Accounting automation software maker Blackline (NASDAQ:BL) will be reporting earnings tomorrow after market hours. Here's what you need to know.

BlackLine beat analysts' revenue expectations by 1.1% last quarter, reporting revenues of $155.7 million, up 11.3% year on year. It was a slower quarter for the company, with decelerating customer growth and management forecasting growth to slow. It added 30 customers to reach a total of 4,398.

Is BlackLine a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it's free.

This quarter, analysts are expecting BlackLine's revenue to grow 11.6% year on year to $155.1 million, slowing from the 15.6% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.47 per share.

The majority of analysts covering the company have reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. BlackLine has a history of exceeding Wall Street's expectations, beating revenue estimates every single time over the past two years by 0.6% on average.

Looking at BlackLine's peers in the finance and HR software segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Workiva delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 17%, meeting analysts' expectations, and Paycom reported revenues up 10.7%, in line with consensus estimates. Workiva traded up 2.1% following the results while Paycom was down 10.4%.

Read our full analysis of Workiva's results here and Paycom's results here.

Growth stocks have seen elevated volatility as investors debate the Fed's monetary policy, and while some of the finance and HR software stocks have fared somewhat better, they have not been spared, with share prices down 3.1% on average over the last month. BlackLine is down 6.4% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $61.3 (compared to the current share price of $60.81).

Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we’ve identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefitting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link.