#cloud-growth

#cloud-growth

Vertex (NASDAQ: VERX) delivered a split result this morning that left investors parsing mixed signals. The tax technology provider beat on earnings per share but missed revenue expectations, landing at $0.17 versus $0.16 estimated and $192.1M versus $195.5M expected. The stock traded near $22.90 at the filing, down sharply from its 52-week high of $60.71 as the market continues to reassess the company's valuation after a brutal 61% decline year-to-date.

Consolidated Revenue -- $102.3 billion, up 16% year over year or 15% in constant currency. Net Income -- $35 billion, a 33% increase, with earnings per share up 35% to $2.87. Operating Income -- $31.2 billion, up 9%; operating margin reached 30.5%, or 33.9% excluding the European Commission fine. Free Cash Flow -- $24.5 billion free cash flow; $73.6 billion for the trailing twelve months, benefiting from recent tax changes on R&D expensing and increased operating cash flow.

Google Cloud announced Thursday it has added fast-rising AI coding startups Lovable and Windsurf to its roster of customers. Both companies have chosen Google Cloud as their primary cloud computing provider, the latest sign of Google's rising prominence against larger rivals AWS and Microsoft Azure. The deals also highlight Google's efforts to make its cloud business more central to the company's future. Today, Google Cloud is overshadowed by larger competitors like AWS and Microsoft, as well as Google's much larger advertising business.