Let's dig into the relative performance of BlackLine (NASDAQ:BL) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q4 finance and HR software earnings season.

Organizations are constantly looking to improve organizational efficiencies, whether it is financial planning, tax management or payroll. Finance and HR software benefit from the SaaS-ification of businesses, large and small, who much prefer the flexibility of cloud-based, web-browser delivered software paid for on a subscription basis than the hassle and expense of purchasing and managing on-premise enterprise software.

The 15 finance and HR software stocks we track reported a slower Q4; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 2.4%, while next quarter's revenue guidance was 1% below consensus. Inflation progressed towards the Fed's 2% goal at the end of 2023, leading to strong stock market performance. The start of 2024 has been a bumpier ride, as the market switches between optimism and pessimism around rate cuts due to mixed inflation data, and finance and HR software stocks have had a rough stretch, with share prices down 11.5% on average since the previous earnings results.

BlackLine (NASDAQ:BL)

Started in 2001 by software engineer Therese Tucker, one of the very few women founders who took their companies public, BlackLine (NASDAQ:BL) provides software for organizations to automate accounting and finance tasks.

BlackLine reported revenues of $155.7 million, up 11.3% year on year, topping analyst expectations by 1.1%. It was a slower quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations and decelerating customer growth.

"BlackLine closed the year with solid results, surpassing our expectations for both revenue and profitability, highlighting the powerful operating leverage embedded in our model," said Owen Ryan, co-CEO of BlackLine.

The stock is down 0.8% since the results and currently trades at $57.85.

Read our full report on BlackLine here, it's free.

Best Q4: Marqeta (NASDAQ:MQ)

Founded by CEO Jason Gardner in 2009, Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ) is an innovative card issuer that provides companies with the ability to issue and process virtual, physical, and tokenized credit and debit cards.

Marqeta reported revenues of $118.8 million, down 41.7% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 7.7%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with a significant improvement in its gross margin and an impressive beat of analysts' revenue estimates.

Marqeta had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 25.5% since the results and currently trades at $5.47.

Is now the time to buy Marqeta? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Weakest Q4: Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX)

One of the oldest service providers in the industry, Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) offers its customers payroll and HR software solutions.

Paychex reported revenues of $1.44 billion, up 4.2% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 1.2%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with a miss of analysts' revenue estimates.

Paychex had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. The stock is down 3% since the results and currently trades at $117.9.

Read our full analysis of Paychex's results here.

Paycom (NYSE:PAYC)

Founded in 1998 as one of the first online payroll companies, Paycom (NYSE:PAYC) provides software for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to manage their payroll and HR needs in one place.

Paycom reported revenues of $434.6 million, up 17.3% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 2.9%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with management forecasting growth to slow and underwhelming revenue guidance for the next quarter.

The stock is down 7.1% since the results and currently trades at $184.87.

Read our full, actionable report on Paycom here, it's free.

Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU)

Created in 1983 when founder Scott Cook watched his wife struggle to reconcile the family's checkbook, Intuit provides tax and accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses.

Intuit reported revenues of $3.39 billion, up 11.3% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 0.1%. It was a slower quarter for the company, with full-year revenue guidance missing analysts' expectations and a miss of analysts' billings estimates.

The stock is down 8.1% since the results and currently trades at $604.12.

Read our full, actionable report on Intuit here, it's free.

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