Workday shares jumped about 18% after Silver Lake was reported to be considering an acquisition of the human-resources and financial-management software company, lifting its market capitalization to more than $51 billion. The company generated $9.55 billion of revenue in fiscal 2026, up 13.1%, with subscription revenue rising 14.5% to $8.83 billion, and first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue climbed another 13.5% to $2.54 billion. A hypothetical $227-a-share offer would value Workday at nearly $53.8 billion, potentially ranking among the biggest software takeovers ever, though talks could still break down and no deal has been announced. The report also lifted other software stocks, with SAP, Salesforce, Adobe, and ServiceNow gaining between 1.9% and 4.5%, and the S&P 500 Software & Services index up almost 25% quarter-to-date. Morgan Stanley analysts said a prospective acquisition would feed into the notion that Workday has a strong moat and a big chance to automate back-office tasks over time.
Workday IncSilver Lake reported to be considering acquisition, lifting shares 18% and market cap to $51B.
SAP SE
Morgan StanleySilver Lake is the potential acquirer, a private equity firm, benefiting from a major deal.
