Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for Q4 2025 was $32.4 million, down 10% year-over-year and roughly flat compared to Q3 2025 [14] - Total bookings for the quarter were $31.2 million, down 5% year-over-year [14] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 was $9.4 million, with a margin of 30%, compared to $9.2 million and a margin of 26% in the prior year [20] - Net income for Q4 was $1.3 million or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to $1 million or $0.02 per diluted share in the prior year [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - ClearanceJobs revenue was $13.9 million, up 1% year-over-year, with bookings at $14.6 million, up 3% year-over-year [14][15] - Dice revenue was $17.4 million, down 17% year-over-year, with bookings at $16.6 million, down 11% year-over-year [14][16] - ClearanceJobs had a revenue renewal rate of 90% and a retention rate of 109% [15] - Dice's revenue renewal rate was 78% and its retention rate was 94% [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2026 is projected to increase significantly, which is expected to benefit ClearanceJobs [8] - The tech staffing market is showing signs of recovery, with projections indicating a return to growth in 2026 after declines in previous years [11][12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to leverage the strong defense spending environment to drive growth in ClearanceJobs [12][13] - The introduction of the Dice Employer Experience platform is intended to expand the addressable market and improve operational efficiency [11] - The company is focused on delivering long-term, sustainable, and profitable revenue growth, targeting a full-year adjusted EBITDA margin of 25% [26] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the future, citing the record-breaking defense budget as a growth driver for ClearanceJobs [27] - The company anticipates that the commercial tech hiring environment will improve, benefiting Dice in the long term [12][27] Other Important Information - The company has authorized a new $10 million stock repurchase program [13] - Free cash flow for the full year was $13.8 million, compared to $7.1 million in the previous year [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the assumptions around the bookings trajectory for ClearanceJobs? - Management indicated that improved sales execution and the new defense budget are expected to drive bookings growth in 2026 [31] Question: How is the growth of AI-related job postings affecting Dice? - Management noted that while demand for AI professionals is increasing, the overall commercial activity remains subdued [36] Question: What is causing the margin compression for Dice? - Management explained that the margin compression is primarily due to lower revenue and bookings challenges, despite efforts to reduce operating expenses [37] Question: Can you elaborate on the new Premium subscription package for ClearanceJobs? - Management described the Premium subscription as offering features similar to LinkedIn Premium, aimed at enhancing candidate engagement with recruiters [41][42] Question: What encouraging signs are you seeing in the macro environment? - Management highlighted the positive trends in defense spending and improvements in tech staffing demand as encouraging signs [50][51]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for Q4 2025 was $32.4 million, down 10% year-over-year and roughly flat compared to Q3 2025 [14] - Total bookings for the quarter were $31.2 million, down 5% year-over-year [14] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 was $9.4 million, with a margin of 30%, compared to $9.2 million and a margin of 26% in the prior year [20] - Net income for Q4 was $1.3 million or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to $1 million or $0.02 per diluted share in the prior year [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - ClearanceJobs revenue was $13.9 million, up 1% year-over-year, with bookings at $14.6 million, up 3% year-over-year [14][15] - Dice revenue was $17.4 million, down 17% year-over-year, with bookings at $16.6 million, down 11% year-over-year [14][16] - ClearanceJobs had a revenue renewal rate of 90% and a retention rate of 109% [15] - Dice's revenue renewal rate was 78% and its retention rate was 94% [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2026 is projected to increase significantly, which is expected to benefit ClearanceJobs [8] - The tech staffing market is showing signs of recovery, with projections indicating a return to growth in 2026 after declines in previous years [11][27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to leverage the increased defense spending to drive growth in ClearanceJobs, which is expected to be the primary growth engine [12][13] - The introduction of the Dice Employer Experience platform is intended to expand the addressable market and improve operational efficiency [11] - The company is focused on delivering long-term, sustainable, and profitable revenue growth, targeting free cash flow generation averaging at or above 10% of revenues [26] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the future, citing the record-breaking defense budget as a growth driver for ClearanceJobs [27] - The company anticipates that the commercial tech hiring environment will stabilize, which could lead to growth in Dice [27] - Management noted that while the hiring environment has been challenging, there are signs of improvement in the tech staffing market [27] Other Important Information - The company has authorized a new $10 million stock repurchase program starting this month [13] - Total committed contract backlog at the end of the quarter was $99.6 million, down 5% year-over-year [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the assumptions around the bookings trajectory for ClearanceJobs? - Management indicated that improved sales execution and the new defense budget are expected to positively impact bookings for ClearanceJobs in 2026 [31] Question: How is the growth of AI-related job postings affecting Dice? - Management noted that there is high demand for AI professionals, and they believe this will become more visible in 2026 [34] Question: What is causing the margin compression for Dice? - Management explained that the margin compression is primarily due to lower revenue and bookings challenges, although they plan to target lower operating expenses in 2026 [37] Question: Can you elaborate on the new Premium subscription package for ClearanceJobs? - Management described the Premium subscription as offering features similar to LinkedIn Premium, aimed at enhancing candidate engagement with recruiters [41][42] Question: What encouraging signs are being observed in the macro environment? - Management highlighted the positive trends in defense spending and improvements in tech staffing demand as encouraging signs for future growth [51]