With this analysis, I am beginning my coverage of Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC ) by issuing a ‘Hold’ rating for the stock for long-term investors. Although the company has been riding a strong wave of momentum overAnalyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than fr ...

Core Insights - Mahindra has introduced two new electric SUVs, the BE 6 and XEV 9e, which utilize Cerence Audio AI to enhance in-car interaction, marking a significant advancement for an Indian automobile manufacturer [1][2] Group 1: Product Features - The BE 6 and XEV 9e are built on the Mahindra Artificial Intelligence Architecture (MAIA), which integrates advanced hardware and software for a connected and personalized driving experience [2] - Cerence Speech Signal Enhancement (SSE) will be employed in Mahindra's eSUVs to improve communication clarity between drivers, passengers, and the infotainment system, particularly in noisy environments [3] Group 2: Strategic Partnership - Mahindra's collaboration with Cerence AI aims to enhance the in-car experience by ensuring accurate communication and interaction, even in challenging driving conditions [4] - Cerence AI is recognized as a leading provider of automotive speech enhancement solutions, which are critical for the adoption of in-car assistants [4][6] Group 3: Company Background - Cerence Inc. specializes in creating AI-powered experiences in the automotive sector, with over 525 million cars equipped with its technology [6] - The company is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, and focuses on advancing user experiences through innovation in voice and generative AI [6]

Core Insights - Voice-driven artificial intelligence is becoming a critical area in technology, with SoundHound AI, Inc. and Cerence Inc. leading in this niche [1] - SoundHound is a newer player with a broad industry focus, while Cerence specializes in automotive voice assistants [2][3] SoundHound AI Overview - SoundHound combines advanced speech recognition with large language models, enabling natural voice interactions across various sectors [4] - The company has a three-pronged strategy focusing on enterprise agents, automotive assistants, and voice commerce, which enhances its market position [5] - In Q1 2025, SoundHound reported a 151% year-over-year revenue increase to $29.1 million, driven by growth in restaurant and enterprise solutions [6][8] - The company aims for full-year revenue guidance of $157-$177 million, indicating potential for significant growth [6][8] Cerence Inc. Overview - Cerence is the leading voice AI provider in the automotive sector, with its technology embedded in over 500 million vehicles and powering approximately 51% of cars produced in the last year [9] - The company reported a 15% year-over-year revenue increase to $78 million in its fiscal second quarter, aided by a one-time fixed-license boost [11] - Cerence maintains a fiscal 2025 revenue guidance of $236-$247 million, reflecting challenges due to the loss of the Toyota contract [12] Competitive Landscape - SoundHound faces competition from major tech companies like Alphabet, Amazon, and Apple, which dominate the AI-powered voice assistant market [7] - Cerence's competitive edge lies in its ability to offer white-labeled voice assistants that maintain brand identity for automakers [9] Stock Performance and Valuation - SoundHound's stock has increased by 7.7% over the past three months, while Cerence shares have risen by 10.6% [14] - SoundHound has a market capitalization of approximately $3.85 billion, trading at about 20.67X forward 12-month sales, indicating a high valuation [17][18] - Cerence, with a market capitalization of around $407.5 million, trades at roughly 1.61X trailing 12-month sales, suggesting a more attractive valuation compared to SoundHound [18] Investment Outlook - SoundHound's diversified industry exposure and strong revenue growth position it for broader upside as voice interfaces gain adoption [24] - Cerence, while established in the automotive market, faces growth constraints and challenges from contract losses [24]

Core Insights - Cerence Inc. announced the integration of its AI technologies into the next-generation MBUX system, debuting in the all-electric Mercedes-Benz CLA, marking a significant milestone in their collaboration with Mercedes-Benz [1][2] - The MBUX Virtual Assistant will feature advanced conversational capabilities, including a new "living" avatar and enhanced emotional interaction through Cerence's neural text-to-speech technology [2][3] - Cerence AI's solutions support seamless interaction across 25 languages, enhancing the user experience for drivers and passengers [2][5] Company Overview - Cerence Inc. is a leader in creating AI-powered experiences in the automotive sector, with over 500 million cars equipped with its technology [5] - The company focuses on voice interaction technologies, generative AI, and large language models to improve safety and connectivity in vehicles [5] - Cerence is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, and collaborates with major automakers and technology firms to innovate user experiences [5]

Company Overview - Cerence (CRNC) shares increased by 14.8% to $9.96 in the last trading session, with a higher-than-average trading volume [1] - The stock has gained 1.6% over the past four weeks [1] - Cerence is experiencing growth due to the adoption of connected vehicle technologies, advancements in AI-driven automotive solutions, and diversification into non-automotive sectors [1] Financial Performance - Cerence is expected to report a quarterly loss of $0.34 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 279% [2] - Projected revenues for the upcoming quarter are $53.93 million, which is a decrease of 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year [2] - The consensus EPS estimate for Cerence has remained unchanged over the last 30 days, indicating a lack of upward revisions in earnings estimates [3] Industry Context - Cerence is part of the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry, which includes other companies like Telos Corporation (TLS) [3] - Telos is expected to report an EPS of -$0.05, showing a year-over-year improvement of 44.4% [4] - Both Cerence and Telos currently hold a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [3][4]

