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SoundHound's Q2 NRR Hits 120% From 90%: What's Fueling the Rise?
ZACKS· 2025-08-12 17:21
Core Insights - SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) reported impressive second-quarter 2025 results, highlighted by a net revenue retention (NRR) increase from under 90% to over 120%, indicating strong customer retention and upselling success [1][9] Financial Performance - The company achieved a 217% sales growth driven by increased demand for AI solutions [5] - The consensus estimate for 2025 sales suggests a growth of 98.3%, with an expected improvement in the bottom line from a loss of $1.04 per share in the previous year [12] Technology Integration - SoundHound's integration of recent acquisitions, particularly Amelia and Synq3, has led to significant improvements in accuracy, latency, and cost efficiency by utilizing its proprietary Polaris speech recognition model [2][9] - The technology enhancements have resulted in better customer satisfaction, faster deployment cycles, and higher renewal close rates [2] Cross-Selling and Partnerships - Cross-selling between business units has been a key driver, with SoundHound successfully selling solutions from its recent acquisition to a major customer of an earlier acquisition [3] - Strategic partnerships with AVANT Communications, Acrelec, and Par Technologies have expanded SoundHound's reach into global restaurant chains and enterprise service providers, driving new customer acquisitions and product adoption [4] Competitive Landscape - SoundHound faces strong competition from Nuance Communications and Cerence Inc., both of which have established market positions and significant resources [5][6] - Nuance, now part of Microsoft, has deep penetration in healthcare and customer engagement, while Cerence dominates automotive voice technology [6] Stock Performance and Valuation - SOUN shares have increased by over 48% since the second-quarter earnings release, outperforming the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry [7] - The stock is currently trading at a premium with a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 33.19 [11]
LivePerson Announces Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results
Prnewswire· 2025-08-11 20:30
Core Insights - LivePerson reported total revenue of $59.6 million for Q2 2025, a decrease of 25.4% year-over-year, primarily due to customer cancellations and downsells [2][3] - The company signed 38 deals in total during the quarter, including 35 expansions and renewals, and 3 new customers [3][6] - LivePerson's adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2025 was $2.9 million, down from $8.2 million in Q2 2024 [8][28] Financial Performance - Net loss for Q2 2025 was $15.7 million, or $0.17 per share, compared to net income of $41.8 million, or $0.47 per share, in Q2 2024 [7][24] - Adjusted operating loss for Q2 2025 was $2.7 million, compared to adjusted operating income of $0.5 million in Q2 2024 [7][28] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of Q2 2025 were $162.0 million, down from $183.2 million at the end of 2024 [9][31] Strategic Developments - The company secured a refinancing agreement that reduced its debt by $226 million and extended its runway through 2029 [4][5] - LivePerson experienced a 45% sequential increase in conversations powered by its Generative AI suite [4] - The company expects total revenue for Q3 2025 to range from $56 million to $59 million, representing a year-over-year decline of 25% to 21% [13][14] Customer and Market Dynamics - The average revenue per enterprise and mid-market customer increased by 4.0% to $655,000 for Q2 2025, up from approximately $630,000 in the prior year [3] - The company continues to deepen its strategic partnership with Google Cloud, enhancing its market position [4]
Cerence Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Results; Revenue and Profitability Exceed High End of Guidance
Globenewswire· 2025-08-06 20:05
Core Insights - Cerence Inc. reported Q3 fiscal year 2025 results, achieving revenue of $62.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $9.0 million, exceeding guidance [3][5] - The company generated strong free cash flow of $16.1 million, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of positive free cash flow [3][6] - Full fiscal year revenue guidance has been raised to a range of $244 million to $249 million, along with improved guidance for Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow [3][10] Financial Performance - Q3 FY2025 GAAP revenue was $62.2 million, down from $70.5 million in Q3 FY2024 [5] - GAAP gross margin improved to 73.7% from 71.5% year-over-year [5] - GAAP net loss for Q3 FY2025 was $(2.7) million compared to a loss of $(313.5) million in Q3 FY2024 [5] - Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended June 30, 2025, was $39.8 million, down from $82.6 million in the same period of the previous year [5] Key Performance Indicators - Cerence's technology was utilized in 52% of worldwide auto production over the trailing twelve months [7] - The number of Cerence connected cars shipped increased by 12% year-over-year [7] - Adjusted Total Billings saw a 3% increase year-over-year [7] Future Outlook - For Q4 FY2025, revenue is expected to be between $53 million and $58 million, with gross margins projected at 68% to 69% [9] - Full fiscal year projections include a net loss range of $28 million to $24 million and Adjusted EBITDA expected between $42 million and $46 million [10]
SoundHound Bets Big on Multilingual AI: Can It Outrun Rivals?
