** Shares of design-software maker Autodesk ADSK.O rise 2.3% to $297.56 premarket
** Piper Sandler upgrades rating on stock to "overweight" from "neutral"; also raises PT to $357 from $311, implying ~23% upside to stock's last close
** "Entering 2025, we see a cleaner path for outperformance in shares, less reliant on better revenue growth via cyclical recovery and instead ADSK-specific margin initiatives" - brokerage
** Piper Sandler says it sees ADSK deploying cash more aggressively to capital-return policies, alongside margin initiatives
** 20 of 31 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 11 "hold", median PT is $330 - data compiled by LSEG
** Stock had risen ~21% in 2024
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru)
((Jaspreet.Singh@thomsonreuters.com ; https://twitter.com/i_jass))