SAP reaffirms cloud business outlook after Q3 misses forecast

SAP reaffirms cloud business outlook after Q3 misses forecast
The logo of SAP is seen on their offices in Reston, Virginia

(Reuters) -Business software maker SAP on Wednesday reaffirmed its full-year outlook for its key cloud business revenue after slightly missing analyst expectations in the third quarter.

Cloud revenue rose by 16% in the third quarter on the back of its application services and HANA software to 3.47 billion euros ($3.66 billion).

According to forecasts compiled by data provider Visible Alpha on behalf of the company, analysts had predicted cloud revenue rising by 18% in the quarter to 3.525 billion euros.

Orders on hand in the cloud business grew by 25% in constant currency, as in the same period last year, according to SAP.

Shares were up 1.8% in early trade on Thursday.

“The weak spot cloud revenues should cap a too positive share price reaction,” said Alpha Wertpapiershandels GmbH analysts.

For the full year, the company reaffirmed its cloud revenue outlook in the range of 14 billion-14.2 billion euros.

“Our Q3 results demonstrate strong execution and the resilience of our business, including sustained cloud growth in spite of persisting macro headwinds,” finance chief Dominik Asam said.

($1 = 0.9491 euros)

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru and Hakan ErsanWriting by Miranda MurrayEditing by Shailesh Kuber and Friederike Heine)

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