Zscaler(US:ZS)2025-11-25 21:13Financial Performance - For the three months ended October 31, 2025, revenue was $788.1 million, a 26% increase from $628.0 million in the same period of 2024[121] - GAAP gross profit for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was $603.4 million, with a GAAP gross margin of 77%[139] - Non-GAAP income from operations for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was $171.9 million, resulting in a non-GAAP operating margin of 22%[141] - Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) as of October 31, 2025, was $3,204 million, up from $2,553 million in 2024, indicating a strong growth in subscription contracts[145] - Free cash flow for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was $413,296 thousand, compared to $291,881 thousand in 2024, reflecting an increase of 42%[144] - The net loss for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was $11.6 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $297.1 million, which included $188.6 million for stock-based compensation[190] Customer Growth - As of July 31, 2025, the company had over 9,400 customers, up from over 8,650 customers in 2024, representing a growth of approximately 8.6%[125] - The customer base grew by 14% from October 31, 2024, to October 31, 2025, contributing to the revenue increase[166] Operating Expenses - Operating expenses increased to $639,721 thousand in Q3 2025 from $517,160 thousand in Q3 2024, primarily driven by higher sales and marketing expenses[163] - Research and development expenses increased to $200,498 thousand in Q3 2025 from $154,254 thousand in Q3 2024, reflecting ongoing investment in product development[163] - Sales and marketing expenses increased by $67.5 million, or 22%, to $373.6 million, largely due to higher employee-related expenses and marketing costs[169] - General and administrative expenses grew by $8.8 million, or 16%, to $65.7 million, mainly from increased employee-related expenses[172] Cash Flow and Investments - Net cash provided by operating activities for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was $448.3 million, compared to $331.3 million for the same period in 2024, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 35.4%[190][191] - Net cash used in investing activities during the three months ended October 31, 2025, totaled $1,502.2 million, significantly higher than $201.7 million in the same period of 2024, primarily due to $896.4 million in short-term investments and $672.8 million for business acquisitions[192][193] - Net cash provided by financing activities was $3.1 million for the three months ended October 31, 2025, slightly up from $0.9 million in the same period of 2024, mainly from stock option exercises[194] Economic Environment and Future Outlook - The uncertain economic environment is leading to elongated approval processes for transactions, particularly for larger deals[122] - The company expects to continue incurring net losses as it invests in sales, marketing, and research and development[121] - The company expects gross profit to increase in absolute dollars and gross margin to improve slightly over the long term[152] Risk Management - The company has a foreign currency risk management program and uses foreign currency forward contracts to hedge a portion of its forecasted foreign currency-denominated expenses[203][205] - A hypothetical 100 basis point change in interest rates would have changed the fair value of the company's investments in available-for-sale securities by $27.9 million as of October 31, 2025[200] - The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates would not have a material impact on the company's financial statements for the three months ended October 31, 2025, and 2024[203] Other Financial Metrics - Interest income increased by $3.1 million, or 10%, to $33.2 million, attributed to a higher balance of cash equivalents and short-term investments[173] - Interest expense decreased by $1.0 million, or 32%, to $(2.1) million, primarily due to fair value hedge adjustments[174] - Other expense, net increased by $2.4 million, or 366%, to $(3.0) million, driven by fluctuations in foreign currency transactions[175] - Provision for income taxes decreased by $4.4 million, or 58%, to $3.2 million, mainly due to a tax benefit from the release of a portion of the U.S. valuation allowance[176] - As of October 31, 2025, cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaled $3,321.3 million, supporting working capital and corporate purposes[182] - Deferred revenue amounted to $2,351.3 million, with $1,946.2 million expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months[187] - The company issued $1,725.0 million in 2028 Notes in July 2025, which have a 0.0% interest rate, thus not exposing the company to economic interest rate risk[201][202] - Non-cash charges for the three months ended October 31, 2025, included $188.6 million for stock-based compensation and $48.1 million for amortization of deferred contract acquisition costs[190]