ZACKS· 2025-07-30 18:05
Core Insights - SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) is focusing on its multilingual and multimodal foundation model, Polaris, which supports nearly 30 languages and has significant advantages over competitors in noisy environments with 35% lower word error rates and four-times faster latency [1][10] Group 1: Competitive Positioning - The aggressive multilingual strategy is timely as enterprises expand globally, making language agility critical in sectors like customer service and automotive [2] - SoundHound's integration of Polaris across acquisitions such as SYNQ3 and Amelia has enhanced upsell and cross-sell opportunities, strengthening its market position [2] - Despite strong enterprise demand and over 2 billion voice queries per quarter, competition from tech giants like Amazon and Google, as well as startups, poses challenges [3][5] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - SoundHound faces competition from Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) and Baidu, Inc. (BIDU), with GOOGL's Google Assistant being a dominant player due to its scale and brand trust [5] - Baidu is expanding its multilingual capabilities in China, leveraging its strengths in Mandarin and regional dialects, which gives it an edge in Asian markets [6] - While SoundHound excels in real-time response and speech accuracy in noisy environments, GOOGL and BIDU are heavily investing in conversational AI, increasing competitive pressures [7] Group 3: Financial Performance - SoundHound's shares have increased by 16.8% over the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry's growth of 1.6% [8][10] - The forward 12-month price-to-sales ratio for SOUN is 22.53, compared to the industry's 18.55, indicating a premium valuation [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SOUN's 2025 loss per share remains unchanged at 16 cents, showing improvement from a year-ago loss of $1.04 per share [12]
MySize Launches NaizGPT - Conversational AI Assistant for Retail Teams
Prnewswire· 2025-07-30 13:00
Core Insights - MySize Inc. has launched a pilot program for NaizGPT, a conversational AI assistant tailored for retail teams, allowing e-commerce professionals to interact with data through natural language instead of traditional dashboards [1][3] - The pilot program is currently being tested by select teams using the Naiz Fit platform, with early feedback indicating strong user engagement and deeper data analysis capabilities [2][3] Group 1: Product Development - NaizGPT processes data from MySize's sizing recommendation engine, providing contextual insights through conversational queries, enhancing the understanding of metrics like return rates [2][3] - The company plans to integrate NaizGPT with its Smart Catalog technology and additional data sources, expanding its functionality beyond sizing teams to include merchandising, marketing, and inventory [3][4] Group 2: Future Plans - MySize expects to transition NaizGPT from pilot to commercial availability in Q4 2025, aiming to establish it as the leading conversational AI platform for retail [4] - The long-term vision is for every retail team to engage in conversations with their data, obtaining instant and actionable insights [4] Group 3: Company Overview - MySize Inc. is recognized as a global leader in AI-powered size recommendation and digital commerce platforms for the fashion industry, with solutions aimed at improving fit, reducing returns, and enhancing the customer journey [5]
AudioCodes(AUDC) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-07-29 13:30
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenues for Q2 2025 were $61.1 million, an increase of 1.3% compared to $60.3 million in Q2 2024 [8] - GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 64.1%, down from 65.5% in Q2 2024 [10] - Non-GAAP net income for Q2 was $4.1 million or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $5.5 million or $0.18 per diluted share in Q2 2024 [12] - Net cash provided by operating activities was $7.7 million for the quarter [12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Services revenues for Q2 were $32.6 million, up 1.9% year over year, accounting for 53.3% of total revenues [9][17] - Life Managed Services grew 25% year over year, reaching $70 million in annual recurring revenues [18] - Non-GAAP operating income for Q2 was $4.4 million or 7.2% of revenues, down from $7.2 million or 11.9% of revenues in Q2 2024 [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue by geographical region: North America 48%, EMEA 34%, Asia Pacific 14%, Central and Latin America 4% [9] - Microsoft Teams business grew 6.5% year over year, contributing significantly to enterprise UC and CX revenue [16][27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is transitioning to an AI-driven hybrid cloud software and services model, focusing on connectivity and AI-powered business applications [15][41] - The launch of the next-generation live platform aims to enhance managed services and integrate AI capabilities [18][19] - The company plans to increase marketing and sales efforts in the Webex Calling space following recent certifications [32] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that despite tariff challenges, customer purchasing behavior remains stable, and the pipeline for opportunities is strong [25][26] - The company will postpone issuing a financial outlook until there is better clarity on tariff rates [25] - Management expressed confidence in the growth trajectory of the business, particularly in the UCaaS and CX markets [41] Other Important Information - The company declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share, totaling approximately $5.7 million, to be paid on August 28, 2025 [13] - The company expects $3 to $4 million in tariff-related costs for the full year 2025 [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are you seeing in terms of customer demand for virtual SBCs versus physical hardware following the tariffs? - Management indicated that there has been no significant impact on business decisions regarding SBCs, and they have raised prices to protect margins [44][45] Question: Can you provide more color on the strength of the Microsoft business? - Management highlighted that the growth is driven by a dominant market share in Teams Phone and successful large contract signings [48][49] Question: What is the pipeline for WebEx opportunities? - Management stated that they are early in the process with several opportunities but do not expect significant revenue impact until 2026 [52][53] Question: Did you disclose the second quarter growth rate for conversational AI? - Management did not disclose specific growth rates but expects substantial growth in the second half of the year [57][58] Question: How does AudioCodes differentiate itself in the conversational AI market? - Management emphasized their focus on end-to-end applications and the ability to deploy solutions quickly due to their extensive infrastructure [60][62]
AudioCodes(AUDC) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Presentation
2025-07-29 12:30
Financial Performance - Total revenues reached $61.1 million in 2Q'25, a 1.3% increase compared to $60.3 million in 2Q'24 [11] - Service revenues grew to $32.6 million in 2Q'25, up 1.9% from $32.0 million in 2Q'24 [12] - Non-GAAP gross margin was 64.5% in 2Q'25, compared to 65.8% in 2Q'24, impacted by $1 million tariff-related cost headwinds [12] - Non-GAAP operating margin stood at 7.2% in 2Q'25, versus 11.9% in 2Q'24 [12] - Non-GAAP EBITDA margin was 8.6% in 2Q'25, down from 13.8% in 2Q'24 [12] - Non-GAAP EPS was $0.14 in 2Q'25, compared to $0.18 in 2Q'24 [12] - Non-GAAP net income for the three months ended June 30, 2025, was $4.080 million, compared to $5.529 million for the same period in 2024 [32] - Non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2025, was $0.14, compared to $0.18 for the same period in 2024 [32] Business Segments - Microsoft Teams business experienced a 6.5% year-over-year increase [15] - Conversational AI business anticipates a strong growth outlook of 40%-50% for 2025 [15] - Live ARR increased by approximately 25% year-over-year [15]
Agora Showcases Conversational AI Solutions at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference
Globenewswire· 2025-07-29 11:00
Core Insights - Agora, Inc. showcased new conversational AI features at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, enhancing user experience with voice locking, vision-based intelligence, and interactive avatars [1][2] Group 1: New Features - Voiceprint-based attention locking allows AI agents to focus on the user's voice in noisy environments, similar to the 'cocktail effect' in human cognition [1][3] - Vision-based intelligence enables AI agents to interpret visual context, allowing users to interact with the AI about their surroundings, such as asking about a painting or solving a math problem [1][3] - Interactive avatars provide a more engaging conversational experience by synchronizing lifelike movements and emotions with speech [1][3] Group 2: Company Vision and Commitment - The CEO of Agora emphasized the goal of making AI conversations as natural as human interactions, highlighting the positive reception of the new features at WAIC [2] - Agora plans to continue investing in conversational AI capabilities and collaborating with global partners to set new standards for human-AI interaction across various applications [2]
PCI-PAL (FVA) Trading Update Transcript