Summary of Cerence (CRNC) Conference Call - June 10, 2025 Company Overview - Cerence is a global leader in voice AI interaction within the automotive industry, spun off from Nuance Communication in 2019, focusing on automotive software solutions [4][5] - The company claims over 50% penetration in the global automotive market, with technology implemented in over 500 million vehicles [5][6] Key Points Market Position and Growth - Cerence is well-positioned in a growing market for automotive software, with strong relationships with major automotive OEMs [6] - The company has a unique market position with higher margins and less exposure to tariffs compared to other suppliers [8][10] Tariff Impact - As a software company, Cerence is not directly impacted by tariffs, but there are concerns about overall production implications [10][11] - The company anticipates limited production concerns for the upcoming quarter, despite potential tariff impacts [19][20] China Market - Cerence faces challenges penetrating the Chinese market due to strong local competition but maintains relationships with large Chinese OEMs for exports outside of China [12][13] - The company sees potential growth in relationships with Chinese OEMs for their products outside of China [13][15] Revenue and Royalties - Pro forma royalties have been relatively flat over the past year, with expectations for growth tied to new product launches and pricing strategies [20][21] - The company has seen a decline in prepaid license revenue, with a target of around $20 million for the current year [23][24] Pricing Per Unit (PPU) - The PPU metric has shown growth, increasing from $450 to $487 over the trailing twelve months, with expectations for further growth as new products are launched [25][26] - The company aims to increase PPU through higher penetration of its technology in vehicles and the introduction of more valuable AI products [30][31] AI Product Development - Cerence is excited about the upcoming XUI product, which will integrate a large language model for enhanced voice interaction capabilities in vehicles [45][46] - The XUI product aims to provide a unified interface for both embedded and connected features, enhancing user experience [34][60] Competitive Landscape - Competition comes from both big tech companies and smaller competitors, but Cerence believes its proven implementation capabilities give it an advantage [50][51] - There is a reluctance among OEMs to adopt big tech solutions, favoring branded experiences instead [62] Additional Insights - The company is focused on creating win-win situations with OEMs by potentially reducing costs while increasing capabilities [41][43] - Cerence is exploring ways to enhance user interaction through multimodal capabilities, allowing for more natural voice commands [39][40] This summary captures the essential points discussed during the conference call, highlighting Cerence's market position, challenges, and future growth strategies.

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has seen a significant shift in its operational efficiency and profitability, with a focus on reducing costs and increasing cash flow [44][46][61] - The penetration rate of the company's technology is reported to be in over 50% of cars produced, with a goal to increase the price per unit (PPU) as more advanced technologies are adopted [20][21][58] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is transitioning to a multimodal AI interaction platform, Cerence XUI, expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year, with implementation in vehicles anticipated in early 2026 [61][62] - The company is also focusing on enhancing its technology stack within existing vehicles to increase revenue opportunities [21][61] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The adoption rates for AI and voice interaction technologies are similar across European and US manufacturers, with a notable demand for these features from consumers [29][30] - In China, the company faces challenges selling within the domestic market but performs well with Chinese manufacturers exporting to Europe and other regions [28][29] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to leverage its trusted relationships with OEMs and tier-one suppliers to enhance its competitive position against big tech companies [13][26] - There is a strategic focus on expanding into non-automotive sectors while maintaining profitability and cash flow [34][35] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges the complexity of software integration within vehicles as a challenge for automakers, which may delay the adoption of new technologies [16][17] - The company is optimistic about the future, emphasizing the importance of AI advancements and the growing demand for connected vehicle technologies [19][22] Other Important Information - The company has established partnerships with key SOC providers like NVIDIA and ARM to enhance software performance and execution [26] - The company is exploring opportunities in non-automotive sectors, including transportation and consumer electronics, while ensuring high margins and profitability [33][34] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the most important metrics to track for the company and the industry? - Key metrics include overall IHS volumes, penetration rates, connectivity rates, and adjusted cash flow, which provide visibility into future connected revenue [57][58][59] Question: How is the company addressing operational efficiencies? - The company has undertaken a successful restructuring to rationalize expenses, focusing on improving efficiency across all departments [44][45][46] Question: What is the company's approach to pricing discussions with automakers? - The company is engaged in discussions to help manufacturers reduce costs while also aiming to increase revenue through a broader adoption of its technology stack [50][52]

Cerence AI will leverage Arm Kleidi software library to advance the performance of CaLLM Edge, its embedded SLMBURLINGTON, Mass., May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced a strategic partnership with Arm in which Cerence AI will leverage Arm’s comprehensive software library, Arm® Kleidi™, to advance the capabilities and performance of CaLLM™ Edge, its embedded small language model (SLM) ...

BURLINGTON, Mass., May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) ("Cerence AI"), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced that the company will participate in two upcoming investor conferences. Live webcasts of the events will be available on the Company's website at www.cerence.ai under the "Investors" section. Replays of the webcasts will be available for 90 days after the events. To learn more about Cerence AI, visit www.cerence.ai, and follow ...

Core Insights - Cerence (CRNC) reported quarterly earnings of $0.53 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.34 per share, and showing a significant improvement from a loss of $0.09 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of 55.88% [1] - The company achieved revenues of $78.01 million for the quarter ended March 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.62% and reflecting a year-over-year increase from $67.83 million [2] - Cerence shares have increased approximately 26.6% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with a decline of -4.7% in the S&P 500 [3] Earnings Outlook - The future performance of Cerence's stock will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the company's earnings outlook, including current consensus earnings expectations for upcoming quarters [4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the next quarter is -$0.16 on revenues of $52.91 million, with a breakeven estimate on revenues of $240.88 million for the current fiscal year [7] Industry Context - The Computers - IT Services industry, to which Cerence belongs, is currently ranked in the top 39% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook compared to the bottom 50% [8] - Another company in the same industry, TaskUs (TASK), is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.32 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 6.7%, with revenues projected at $271.47 million, up 19.3% from the previous year [9][10]