Autodesk Value Stock - Dividend - Research Selection

Description of the company

We are a global leader in design software and services, offering customers productive business solutions through powerful technology products and services. We serve customers in the architecture, engineering and construction; product design and manufacturing; and digital media and entertainment industries. Customers are able to design and create better things and processes by visualizing, simulating and analyzing real-world performance early in the design process. These capabilities allow our customers to foster innovation, optimize and improve their designs, save time and money, improve quality, communicate plans, and collaborate with others. Our professional software products are sold globally, both directly to customers and through a network of resellers and distributors.

Segments

We report segment information based on the “management” approach. The management approach designates the internal reporting used by management for making decisions, allocating resources and assessing performance as the source of our reportable segments. Prior to the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we had four operating segments: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (“AEC”), Manufacturing (“MFG”), Platform Solutions and Emerging Business (“PSEB”), and Media and Entertainment (“M&E”).

As a result of our business model transition, there have been a number of changes in the business including the shift from selling perpetual licenses to subscription-based offerings and organizational changes in how the business is managed including a restructuring announced in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. In the third quarter of fiscal 2017, these organizational changes resulted in a change in the internal reporting provided to our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). These internal reports are used by the CODM to assess the performance of the business on a consolidated basis. Accordingly, our CODM now allocates resources and assesses the operating performance of Autodesk as a whole. As such, beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we concluded that we had one segment manager (the CODM), one operating segment, and one reporting unit for goodwill impairment purposes.

A summary of our revenue by geographic area and product family is found in Note 13, “Segments,” in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated in California in April 1982 and were reincorporated in Delaware in May 1994. Our principal executive office is located at 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, California 94903, and the telephone number at that address is (415) 507-5000. Our internet address is www.autodesk.com. The information posted on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge on the Investor Relations portion of our web site at www.autodesk.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The public may also read and copy any material we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1 (800) SEC-0330.

PRODUCTS

Our architecture, engineering and construction products improve the way building, civil infrastructure, process plant and construction projects are designed, built, and used. Our product development and manufacturing software provides manufacturers in automotive, transportation, industrial machinery, consumer products and building products with comprehensive digital engineering solutions that bring together data from all phases of the product development and production life cycle, creating a single digital model. Our digital media and entertainment products provide tools for digital sculpting, modeling, animation, effects, rendering, and compositing for design visualization, visual effects and games production. Our portfolio of products and services enables our customers to foster innovation, optimize and improve their designs, save time and money, improve quality, communicate plans, and collaborate with others.

Autodesk’s product offerings include:

• AutoCAD

AutoCAD software, which is our largest single revenue-generating product, is a customizable and extensible CAD application for professional design, drafting, detailing, and visualization. AutoCAD software provides digital tools that can be used independently and in conjunction with other specific applications in fields ranging from construction and civil engineering to manufacturing and plant design.

• AutoCAD LT

AutoCAD LT software is purpose built for professional drafting and detailing. AutoCAD LT includes document sharing capability without the need for software customization or certain advanced functionality found in AutoCAD. Users can share all design data with team members who use AutoCAD or other Autodesk products built on AutoCAD. AutoCAD LT software is our second largest revenue-generating product.

• Industry Collections

Launched in August 2016, Autodesk's Industry Collections, our newest subscription offerings, provide our customers with increased access to a broader selection of Autodesk products, greater value, more flexibility, and a simpler way to subscribe and manage Autodesk subscriptions. To make way for industry collections, we ended the sale of the Design and Creation Suites on July 31, 2016, including Building Design Suites, Infrastructure Design Suites, and Product Design Suites. The collections are tailored to provide the essential software needed by professionals within each industry: AEC, Product Design, and M&E.

The AEC Collection aims to help our customers design, engineer, and construct higher quality, more predictable building and civil infrastructure projects, commonly used by AEC industry experts, such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil3D, and Revit.

The Product Design Collection offers connected, professional-grade tools that help our customers make great products today and compete in the changing manufacturing landscape of the future. The collection offers access to a wide range of our products, including AutoCAD and Inventor.

The M&E Collection provides end-to-end creative tools for entertainment creation. This collection enables animators, modelers and visual effect artists to access the tool they need, including Maya and 3ds Max, to create compelling effects, 3D characters and digital worlds.

• 3ds Max

3ds Max software provides 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solutions that enable game developers, design visualization professionals and visual effects artists to digitally create realistic images, animations, and complex scenes and to digitally communicate abstract or complex mechanical, architectural, engineering, and construction concepts.

• Maya

Maya software provides 3D modeling, animation, effects, rendering and compositing solutions that enable film and video artists, game developers, and design visualization professionals to digitally create engaging, lifelike images, realistic animations and simulations, extraordinary visual effects, and full length animated feature films.

• Revit

Revit software is built for Building Information Modeling ("BIM") to help professionals design, build, and maintain higher-quality, more energy-efficient buildings. Using the information-rich models created with Revit, architects, engineers, and construction firms can collaborate to make better-informed decisions earlier in the design process to deliver projects with greater efficiency. Revit includes features for architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing design as well as structural engineering and construction, providing a comprehensive solution for the entire building project team.

• Inventor

Inventor enables manufacturers to go beyond 3D design to digital prototyping by giving engineers a comprehensive and flexible set of tools for 3D mechanical design, simulation, analysis, tooling, visualization, and documentation. Engineers can integrate AutoCAD drawings and model-based design data into a single digital model, creating a virtual representation of a final product that enables them to validate the form, fit, and function of the product before it is ever built.

• AutoCAD Civil 3D

AutoCAD Civil 3D products provide a surveying, design, analysis, and documentation solution for civil engineering, including land development, transportation, and environmental projects. Using a model-centric approach that automatically updates documentation as design changes are made, AutoCAD Civil 3D products enable civil engineers, designers, drafters, and surveyors to significantly boost productivity and deliver higher-quality designs and construction documentation faster. With AutoCAD Civil 3D products, the entire project team works from the same consistent, up-to-date model so they stay coordinated throughout all project phases.

• CAM Solutions

Our computer-aided manufacturing ("CAM") software, obtained via our Delcam acquisition, offers industry-leading solutions for Computer Numeric Control ("CNC") machining, inspection, and modelling for manufacturing. A comprehensive line-up of expert products, including PowerMill, FeatureCAM, PowerInspect, PowerShare, and others, help our customers manufacture complex, innovative products and components with maximum quality, control, and production efficiency.

• Fusion 360

Fusion 360 is the first 3D CAD, CAM, and Computer-aided Engineering ("CAE") tool of its kind. It connects the entire product development process on a single cloud-based platform that works on both Apple and PC operating systems.

• BIM 360

BIM 360 construction management software enables almost anytime, anywhere access to project data throughout the building construction lifecycle. BIM 360 empowers those in the field to better anticipate and act, and those in the back office to optimize and manage all aspects of construction performance.

• Shotgun

Shotgun is cloud-based software for review and production tracking in the M&E industry. Creative companies use the Shotgun platform to provide essential business tools for managers and visual collaboration tools for artists and supervisors, who often work globally with distributed teams.