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spk03: extensive efforts in AI integrating the technology and the products across the portfolio. And of course, we continue to release AI-powered innovations and customer solutions. With that, I'm gonna turn the call over to Mike.
spk02: All right, thank you, Jack. I'll cover the financial results for the third quarter 2024 and our outlook for the fourth quarter and full year 2024. These results and our outlook for 2024 reflect our continued incremental sales, marketing, and product investments pursuant to our growth plan, as well as the previously announced runoff of sunset asset revenue. On the income statement, total revenue for the third quarter was 66.7 million, representing a decrease of 10% year over year. Recurring revenue from subscription support declined 9% year over year to 63.8 million. Perpetual license revenue declined to 1.1 million in the third quarter, down from 1.5 million in the third quarter of 2023. Professional services revenue was 1.8 million for the quarter, a 32% year over year decline. These revenue declines are consistent with the planned runoff of sunset asset revenue. Overall gross margin was 70% during the third quarter and our product gross margin was 72% or 75% when adding back depreciation and amortization, which we refer to as cash gross margin. Operating expenses for the third quarter of 2024, excluding depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, were 35.6 million for the quarter, or 53% of total revenue. This is in line with our expectations and reflects the sales, marketing, and product investments we've been making as part of our growth plan. Our third quarter, 2024 adjusted EBITDAI, was 14 million or 21% of total revenue, down from 16.2 million or 22% of total revenue for the third quarter of 2023. This adjusted EBITDAI year over year decline is as expected considering our growth investments and our decisions regarding sunset assets. However, you can see our adjusted EBITDAI growing sequentially each quarter this year, from 13.1 million in Q1 to 13.6 million in Q2, to 14 million in Q3 here, and to a projected 14.9 million in Q4 based on the midpoint of our guidance. This has us exiting 2024 at almost 60 million of annual run rate adjusted EBITDAI, and we're targeting adjusted EBITDAI to be in the low to mid 60 millions next year, which we will confirm and more specifically quantify with our 2024 guidance as part of our Q4 and H report. Also, I will note that in Q3, we recognize $9 million of deferred gain from the sale of half of our interest rate swaps a year ago. This recognition of this previously deferred gain was triggered by the $177 million pay down of debt during the quarter. The gain was recognized on our income statement in the interest expense net line item as a one-time benefit in Q3. We anticipate continuing to steadily pay down our outstanding term loans with our cashflow generation on a monthly basis, resulting in relatively insignificant amounts of the remaining swap sale deferred gains to be recognized in future quarters. After this pay down of 177 million of our debt during the quarter, at the end of Q3, we had outstanding net debt of approximately 241 million, factoring in the approximately $60 million of cash on balance sheet. At the end of Q3, our gross debt was approximately 301 million. We still have in place our variable fixed interest rate swaps, which effectively fixed the interest rate at .4% on approximately 257 million of our outstanding debt as of September 30th, 2024. The remaining $45 million of our outstanding debt floats at an interest rate of SOFR plus 385 basis points, which was .1% as of September 30th, 2024. Our revolver matured in August of 24 with no amounts drawn or outstanding at the time of maturity. For cashflow for the third quarter of 2024, our gap operating cashflow was 4.3 million and free cashflow was 4.2 million, which was in line with our expectations. As a reminder, our gap operating cashflow and free cashflow last year in Q3, 2023 was benefited by the $20.5 million one-time cash gain from the sale of half of our interest rate swaps. I will note that our ongoing free cashflow generation is in addition to the approximate $60 million of cash on our balance sheet as of September 30th, 2024. Now the guidance. For the quarter ended December 31st, 2024, we expect reported total revenue to be between 65.9 and 71.9 million, including subscription support revenue between 60.2 and 65.2 million for a decline in total revenue of 5% at the midpoint from the quarter ended December 31st, 2023. Fourth quarter 2024 adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between 13.4 and 16.4 million for an adjusted EBITDA margin of 22% at the midpoint. The adjusted EBITDA guidance at the midpoint is an increase of 6% from the quarter ended December 31st, 2023, representing the first year over year quarterly increase in adjusted EBITDA since Q2 of 2022. For the full year ending December 31st, 2024, we expect reported total revenue to be between 272.6 and 278.6 million, including subscription and support revenue between 256.6 and 261.6 million for a decline in total revenue of 7% at the midpoint from the year ended December 31st, 2023. Full year 2024 adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between 54.1 and 57.1 million for an adjusted EBITDA margin of 20% at the midpoint. This adjusted EBITDA guide at the midpoint is a decrease of 14% from the year ended December 31st, 2023. So again, I'll point out that adjusted EBITDA has been growing sequentially every quarter this year, and we expect to exit this year in Q4 at 14.9 million at the guidance midpoint, which is almost 60 million of annualized run rate. And so with that, I'll turn the call back over to Jack.
