GitLab Stock Drops on Conservative Guidance. Here's Why This Pullback Looks Like a Buying Opportunity.

Core Viewpoint - GitLab's stock has declined over 20% this year due to conservative guidance, but the sell-off may be exaggerated given the company's strong revenue growth and profitability [1][13]. Group 1: Revenue Growth - GitLab operates a DevSecOps platform that integrates cybersecurity into software development, benefiting from increased software development driven by AI [2]. - The company reported a 27% year-over-year revenue increase to $214.5 million for Q1 of fiscal 2026, exceeding prior forecasts [6]. - Subscription revenue rose 29% to $194.5 million, while license revenue increased by 11% to $20 million [7]. - The dollar-based net retention rate was 122%, indicating existing customers are increasing their spending [8]. - The number of enterprise customers generating over $100,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew by 26% to 1,288 [9]. Group 2: Profitability and Financial Metrics - GitLab's adjusted earnings per share surged from $0.03 to $0.17 year-over-year, with a gross margin of 88% [11]. - The company generated $104.1 million in adjusted free cash flow, up from $37.4 million a year ago, and ended the quarter with $1.1 billion in cash and no debt [11][14]. - Remaining performance obligations (RPO) increased by 40% to $955.1 million, indicating strong future growth potential [10]. Group 3: Future Outlook - GitLab maintained its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue forecast between $936 million and $942 million, representing approximately 24% growth [12]. - The adjusted EPS guidance was raised to between $0.74 and $0.75, up from a previous range of $0.68 to $0.72 [12]. - The company is set to launch its agentic AI solution, GitLab Dual Workflow, this winter, which may further expand its market [5]. Group 4: Market Position and Valuation - Despite concerns about AI potentially reducing the need for coding, GitLab has seen increased coding activity and customer upgrades [13]. - The stock trades at a price-to-sales multiple of 7.5 times fiscal year 2026 estimates, with an enterprise value-to-sales ratio of about 6.4 times when excluding net cash [15]. - GitLab is characterized as a fast-growing SaaS company with high gross margins and strong free cash flow, making it an attractive investment opportunity [16].