ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. $62.19 - Nasdaq symbol ADBE

ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. $62.19 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe.com; Shares outstanding: 498.7 million; Market cap: $30.4 billion; No dividends paid) reported a 12.5% earnings decline in the quarter ended August 29, 2014, to $0.28 a share from $0.32 a year earlier. Revenue rose 1.0%, to $1.0 billion from $995.1 million.

The company continues to shift away from selling software as a one-time purchase and toward a subscription model. That hurts Adobe’s short-term sales and profits, but it should bring more predictable revenue streams as users continue to switch over.

The stock now trades at 30.8 times the $2.02 a share that Adobe will likely earn in 2015. That’s a high p/e ratio for a company that mainly serves customers in cyclical businesses like publishing.

Adobe is still a hold.

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