spk03: All right, thanks, Mike. We are ready to open the call up for Q&A.
spk04: If you wish to ask a question, please press star followed by one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. That is star one if you wish to ask a question. And to first question comes line is Jeff Van Rie from Craig Hunt Capital Group. Your line is open. Hey, this is Daniel Long for Jeff.
spk01: Just wanted to open up, congrats on the quarter. Just wanted to ask in terms of some of the cost cuts that have been going through in OPEX, it's been trending real nicely. Just any color on sort of what some of the changes are that have been made there. If those are finished and then just how you think about those, is this a good run rate to look at for 25? Just how to annualize those and think about them forward.
spk02: Yeah, so Daniel, costs are gonna continue to come down. As you can tell, we've messaged and targeted increased EBITDA next year. So part of that increased EBITDA is gonna be from continuing cost refinements. We've of course had an infrastructure here at the company where we could handle four to five acquisitions per year. We're obviously not doing that now. So we've got sort of some infrastructure costs and extra costs that we can take out of the business that do not relate to the growth investments that we've made. So there are cost efficiencies that we'll continue to recognize.
spk03: The one thing I'm gonna add to what Mike said is that within the growth investments, now that we are a year and a half plus into this cycle, we are seeing what's working and what isn't working. And we're able to kind of turn up the investment on those motions on which we're getting a good return. And then we can adjust our spending at other areas. So overall, that gives us some efficiency and supports expanded margins.
spk01: Yeah, and then just a high level question, Jack, for you. Just on a very broad range of -to-market changes that have been made, maybe just highlight in a little bit more detail some of the places where you've seen the most success in terms of the correlation between those changes being made and where those are driving change.
spk03: I would say two in particular. One was putting in place a modern digital marketing function at the company. And if you look across the board in terms of what we're doing around organic SEO, what we're doing around product recognition on peer review sites, what we're doing in terms of the level and quality of our product marketing and how that supporting sales enablement, all of those things are just a step function better than they were before. And as a result of that, we're seeing some significant increases in lead generation and conversion of that lead flow into pipeline. Secondly, we've built out our sales capability and brought in new sales management. And again, the sort of rigor and hygiene around the sales teams is a step function better than it was a year or a year and a half ago. Now we are starting to see some of that flow through into bookings. And that is what's gonna support that organic, core organic growth target of low to mid single digits in 2025. The other area there where we've made investment is in customer success. And really in enabling our great CS teams with the tools that they need to engage with customers in a more strategic way and to drive more product utilization and value for our customers supporting higher renewal rates through time. And so we think we're on a nice positive trend of substantial reductions in EBITDA year over year if you look at 23, 24, and what we see going into 25. So that would be my commentary there.
spk01: Thanks, Jack. And then just one for Mike. In terms of the strategic thinking on paying down the debt, I assume that's sort of setting up for refinancing. Just any thoughts on why now on the payment of the debt and then just how that sets you up for maybe the next few steps, how a process of refinancing looks like, what you'll be looking to achieve there. Thanks.
spk02: Yeah, Daniel. So we paid down 177 million of debt in Q3 at the current interest rates, right? That's about a $7 million a year of interest savings annualized. So big incentive for us just to go ahead and take some of that excess cash in our balance sheet, pay down the debt and enjoy the lower cash interest as a result. Timing for refi sometime next year, fiscal year 25, as you know, our debt matures August of 26. You know, the longer that we delay the refi then the more interest savings, because we've got a very attractive rate on our existing credit facility. So the longer that we hold in our existing credit facility, the better off we'll be just from an interest cost standpoint. So yeah, so that's the plan.
spk01: Understood. Thanks, Jack. Thanks, Mike.
spk04: I'd now like to hand the call back over to Jack McDonald.
spk03: Okay, great. Thanks very much for your time today. And we will see you on next quarter's earnings call.
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