The takeaway
Workday Inc shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in August (+9.6%) and softest in September (−4.8%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 50% of years, averaging +1.8% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Workday Inc's most dependable month has been August, higher in 9 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in August (+9.3 pts); it has trailed the market most in September (−4.7 pts).
“vs S&P” is Workday Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Workday Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, August has closed higher 100% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) August return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: August, up in 9 of 10 Augusts while the other eleven tend to blur together.
The headline flatters a touch — its +9.6% average sits well above the +5.9% a typical year delivers, the work of a few big Augusts. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even August ranges by 12.1% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: August has cleared the S&P 500 by +9.3 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages August only about 52% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: January, February, and May have also closed higher more often than not. At the other end of the calendar, September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 4 months that average a loss (−4.8%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in September, March, and December. Its roughest month on record was a −25.0% May in 2022 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
August has now closed higher 6 years running. Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: August aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (August), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (August, +9.6%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −4.8%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
August has been the strongest, averaging +9.6% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −4.8% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade