Why Autodesk (ADSK) Remains a Leader in Design and Engineering Software

Aristotle Capital Management, LLC recently released its Q2 2026 investor letter, disclosing the performance of its Value Equity Fund. The fund achieved a 4.32% total return in the second quarter, trailing behind the Russell 1000 Value Index's 13.87% gain and the S&P 500's 15.20% return. The fund's underperformance was largely attributed to limited exposure to the AI infrastructure spending boom, with U.S. data centers expected to reach approximately 4,000 existing units and 3,000 more under construction. The AI-related demand has resulted in bottlenecks in processors and memory.

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), a global industry leader in computer-aided design software used across architecture, construction, manufacturing, and entertainment industries, was highlighted in the fund's letter. The company reported a 15.53% one-month return, with shares trading between $185.50 and $329.09 over the last 52 weeks. Autodesk's stock closed at around $254.77 on August 27, 2026, boasting a market capitalization of approximately $57.13 billion.

The fund explained that Autodesk's four segments - AEC (~48% of net sales), AutoCAD (~27%), Manufacturing (~20%), and Media and Entertainment (M&E) (~5%) - cater to millions of subscribers who rely on its software for designing and modeling buildings, products, films, and video games. Autodesk primarily sells its software on a subscription basis, discontinuing perpetual license sales in 2016. The company now offers three streamlined Industry Collections focused on AEC, Manufacturing, and M&E.