Five9 (NasdaqGM:FIVN) FY Conference Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Five9 - **Industry**: Cloud-based Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) Key Points Growth Strategy - Five9 is pursuing a two-pronged growth strategy focusing on product development and market approach [3][4] - The company identifies two major growth factors: AI for Customer Experience (CX) and traditional CCaaS market growth [3][4] - AI revenues are growing at 41% year-over-year, now constituting 11% of enterprise subscription revenue [3][4] - AI bookings increased by 80% year-over-year in the last quarter, indicating strong demand [4] Market Dynamics - Gartner projects that the percentage of contact center agents in the cloud will rise from 40% to 80% over the next several years, providing a significant growth opportunity for Five9 [4][5] - The migration to cloud solutions is expected to offset any potential cannibalization of human agents due to AI advancements [5][6] AI Adoption and Customer Engagement - The adoption of AI solutions is evolving, with many brands transitioning from proof of concepts to defined projects [12][14] - Customers are realizing the importance of integrated platforms for AI deployment, leading to increased demand for Five9's solutions [14][16] - Five9's AI offerings include self-service AI agents, Agent Assist products, and AI Insights for customer experience optimization [17][20] Partnerships and Market Position - Five9 has strengthened partnerships with major players like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Google, with significant year-over-year growth in bookings [33][34][35] - The company is gaining market share as its growth rates outpace those of its partners, indicating a stronger position within their ecosystems [36] Financial Performance - Subscription revenue growth was 16% in Q2 and 10% in Q3, impacted by tough comparisons and a decline in the commercial business segment [42][44] - The company expects to see improved revenue trends as it laps tough comparisons and benefits from a strong backlog of new logo and install-based bookings [46][47] - Five9 is guiding for an annual revenue of $1.254 billion, with expectations of double-digit growth in the second half of the year [46] Profitability and Cost Management - Adjusted EBITDA margin improved from 19% in 2024 to a guidance of at least 24% for the current year, with a mid-term target of 25%-30% by 2027 [56] - The company is focused on cost management while reinvesting in strategic areas like AI and go-to-market initiatives [56] Capital Allocation - Five9 announced a $150 million share buyback program over two years, reflecting confidence in its valuation and cash flow generation [63] - The company is open to tech tuck-in acquisitions but remains cautious about overpaying for assets [66] Leadership and Culture - Five9 is seeking a new leader with a strong track record in product innovation and operational excellence to maintain its customer-centric culture [68][69] Additional Insights - The company emphasizes the importance of conversational data for AI effectiveness, positioning itself as a key player in the orchestration of AI and human interactions [27][28] - Five9's NPS scores are notably high, reflecting its commitment to customer success and satisfaction [69]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q3 2025, Five9 reported revenue of $286 million, representing an 8% year-over-year growth [19] - Subscription revenue, which constitutes 81% of total revenue, grew by 10% year-over-year, primarily driven by enterprise AI revenue, which increased by 41% year-over-year [20] - Adjusted EBITDA grew by 37% year-over-year, achieving a margin of 25%, while free cash flow increased by 84% year-over-year, reaching a margin of 13% [5][23] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Enterprise AI bookings grew over 80% year-over-year, contributing to a healthy backlog [5] - Telecom usage accounted for 12% of revenue, while professional services made up 7%, both categories are not growth drivers and are becoming a smaller percentage of total revenue [20] - The commercial business represented 9% of total revenue but declined in the teens year-over-year as the company focuses on the enterprise market [21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Gartner forecasts the traditional CCAS market to grow at a 9% CAGR and the GenAI customer service market at a 34% CAGR through 2029, leading to a combined annual spend of $48 billion [6] - Five9's dollar-based retention rate was 107% in Q3, down from 108% in Q2, attributed to tough comparisons from previous periods [21][22] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Five9 aims to maintain operational improvements while investing in AI and go-to-market initiatives, targeting the Rule of 40 by 2027 [5][28] - The company is focused on building strategic partnerships, with significant growth in ACV bookings with ServiceNow and Salesforce [12][19] - Five9 is positioned as a leader in the AI-powered customer experience market, leveraging its platform to integrate AI and human agents [10][11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the company's foundation for the next decade, emphasizing the importance of AI in customer experience [12][13] - The CEO search is progressing well, with a focus on finding a leader experienced in product innovation and operational excellence [14] - The company anticipates a return to double-digit revenue growth in the second half of 2026, driven by strong install-based bookings and new logos [26][27] Other Important Information - Five9 announced a $150 million share repurchase program, reflecting confidence in long-term growth opportunities [19] - The company expects Q4 revenue to be approximately $297.7 million, indicating a sequential growth of 4% [24] Q&A Session Summary Question: What happened in the quarter regarding guidance? - Management noted that the growth environment is transitioning, leading to expectations of smaller beats in guidance. Subscription revenue growth was impacted by tough comparisons and a decline in commercial revenue due to underallocation of demand and a gap in sales capacity [30][31] Question: Why is it taking so long to translate install-based bookings to revenue? - Management explained that install-based bookings have longer implementation cycles, and revenue conversion will ramp up throughout 2026, particularly in the second half of the year [35][36] Question: What is the current state of the bookings environment? - The company reported strong bookings momentum, with AI bookings up 80% year-over-year and record install-based bookings [40][41] Question: Are there any pricing pressures on core live agent seats? - Management indicated that there is no significant pricing pressure at renewal time, and customers are looking for pricing models that incorporate AI [79][81]

Core Viewpoint - Five9 Inc. is classified as a Zombie Stock due to its high cash burn, lack of profitability, and declining revenue growth, despite recent revenue increases driven by enterprise AI [3][4][6][8]. Financial Performance - Five9's subscription revenue grew 16% year-over-year (YoY) in 2Q25, primarily due to a 42% increase in enterprise AI revenue [4]. - Total revenue increased by 12% YoY in 2Q25, and management raised its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to 10% YoY [4]. - The company has not generated annual profits since 2019 and has a negative free cash flow (FCF) [4][10]. Cash Position and Burn Rate - Five9's cash on hand decreased from $1.1 billion in the TTM ended 2Q24 to $636 million in the TTM ended 2Q25, indicating a significant cash burn [7]. - The company has burned through a cumulative $1.1 billion in FCF since 2017, with a TTM cash burn of -$299 million [11][10]. Profitability and Valuation - Five9 is the least profitable company in its industry, with a negative net operating profit after tax (NOPAT) of -$5 million in the TTM [15][17]. - To justify its current stock price of $26/share, Five9 would need to achieve $8.5 billion in revenue by 2034, which is nearly 8 times its TTM revenue [20]. - If revenue grows at consensus and industry forecast rates, the stock could be worth just $6/share today, indicating a 77% downside [22]. Competitive Landscape - Competitors like Microsoft and Nice Ltd. maintain competitive advantages by offering full-service solutions, while Five9 remains focused on niche offerings [18]. - Analysts expect Five9's revenue growth to lag behind the projected 22% compounded annual growth rate of the cloud-based contact center market from 2025 to 2034 [14].