software and services. Industry participants like MSCI MSCI, Tyler Technologies TYL, TD SYNNEX SNX and ePlus PLUS are gaining from these trends.
The pandemic-induced health crisis has opened up new growth channels for business software service providers over the past three years. The industry participants have witnessed solid demand for software-as-a-service (SaaS) amid the growing hybrid working trend. SaaS offers a flexible and cost-effective delivery method of applications. It also reduces deployment time compared to legacy systems. Moreover, SaaS attempts to deliver applications to any user, anywhere, anytime and on any device.
Industry Description
The Zacks Business-Software Services industry primarily comprises companies that deliver application-specific software products and services. The applications are typically either license-based or cloud-based. The offerings generally include applications related to finance, sales & marketing, human resources and supply chain, among others. The industry consists of a broad range of companies offering various products and services, including business processing and consulting, application development, testing and maintenance, office productivity suits, systems integration, infrastructure services and network security applications. Some of the companies provide investment-decision support tools. Manufacturing, retail, banking, insurance, telecommunication, healthcare and public sectors are the primary end markets for industry participants.
4 Trends Shaping the Future of the Business-Software Services Industry
Transition to Cloud-Creating Opportunities: Companies in this industry have been gaining from the robust demand for multi-cloud-enabled software solutions, given the ongoing transition from legacy platforms to modern cloud-based infrastructure. These industry players are incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in their applications to make the same more dynamic and result-oriented. Most industry players are now offering cloud-based versions of their solutions in addition to the on-premise ones, thereby expanding content accessibility. The enhanced interoperability features provide customers with differentiation and efficiency.
Subscription Model Gaining Traction: The industry participants are modifying their business models to cope with clients’ shifting requirements. Subscription and term-license-based revenue pricing models have become very popular and are replacing the legacy upfront payment prototype. Subscription-based business models provide increased revenue visibility and higher recurring revenues, which bode well for companies over the long haul. However, due to this transition, the top-line growth of these companies might be affected in the days to come, as term-license revenues include advance payments, while subscription-based revenues are a bit delayed.
Continuous M&A to Expand Product Offerings: The players in this industry are resorting to frequent mergers and acquisitions to supply complementary and end-to-end software products. Nonetheless, increasing investments in digital offerings and acquisitions might erode the industry’s profitability in the upcoming period.
Elevated Operating Expenses to Hurt Profitability: To survive in the highly competitive business software market, each player is continuously investing in broadening its capabilities. The players in the space are aggressively investing in research and development to enhance their product portfolio. Moreover, companies are investing heavily to improve their sales and marketing capabilities, particularly by increasing their sales force. Therefore, elevated operating expenses to capture more market share are likely to dent margins in the near term.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bright Prospects
The Zacks Business-Software Services industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #85, which places it in the top 34% 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 bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform 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 the positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are optimistic about this group’s earnings growth potential.
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 Lags S&P 500 and Sector
The Zacks Business-Software Services industry has underperformed the S&P 500 Index as well as the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector over the past year.
The industry has declined 20.7% during this period compared with the broader sector’s decline of 13.9% and the S&P 500’s decline of 8.2%.
One-Year Price Performance
Industry’s Current Valuation
Comparing the industry with the S&P 500 composite and broader sector on the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings, which is a commonly-used multiple for valuing business-software services stocks, we see that the industry’s ratio of 20.88 is higher than the S&P 500’s 17.96 but slightly lower than the sector’s 21.84.
Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 37.75X, as low as 6.60X, and recorded a median of 21.25X as the charts below show.
F12M Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Industry Vs. S&P 500)
F12M Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Industry Vs. Sector)
4 Stocks to Watch
ePlus: This Herndon, VA-based company organization enables to optimize their IT infrastructure and supply-chain processes by delivering world-class IT products from top manufacturers, professional services, flexible lease financing, proprietary software and patented business methods.
The company is benefiting from the increasing demand for work-from-home hardware and software, including PCs, tablets, connectivity, collaboration and security products, amid the rising trend of hybrid working. Apart from this, the company’s strategy of acquiring regional solution providers is helping it grow across the higher-margin IT services market.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock has declined approximately 2.9% in the trailing 12 months. The consensus mark for fiscal 2023 earnings has been revised upward by 30 cents to $4.73 per share in the past 30 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Price and Consensus: PLUS
MSCI: This Zacks #3 Rank (Hold) company offers investment decision support tools, including indexes, portfolio construction and risk management products and services; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) research and ratings; and real estate research, reporting and benchmarking offerings.
MSCI is benefiting from solid demand for custom and factor index modules, a recurring revenue business model and the growing adoption of its ESG solution in the investment process. MSCI’s expanding portfolio of climate tools is expected to drive the top line. Acquisitions have enhanced its ability to provide climate-risk assessments and assist investors with climate-risk disclosure requirements. Moreover, strong traction from client segments like wealth management, banks, brokers and dealers is a positive.
Shares of this New York-based company have declined 15.2% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 earnings has moved 16 cents south to $12.80 per share over the past 60 days.
Price and Consensus: MSCI
Tyler Technologies: This Zacks Rank #3 company is a leading provider of integrated information management solutions and services to the public sector. The company serves its customers both on-premise and in the cloud.
Tyler is benefiting from higher recurring revenues, post-acquisition contributions from NIC, and constant rebound of the market and sales activities to pre-COVID levels. The public sector’s ongoing transition from on-premises and outdated systems to scalable cloud-based systems is a positive. The coronavirus-led remote-working trend is also driving demand for its connectivity and cloud services.
Shares of this Plano, TX-based company have plunged 21.9% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 earnings has moved down by 6 cents to $7.58 per share over the past 30 days.
Price and Consensus: TYL
SYNNEX TDs: Founded in 1980, it is a leading business process services company. TD SYNNEX provides a comprehensive range of distribution, logistics and integration services for the technology industry and outsourced services focused on customer engagement to a broad range of enterprises.
TD SYNNEX is benefiting from the hybrid working trend, which is driving demand for offsite-working hardware and software. Moreover, a steady IT spending environment on the back of rapid digital transformation is a positive. Acquisitions and partnerships are helping the company expand its product portfolio.
This Fremont, CA-based company carries a Zacks Rank #3 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2023 earnings has moved down by a penny to $12.02 per share over the past 30 days. Shares of SNX have declined 12.5% over the past year.
Price and Consensus: SNX
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MSCI Inc (MSCI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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