NetSuite Inc. Earnings: What the CEO Says About Beating SAP and Salesforce.com

CEO Zach Nelson addressing the crowd at SuiteWorld 2014. Credit: NetSuite via Flickr.

Shares of NetSuite stock fell marginally in late trading after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue growth, while earnings met estimates. Here's a closer look at the final totals versus Wall Street's projections:

NetSuite Revenue YoY Growth EPS YoY Growth
Consensus estimate $155.33 million 35.1% $0.10 25%
Q4 actuals $157.87 million 37.3% $0.10 25%
DIFFERENCE +$2.54 million +2.2% $0.00 0%

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and NetSuite press release.

For the year, NetSuite reported $556.3 million in revenue, and $0.32 a share in profits after adjusted for one-time and non-cash items such as stock-based compensation. Analysts were expecting $553.75 million and $0.33, respectively,S&P Capital IQreportts.

The bigger story may be what CEO Zach Nelson says about his company's growth compared to its peers. To hear him tell it, NetSuite is beating not justSAP , but alsoSalesforce.com . He said in a press release:

What went right: Big gains in deferred revenue contributions -- up more than 41% last year -- helped offset GAAP losses while producing meaningful cash flow. NetSuite generated $74.9 million in cash from operations in 2014, up from $62.2 million the year prior.

What went wrong: Higher expenses cost NetSuite on the earnings line. Sales and administrative investment rose 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Product development costs rose 24.7% during the same period.

What's next:NetSuite didn't include guidance in its press release. What do analysts say? According toS&P Capital IQ, the company is on track to earn $162.67 million in first-quarter revenue and $0.09 in profit. Both figures would make for a significant improvement over the same period last year ($122.96 million in revenue and $0.06 in adjusted per share profit, respectively).

Longer term, analysts have NetSuite generating 31.2% average annual earnings growth during the next three-to-five years.

The article NetSuite Inc. Earnings: What the CEO Says About Beating SAP and Salesforce.com originally appeared on Fool.com.

Tim Beyers owns shares of Salesforce.com. The Motley Fool recommends NetSuite and Salesforce.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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