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WDAY vs. ZS: Workday vs. Zscaler Stock Comparison

How do Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS) both belong to the Software industry, though WDAY is classified under Application Software while ZS falls under Systems Software.

Company profile comparison for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
Profile ItemWDAYZS
NameWorkday Inc Class A Common StockZscaler Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesSoftware & Services
GICS IndustrySoftwareSoftware
GICS Sub-IndustryApplication SoftwareSystems Software
Market Capitalization46.49 billion USD32.23 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateOctober 12, 2012March 16, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WDAY
ZS
GSPC
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Total Return (1Y)-14.74%-37.61%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-5.22%5.36%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-8.14%-10.75%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WDAY
ZS
GSPC
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)54.35%68.66%
Beta (5Y)1.010.88
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.38%-76.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.14M2.92M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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WDAY and ZS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.35-0.61
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.54-0.79

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Zscaler (ZS) reports a negative ROE of -2.87%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Workday (WDAY) reports 16.01%, ranking against industry peers normally.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

16.01%

Max
53.85%
Q3
17.90%
WDAY
16.01%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%

ZS

Software & Services industry group

-2.87%

Max
53.85%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
ZS
-2.87%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Zscaler (ZS) reports a negative net margin of -1.89%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Workday (WDAY) reports 12.32%, ranking against industry peers normally.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

12.32%

Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
WDAY
12.32%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%

ZS

Software & Services industry group

-1.89%

Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
ZS
-1.89%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Zscaler (ZS) reports a negative operating margin of -1.01%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Workday (WDAY) reports 11.82%, ranking against industry peers normally.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

11.82%

Max
46.89%
Q3
17.64%
WDAY
11.82%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%

ZS

Software & Services industry group

-1.01%

Max
46.89%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
ZS
-1.01%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
ROE (TTM)16.01%-2.87%
ROA (TTM)4.51%-1.03%
Net Margin (TTM)12.32%-1.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.82%-1.01%
Gross Margin (TTM)75.80%76.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Workday (WDAY) at 13.10% and Zscaler (ZS) at 25.42% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Workday (WDAY) reports EPS growth of 32.82%, ranked against its industry; Zscaler (ZS) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Revenue Growth (YoY)13.10%25.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)15.40%27.51%
EPS Growth (YoY)32.82%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Zscaler (ZS) at 1.70 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Workday (WDAY) at 0.91 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WDAY.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

0.91

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
WDAY
0.91
Min
0.03

ZS

Software & Services industry group

1.70

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
ZS
1.70
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Workday (WDAY) at 0.58 and Zscaler (ZS) at 0.72 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

0.58

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
WDAY
0.58
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00

ZS

Software & Services industry group

0.72

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
ZS
0.72
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.911.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.580.72
Net Debt / EBITDA0.23-36.63

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Workday (WDAY) nor Zscaler (ZS) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

WDAY
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

ZS

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

ZS
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Workday (WDAY) nor Zscaler (ZS) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

WDAY
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

ZS

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

ZS
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Workday (WDAY) trades at 39.29 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Zscaler (ZS) has no P/E ratio this period.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

39.29

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
WDAY
39.29
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69

ZS

Software & Services industry group

--

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69
ZS
--
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): ZS does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; WDAY is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Workday (WDAY) at 4.58 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Zscaler (ZS) at 9.61 sits in the pricier quartile — ZS costs more per dollar of sales.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

4.58

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
WDAY
4.58
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02

ZS

Software & Services industry group

9.61

Max
17.91
ZS
9.61
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Workday (WDAY) at 7.20 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Zscaler (ZS) at 12.40 carries an above-peer premium to book — ZS is pricier on assets.

WDAY

Software & Services industry group

7.20

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
WDAY
7.20
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90

ZS

Software & Services industry group

12.40

Max
16.63
ZS
12.40
Q3
8.50
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
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Workday (WDAY) vs. Zscaler (ZS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Workday (WDAY) and Zscaler (ZS)
MetricWDAYZS
P/E Ratio (TTM)39.29--
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.589.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.2012.40
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.55%3.34%