2025-07-29 07:00
PCI-PAL Trading Update Summary Company Overview - **Company**: PCI-PAL - **Industry**: Cloud-based communication and payment solutions Key Points from the Trading Update Trading Performance - PCI-PAL reported strong overall performance for FY '25, signing more customers than ever before and expanding its partner ecosystem with major enterprise partnerships [2][3] - The company achieved a 25% growth in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), reaching £19.3 million, which is a key growth and valuation metric [4] - Contracted ARR (CAR) increased by 17% to £22.2 million, reflecting a branding change from TACV to CAR [5] - Customer retention remains high with churn rates below 5% and an increase in Net Revenue Retention (NRR) from 102% to 104% year-on-year [6] Financial Highlights - The company ended the year with approximately £4 million in cash, allowing for future investment opportunities [6][7] - PCI-PAL secured a significant contract renewal with the UK Department of Work and Pensions, valued at over £11 million [8] - The company is tracking competitor displacements and has successfully signed new contracts with FTSE 250 companies [9] Strategic Objectives - PCI-PAL aims to maintain its position as a leading cloud platform in the contact center market, leveraging its strong partner ecosystem [3][16] - The company anticipates substantial growth in the contact center solutions market, expected to grow six to seven times over the next five to ten years [17] - There is a focus on integrating conversational AI into their offerings, particularly in the CCaaS market [18][19] Future Growth Plans - PCI-PAL plans to invest approximately £1.5 million in marketing and product development to drive growth, with two-thirds of this impacting the P&L in FY '26 [22] - The company aims to grow ARR by 18-20% for FY '27 and beyond, emphasizing the importance of not remaining stagnant [21] - A new Chief Marketing Officer has been hired to enhance marketing efforts and drive growth [23] New Product Announcements - PCI-PAL announced a new fraud management product aimed at complementing its existing payment solutions, which is expected to create new revenue opportunities [24][25] - The product is designed to help customers reduce costs associated with fraudulent activities, particularly in contact center environments [26] Market Positioning - PCI-PAL is the only publicly listed company in its space and is committed to leveraging its market position to drive further growth [23] - The company is focused on expanding its product offerings to enhance customer relationships and increase sales [24][25] Conclusion - PCI-PAL is optimistic about FY '26, with plans to capitalize on market growth and enhance its product offerings to drive long-term stakeholder value [21][26]
AudioCodes Reports Second Quarter 2025 Results and Declares Semi-Annual Dividend of 20 cent per share
Prnewswire· 2025-07-29 06:00
Core Insights - AudioCodes reported a revenue increase of 1.3% year-over-year for Q2 2025, reaching $61.1 million compared to $60.3 million in Q2 2024 [15] - The company experienced a decline in EBITDA, with GAAP EBITDA at $3.6 million for Q2 2025, down from $6.2 million in Q2 2024 [2][15] - Non-GAAP net income for Q2 2025 was $4.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $5.5 million, or $0.18 per diluted share in Q2 2024 [4][15] Financial Performance - Total revenues for the first half of 2025 were $121.5 million, compared to $120.4 million for the same period in 2024 [27] - The gross margin for Q2 2025 was 64.1% on a GAAP basis and 64.5% on a Non-GAAP basis [15] - Net cash provided by operating activities was $7.7 million for Q2 2025, with total cash and cash equivalents amounting to $95.3 million as of June 30, 2025 [6][15] Business Developments - The company launched the Live Platform, an integrated UCaaS and CX solution, enhancing its offerings in the unified communications market [9] - AudioCodes reported strong demand in UC, CX, and conversational AI, with a 6.5% increase in Microsoft business during the quarter [8] - The company’s Annual Recurring Revenues (ARR) reached $70 million, marking a 25% year-over-year increase [8] Shareholder Returns - During Q2 2025, AudioCodes repurchased 715,732 ordinary shares for a total of $6.6 million [13] - A cash dividend of $0.20 per share was declared, amounting to approximately $5.7 million, payable on August 28, 2025 [16] Operational Challenges - Increased operational expenses were noted due to new tariffs on US imports, adding $1 million in costs, alongside rising costs in the EMEA region due to currency fluctuations [11] - The company is making investments in product and sales to accelerate growth in its Conversational AI products and solutions [12]