WD

Workday, Inc. stock research

Oct 31, 2023

FY2024 Q3

Workday (WDAY) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Oct 31, 2023

Revenue and gross profit increased while cost of revenue decreased, resulting in a higher gross margin compared to both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year. The relationship indicates that cost of revenue grew at a slower pace than revenue, allowing gross profit to expand more than proportionally.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Oct 31, 2023 · FY2024 Q3

Revenue and gross profit increased while cost of revenue decreased, resulting in a higher gross margin compared to both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year. The relationship indicates that cost of revenue grew at a slower pace than revenue, allowing gross profit to expand more than proportionally.

  • The most observable driver of margin improvement is the absolute decrease in cost of revenue from the prior quarter, even as revenue rose. This shift in the cost structure directly boosted the gross margin percentage.
  • Compared to the prior quarter, revenue was higher, gross profit was higher, cost of revenue was lower, and gross margin improved. Relative to the same quarter one year earlier, all metrics were higher except cost of revenue, which was slightly lower, leading to a stronger gross margin.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

77.0%

Gross profit

$1.4B

Revenue

$1.9B

Cost of revenue

$429.0M

Quarter-over-quarter change

+2.1 pts

Year-over-year change

+4.3 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Jan 31, 2023$1.6B$1.2B$488.3M70.3%
Apr 30, 2023$1.7B$1.3B$417.0M75.2%
Jul 31, 2023$1.8B$1.3B$448.0M74.9%
Oct 31, 2023$1.9B$1.4B$429.0M77.0%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Jul 31, 2023

+2.1 pts

Year-over-year change

Oct 31, 2022

+4.3 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The most observable driver of margin improvement is the absolute decrease in cost of revenue from the prior quarter, even as revenue rose. This shift in the cost structure directly boosted the gross margin percentage.

Compared to the prior quarter, revenue was higher, gross profit was higher, cost of revenue was lower, and gross margin improved. Relative to the same quarter one year earlier, all metrics were higher except cost of revenue, which was slightly lower, leading to a stronger gross margin.

Monitor the trajectory of cost of revenue, as its absolute level and trend relative to revenue will determine whether gross margin can sustain its current level.

WDAY Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Oct 31, 2023