FILE PHOTO: SAP logo at SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
(Reuters) -German business software group SAP on Thursday said fourth-quarter revenue from its cloud computing business jumped 28% as more customers shift their IT operations to its cloud business database.
Cloud revenue climbed to 2.61 billion euros ($2.99 billion) in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported in a preliminary earnings statement.
SAP is targeting cloud revenue growth of up to 26% in 2022, helping its overall cloud and software revenue rise 4-6%, it said.
"More and more companies are choosing SAP to help them ... build resilient supply chains and become sustainable enterprises as they move to the cloud," Chief Executive Officer Christian Klein said in a statement.
The company saw a 6% year-on-year increase in total revenue for the quarter ended December to 7.98 billion euros, while adjusted earnings per share rose 10% to 1.86 euros.
SAP is expected to release full results on Jan. 27.
Separately, the company also announced a new 1 billion euro share repurchase programme, to be carried out in the period between Feb. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.
($1 = 0.8731 euros)
(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Kenneth Maxwell)
