SII Performed Very Well This Quarter. Really?

/ November 13, 2020

At first glance, SII performed very well during calendar Q3 2020 (corresponding to its Q2 FY21). Revenues were down by only 4.5% yoy at cc/cs. By comparison, Alten’s revenues were down by 19%! SII continued to overperform its French and European peers by a very significant margin.

Europe Has Entered its Second Lockdown. A Look at Financial Implications

/ November 1, 2020

Europe has now entered its second lockdown. The lockdowns have different restrictions levels and different lengths. The UK and France are running for the full month of November. Officials in the two countries have, however, warned the lockdown might last longer, until Christmas at least.

Sweco Demonstrates Its Resilience Despite COVID-19

/ July 17, 2020

Sweco had already demonstrated its resilience in Q1, with a +4% organic growth. In Q2, despite COVID-19, the company remained in positive territory (+2%). The performance is a surprise, as Sweco is very sensitive to the number of working days.

Earnings Preview: Revenues of Alten to Plunge in Q2

/ July 15, 2020

ER&D’s largest pure-play globally, Alten, will be announcing its Q2 2020 revenue by the end of July. The company had a very decent Q1, with a 4% CC/CS revenue growth. However, it warned that revenues would be down by ~22% in Q2.

Bertrandt Suffers from its Lack of Diversification in Q2 FY20

/ June 5, 2020

A bit more than two years ago, the share of Bertrandt was above EUR 100 and its market cap above EUR 1bn. Investors liked Bertrandt’s annual growth of 10% and its high-single-digit EBIT margin. Today, Bertrandt’s market cap varies between EUR350-400m, and the financial performance continues to deteriorate.

Dassault Sytems Lowers its Q1 2020 Guidance: Read-Throughs for the ER&D Service Industry

/ April 7, 2020

Dassault Systems lowered it Q1 2020: the company is now expecting revenue growth in the range of 14%-17%, down from a 20-23% guidance (that includes the acquisition of Medidata). The company has suffered from weaker than expected new license and services revenues. Meanwhile, revenues of Medidata were on a “momentum and license renewals were up too.

Covid-19 Will Mostly Impact the ER&D Onshore Industry

/ March 19, 2020

Since we published our last note on the impact of Covid-19 on ER&D spending, the situation has changed with Covid-19, having now spread to Europe and soon the US. Already, The European Central Bank is predicting a GDP decline of 5% in 2020, based on the impact of three months of confinement.

What An Economic Recession Means to the ER&D Industry

/ March 4, 2020

The US Federal Reserve yesterday lowered “the target range for the federal funds” by 50 bps to 1%-1.25%. Although the “fundamentals of the US economy remain strong,” “the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity,” communicated the Fed.

Covid-19: Slowdown in ER&D Spending Now Likely

/ February 29, 2020

Currently, Covid-19 has only affected China significantly, although having spread in South Korea, Japan, and Northern Italy.
Several ER&D vendors have been impacted so far: Ricardo has warned that the situation in the Chinese automotive market would have a “material” effect on its profit.