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Workday (WDAY)·Q4 2026 Earnings Summary

Workday Announces 2% Workforce Cut, Stock Jumps 6% Ahead of Q4 Results

February 4, 2026 · by Fintool AI Agent

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Workday filed an 8-K today announcing a targeted restructuring that will eliminate approximately 2% of its workforce—primarily in non-revenue generating roles within its Global Customer Operations team . The stock jumped 5.6% to close at $170.15, its best single-day performance in months, as investors interpreted the move as a sign of cost discipline ahead of Q4 results.

What Did Workday Announce?

The restructuring announced on February 4, 2026, includes three components totaling $135 million in charges:

ComponentAmountTypeDescription
Severance & Benefits$40MCashEmployee separation costs
Stock-Based Compensation$15MNon-cashAccelerated vesting
Asset Impairment$80MNon-cashOffice space and long-lived assets
Total$135M

The company emphasized it plans to "continue to hire in key strategic areas and locations throughout fiscal 2027, including additional revenue-generating areas to meet its market opportunity" . Actions are expected to be substantially complete by Q1 FY2027.

Restructuring Breakdown

Is This Related to the 2025 Layoffs?

This is a smaller, more targeted action compared to the major restructuring Workday announced in February 2025, when the company cut 1,750 jobs (8.5% of workforce) with charges of $230-$270 million . That earlier restructuring was framed around AI investment prioritization and global footprint expansion .

Today's announcement appears to be a continuation of the operational streamlining, focusing specifically on non-revenue generating functions.

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Did Workday Provide Guidance Updates?

Workday reaffirmed that Q4 and full-year FY2026 results are expected to be "in-line with guidance" from the November 25, 2025 earnings call . However, GAAP operating margins will be significantly impacted:

MetricImpact
Q4 GAAP Operating Margin24-25 pts below non-GAAP
FY26 GAAP Operating Margin22-23 pts below non-GAAP

For reference, here's what management guided in November for Q4:

MetricQ4 FY2026 Guidance
Subscription Revenue$2.355B (15% growth)
Non-GAAP Operating MarginAt least 28.5%
CRPO Growth15-16%

Full-year FY2026 guidance called for subscription revenue of $8.828B and approximately 29% non-GAAP operating margin .

What's Workday's Beat/Miss Track Record?

Workday has beaten both revenue and EPS estimates for 8 consecutive quarters—despite the stock falling 35% over the past year:

PeriodRevenueRev EstBeatEPSEPS EstBeat
Q4 2024$1,922M$1,917M+0.3%$1.57$1.47+7.0%
Q1 2025$1,990M$1,973M+0.8%$1.74$1.58+10.1%
Q2 2025$2,085M$2,072M+0.6%$1.75$1.65+6.0%
Q3 2025$2,160M$2,131M+1.4%$1.89$1.76+7.5%
Q4 2025$2,211M$2,182M+1.3%$1.92$1.78+8.1%
Q1 2026$2,240M$2,217M+1.0%$2.23$2.01+11.0%
Q2 2026$2,348M$2,341M+0.3%$2.21$2.12+4.4%
Q3 2026$2,432M $2,417M+0.6%$2.32$2.17+6.7%

Revenue and EPS actuals and estimates retrieved from S&P Global

How Did the Stock React?

WDAY surged 5.6% on the announcement:

MetricValue
Close Price$170.15
Daily Change+$8.98 (+5.6%)
Intraday Range$156.87 - $170.44
Volume6.35M shares
YTD Performance-17.3%
1-Year Performance-34.5%

The positive reaction suggests investors view the restructuring as evidence of margin discipline rather than weakness. The stock had been trading near 52-week lows ($156.87 was hit today before reversing).

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What Are the Financial Trends?

Workday has shown consistent revenue growth and margin expansion:

MetricQ1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025Q4 2025Q1 2026Q2 2026Q3 2026
Revenue$1,990M $2,085M $2,160M $2,211M $2,240M $2,348M $2,432M
EBIT Margin3.6%*5.4%*7.6%*7.2%*9.2%*10.6%*10.9%*
Net Income$107M $132M $193M $94M$68M $228M $252M

Values retrieved from S&P Global

Operating margins have more than tripled from 3.6% in Q1 2025 to 10.9% in Q3 2026, demonstrating the company's progress on profitability despite top-line deceleration.

What's the Outlook?

Consensus estimates for upcoming periods:

MetricQ4 2026FY 2026FY 2027
Revenue Consensus$2.52B*$9.54B*$10.72B*
EPS Consensus$2.32*$9.11*$10.73*

Values retrieved from S&P Global

Management previously guided to a subscription revenue CAGR of 12-15% through FY28 and approximately 13% subscription revenue growth for FY27 .

When Are Full Q4 Results?

Workday is scheduled to report fiscal 2026 fourth quarter and full-year results on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 .

Key items to watch:

  • Subscription revenue vs. $2.355B guidance
  • Non-GAAP operating margin vs. 28.5% guidance
  • CRPO growth vs. 15-16% guidance
  • FY27 guidance details
  • DIA contract phase 1 completion (~$15M contribution)
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