SAS Reports Sales GrowthSAS Reports Sales Growth

SAS Institute Inc.'s sales increased 13.5% to $1.34 billion in 2003, the largest privately held software company said this week. SAS's top line got a boost from increased sales of data-management, business performance-management, and customer-intelligence applications. The company does not disclose its earnings.

Financial-service companies continue to be SAS's biggest market, the company said, accounting for 34% of revenue. The public sector and manufacturing companies accounted for 13% and 12% of sales, respectively, while retail, life sciences, and telecommunications customers each accounted for 5% to 7% of sales. Growth was strong across all geographical regions, the company said, with North America accounting for 46% of sales, Europe and the Middle East 43%, Asia/Pacific 9%, and Latin America 2%.

SAS said new license revenue from sales of data-management software grew more than 80% in 2003, with data-quality initiatives driving much of that growth. New license revenue from marketing automation applications increased 70%, risk-management software 65%, and performance-management and activity-based costing software 40%.