Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) Upgraded by William Blair to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Posted by Lauren Steadman on May 23rd, 2026

William Blair upgraded shares of Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY – Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on WDAY. Stifel Nicolaus set a $175.00 price objective on Workday in a report on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of Workday from $285.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Workday in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Workday from $238.00 to $206.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Workday in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.48.

Read Our Latest Report on WDAY

Workday Price Performance

Workday stock opened at $128.14 on Friday. Workday has a 12-month low of $110.36 and a 12-month high of $257.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.93 billion, a PE ratio of 40.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.04.

Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The software maker reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Workday had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 13.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Workday will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Workday

In related news, insider Gerrit S. Kazmaier sold 9,356 shares of Workday stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.39, for a total transaction of $1,201,216.84. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 165,074 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,193,850.86. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, major shareholder David A. Duffield sold 107,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.76, for a total transaction of $13,949,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 105,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,631,158.24. This represents a 50.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 989,814 shares of company stock worth $131,576,291. Company insiders own 18.64% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Workday

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WDAY. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Workday in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Workday during the third quarter worth about $26,000. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Workday during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Workday in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Workday in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Workday News

Here are the key news stories impacting Workday this week:

Positive Sentiment: Workday posted Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.66 versus estimates of $2.49, while revenue rose 13.5% year over year to $2.54 billion, topping forecasts. Workday Announces Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Financial Results
Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year non-GAAP operating margin guidance to 30.5%, signaling stronger profitability and helping fuel the stock’s rebound. Workday pops as Q1 results guidance top estimates
Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted growing AI monetization, noting that Workday’s AI features and agentic roadmap are starting to show up in contract value and customer adoption. Workday’s AI Momentum Continues as Solid Q1 Results Posted, RBC Says
Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms responded with constructive commentary and price-target updates after the beat, reinforcing sentiment that the quarter was solid and the setup remains favorable. These Analysts Revise Their Forecasts On Workday Following Q1 Results
Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, calling the post-earnings move more of a relief rally and noting that the stock is still expensive relative to fundamentals. WDAY Stock’s Gains Following Q1 Beat Fails to Unite Wall Street – This Analyst Believes Post-Earnings Rise Feels More Like Relief Rally
Negative Sentiment: Citi and other firms trimmed price targets, reflecting lingering concerns about valuation and execution even after the strong quarter. Workday Rallies On ‘Low Bar’ Beat As AI Starts To Show Up In Contract Value

About Workday

(Get Free Report)

Workday, Inc (NASDAQ: WDAY) is a provider of cloud-based enterprise applications focused on human capital management (HCM) and financial management. Founded in 2005 by Dave Duffield and Aneel Bhusri following their tenure at PeopleSoft, the company develops software-as-a-service solutions that help organizations manage workforce and financial processes in a unified, cloud-native environment. Workday’s platform emphasizes continuous updates, data security, and a configurable architecture aimed at large and mid-sized enterprises.

The company’s product portfolio centers on Workday Human Capital Management and Workday Financial Management, with additional offerings for payroll, talent management, workforce planning and analytics.