Sprout Social Inc (SPT) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Wins ...

GuruFocus.com
26 Feb
  • Revenue: $107.1 million, representing 14% year-over-year growth.
  • Subscription Revenue: $105.9 million, up 15% year over year.
  • Non-GAAP Operating Margin: Over 10% for the first time in operating history.
  • Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow: $6.6 million for the quarter; $29.7 million for fiscal 2024, up 2.9 times year-over-year.
  • Current Remaining Performance Obligations (cRPO): $249.4 million, representing 26% year-over-year growth.
  • RPO: $351.5 million, up 28% year over year.
  • Annual Contract Value (ACV): $14,651, up 19% year over year.
  • Customers with >$10,000 ARR: Grew 7% year over year.
  • Customers with >$50,000 ARR: Grew 23% year over year.
  • Non-GAAP Operating Income: $11.4 million, up from $1.7 million a year ago.
  • Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate (NDR): 104% in 2024, compared to 107% in 2023.
  • Guidance for Q1 2025 Revenue: $107.2 million to $108.0 million.
  • Guidance for Q1 2025 Non-GAAP Operating Income: $8.5 million to $9.5 million.
  • Guidance for Full Year 2025 Revenue: $448.1 million to $453.1 million.
  • Guidance for Full Year 2025 Non-GAAP Operating Income: $38.2 million to $43.2 million.
  • Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with SPT.

Release Date: February 25, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Sprout Social Inc (NASDAQ:SPT) reported a 14% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4 2024, reaching $107.1 million.
  • The company achieved a 26% year-over-year growth in current remaining performance obligations (cRPO), indicating strong future revenue potential.
  • Revenue from the $50,000 ARR customer segment grew over 35% in FY2024, highlighting success in the enterprise market.
  • Sprout Social Inc (NASDAQ:SPT) closed the largest new business ACV win in its history with a Fortune 500 financial services company.
  • The company reported a quarterly non-GAAP operating margin of over 10% for the first time, demonstrating improved profitability.

Negative Points

  • The demand environment in FY2025 is expected to remain unchanged from FY2024, indicating potential challenges in achieving higher growth.
  • Sprout Social Inc (NASDAQ:SPT) experienced a decline in dollar-based net retention rate (NDR) from 107% in 2023 to 104% in 2024.
  • The company implemented a restructuring in Q4 2024, resulting in a $3 million restructuring expense.
  • Guidance for FY2025 indicates a more measured approach, with revenue growth expected to be modest compared to previous years.
  • The company anticipates a severance expense of approximately $2.6 million in Q1 2025 due to restructuring focused on customer success.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Ryan, how does the pipeline look as you enter 2025 compared to last year, and what initiatives are underway to grow it? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: Our pipeline has grown as we enter 2025, with good year-on-year growth in Q4, particularly in the enterprise group. Key initiatives include focusing on pipeline metrics and ideal customer profiles, which are already in place and showing success.

Q: Joe, can you explain the margin guidance for 2025, considering the restructuring and growth expectations? A: Joe Del Preto, CFO: We are taking a measured approach to guidance, allowing flexibility to invest in growth opportunities. If we overperform on revenue, we expect incremental leverage, as we've demonstrated in past years.

Q: Raimo, what are the economic assumptions behind your guidance, given the current growth expectations? A: Joe Del Preto, CFO: We assume the demand environment in 2025 will remain unchanged from 2024. We have more confidence in our execution and visibility into this environment, supported by strong momentum in cRPO and big logo wins.

Q: Parker, how does the platform selling approach impact customer retention and expansion? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: It involves understanding our ideal customer profile and ensuring our products meet their needs. This approach, combined with strong product innovation, supports customer retention and expansion.

Q: Arjun, how do you see the adoption of care and influencer products across your customer base? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: Every customer is a target, but adoption depends on their social sophistication. Upmarket customers need care due to high social volume, and influencer marketing is in early stages with significant upside potential.

Q: Scott, why does Q1 guidance imply minimal growth despite positive Q4 momentum? A: Joe Del Preto, CFO: We are taking a more measured approach to guidance, assuming no improvement in the demand environment from 2024 to 2025, despite encouraging Q4 momentum.

Q: Elizabeth, what changes are involved in the influencer marketing rebrand, and what demand impact do you expect? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: The rebrand leverages Sprout Social's brand equity, clarifying that the influencer marketing solution is by Sprout Social. We expect to share more product updates in Q2, with early success across various verticals.

Q: Patrick, can you elaborate on the partner ecosystem focus for 2025, particularly with Salesforce? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: The Salesforce partnership remains strong, with new integrations like Agentforce. Our partner focus includes both technical and go-to-market aspects, enhancing our fit within tech stacks and workflows.

Q: Jackson, are large deals like the financial services win part of broader marketing decisions, or focused on social media management? A: Ryan Barretto, CEO: These deals are focused on social media management, though they may involve different aspects like marketing, customer care, or influencer management.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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