Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 2025 was $659.9 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 23.7% [5][6] - Year-to-date revenue as of September 30, 2025, was $1.82 billion, an increase of 15.9% [7] - EBITDA for Q3 2025 was $148.4 million, up 24.9% from $118.8 million in Q3 2024 [7][8] - Net income for Q3 2025 was $111.1 million, a 15.3% increase compared to $96.4 million in the prior year [8] - Full-year 2025 total revenue is expected to be in the range of $2.48 billion to $2.53 billion, representing growth of 17.6% to 20% over 2024 [9] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net new business awards entering backlog in Q3 increased 47.9% year-over-year to $789.6 million, resulting in a net book-to-bill ratio of 1.20 [5][6] - Ending backlog as of September 30, 2025, was approximately $3 billion, a 2.5% increase from the prior year [5][6] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Pass-through costs are expected to remain high, representing between 41% and 42% of revenue [5] - The therapeutic mix has shifted to faster-burning studies, impacting the concentration of reimbursable costs [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on refilling its pipeline of opportunities and anticipates low double-digit revenue growth for 2026 [4] - Management indicated that the pass-through costs may peak in Q4 2025 and then decrease in 2026 [14] - The company is experiencing a competitive environment with an increase in the number of CROs bidding for projects, but maintains a strong competitive position [49][50] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that cancellations have been a significant factor affecting business, rather than a weak funding environment [25] - The overall business environment remains stable, with improvements in funding and fewer cancellations expected to continue [41] - Management expressed confidence in the ability to convert backlog into revenue, with a larger pre-backlog bucket of awarded studies [22][39] Other Important Information - The company repurchased approximately 14,649 shares for $4.5 million in Q3 2025, with $821.7 million remaining under the share repurchase authorization program [8][9] - The effective tax rate for 2025 is projected to be between 18.25% and 18.75% [9] Q&A Session Summary Question: How should we think about the pass-throughs in relation to the increase in metabolic work? - Management indicated that pass-through costs are expected to level off and may decrease in 2026, driven by the timing of projects and the nature of new studies [12][14] Question: Why is the EBITDA growth lower than revenue growth? - The primary driver for the lower EBITDA growth is attributed to pass-through costs, along with other challenges such as exchange rates [16][18] Question: How does the conversion rate of pre-backlog factor into future revenue? - Management noted that the pre-backlog of awarded studies is larger than the current backlog and is expected to improve backlog conversion in 2026 [22][39] Question: What is the competitive landscape like? - Management stated that while competition has increased, their win rate remains stable, and they do not see a significant deterioration in competitive position [49][50] Question: Can you provide more detail on the metabolic indexing? - Management confirmed that GLP-1 accounts for a significant portion of their metabolic work, but there are also other therapeutic areas contributing to growth [74][75]