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Gartner(IT) - 2025 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-11-04 14:00
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Gartner's third-quarter revenue was $1.5 billion, up 3% year over year as reported and 1% FX neutral [12] - Adjusted EPS was $2.76, up 10% from Q3 of last year [20] - Free cash flow was $269 million, compared to $265 million in Q3 2024 [21] - EBITDA was $347 million, up 2% as reported, with FX contributing almost 3 percentage points [19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Insights revenue grew 5% year over year as reported and 4% FX neutral, with a contribution margin of 77% [13] - Global Technology Sales (GTS) contract value was $3.8 billion, up 2% year over year, with wallet retention at 98% [16] - Global Business Sales (GBS) contract value was $1.2 billion, up 7% year over year, with wallet retention at 102% [17] - Consulting revenue was $124 million, compared to $128 million in the year-ago period [18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Contract value (CV) grew 3% year over year, with a 6% growth excluding the U.S. federal government [11] - New business in GTS was down 12% compared to last year, while GBS new business was down 10% [16][17] - The amount of content published per analyst increased by 31% year over year [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Gartner is focusing on AI as a key growth area, helping clients determine the best AI tools and applications [4][5] - The company is adapting its operational strategies to improve client engagement and retention [10] - There is a clear path back to long-term, sustained double-digit growth over the medium term [10] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The macroeconomic environment remains dynamic, but Gartner's Q3 results were ahead of expectations [4] - Management noted improvements in client engagement and retention rates, which are positive indicators for future growth [30] - The company expects to see a re-acceleration in contract value growth in 2026, driven by improved selling conditions and adaptations made [26][58] Other Important Information - Gartner repurchased $1.1 billion of stock during the third quarter, reducing share count by 6% year over year [4][23] - The company has a strong balance sheet with about $1.4 billion in cash and a debt balance of approximately $2.5 billion [22][23] Q&A Session Summary Question: Comments on upselling and downselling trends - Management noted that the selling environment has improved modestly, with upselling existing enterprises being the most affected area [29] Question: Update on tariff-impacted industries - Non-tariff-affected industries continue to perform about 200 basis points faster than tariff-affected industries [31] Question: Improvement in renewal rates - The improvement is attributed to operational adaptations and reduced uncertainty in certain geographies [32] Question: Expectations for sales headcount growth in 2026 - The expectation is to grow headcount three to four points slower than expected contract value growth [36] Question: Pricing environment and increases - A normal price increase of around 3-4% went into effect on November 1, with minimal pushback expected [59]
Gartner(IT) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-08-05 13:02
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Second quarter contract value (CV) grew 5% year over year, with revenue at $1.7 billion, up 6% year over year as reported and 5% FX neutral [24][26] - Adjusted EPS was $3.53, up 10% from Q2 of last year, and free cash flow was $347 million, reflecting strong performance [27][41] - Total contribution margin was 68%, up 70 basis points from last year, and EBITDA was $443 million, up 7% as reported and 5% FX neutral [26][37] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Insights revenue grew 4% year over year as reported and 3% FX neutral, with subscription revenue growing 5% FX neutral [27] - Global Technology Sales (GTS) contract value was $3.8 billion, up 4% year over year, while Global Business Sales (GBS) contract value was $1.2 billion, up 9% year over year [31][33] - Conferences revenue increased 14% as reported and 12% FX neutral compared to 2024, with consulting revenue at $156 million, up about 9% as reported [34][35] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - CV growth was broad-based across practices, industry sectors, company sizes, and geographic regions, with energy, banking, transportation, and healthcare leading the growth [30] - Excluding the US federal government, CV growth was about 150 basis points faster at around 6% [28] - Dollar retention year to date was around 47%, with approximately $200 million of US federal CV [31] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on AI as a significant opportunity and is adapting to ensure a clear path back to double-digit growth [6][22] - The research segment has been renamed to business and technology insights to better reflect the value provided to clients [21] - The company is enhancing its capabilities in cost optimization and AI, including the rollout of Ask Gartner, an AI-powered tool for clients [14][15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted headwinds from declining CEO confidence and cost-cutting measures among clients, particularly in tariff-affected industries [8][10] - The company is confident in its ability to adapt and respond to changes, particularly in the US federal government sector [11][12] - Future growth is expected to be driven by the renewal of federal contracts and stabilization in tariff-affected industries [53][54] Other Important Information - The company has increased its share repurchase program, buying back approximately $720 million year to date [25][43] - The updated guidance for 2025 includes expectations for insights revenue of at least $5.255 billion, with FX neutral growth of about 2% [47][49] - The company maintains a strong balance sheet with $2.9 billion of liquidity and low levels of leverage [43] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you size the tariff-impacted industries and their CV representation? - The company estimates that around 35% to 40% of its CV falls into tariff-impacted industries [61] Question: What are the common client questions regarding AI and operational efficiency? - Clients seek help with mission-critical priorities, such as cybersecurity and leveraging AI, which require significant investment and effort [69][70] Question: How are new purchases among government clients performing? - New business is being written, but the contracting process is complex, leading to challenges in growth [84]
Gartner(IT) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-08-05 13:00
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Second quarter contract value (CV) grew 5% year over year, with revenue at $1.7 billion, up 6% year over year as reported and 5% FX neutral [23][25] - Adjusted EBITDA was $443 million, up 7% as reported and 5% FX neutral compared to the previous year [25][36] - Adjusted EPS increased to $3.53, reflecting a 10% rise from Q2 of last year [26][38] - Free cash flow for the quarter was $347 million, up 2% compared to Q2 in 2024 [39][48] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Insights revenue grew 4% year over year as reported and 3% FX neutral, with subscription revenue increasing by 5% FX neutral [26][27] - Global Technology Sales (GTS) contract value was $3.8 billion, up 4% year over year, while Global Business Sales (GBS) contract value reached $1.2 billion, up 9% year over year [29][31] - Conference revenue increased by 14% as reported and 12% FX neutral, while consulting revenue was $156 million, up about 9% as reported [33][34] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - CV growth was broad-based across practices, industry sectors, company sizes, and geographic regions, with energy, banking, transportation, and healthcare leading the growth [28] - Excluding the US federal government, CV growth was approximately 6%, with positive NCVI of $13 million [27][28] - Dollar retention year to date was around 47%, with approximately $200 million of US federal CV [29][30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on AI as a significant opportunity and is adapting to ensure a clear path back to double-digit growth [5][21] - The research segment has been renamed to business and technology insights to better reflect the value provided to clients [20][26] - The company is enhancing its capabilities in cost optimization and supply chain reconfiguration due to tariff changes [10][12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted headwinds from declining CEO confidence and cost-cutting measures among clients, particularly in tariff-affected industries [7][8] - The company expects to return to double-digit growth by addressing operational changes and leveraging AI tools [49][55] - The updated guidance reflects continued challenges in the selling environment, but there is high visibility into subscription revenue for 2025 [42][43] Other Important Information - The company has increased its share repurchase program, buying back approximately $720 million year to date [24][41] - The expected free cash flow for 2025 is at least $1.145 billion, reflecting a conversion from GAAP net income of 141% [48] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you size the tariff-impacted industries and their CV representation? - Approximately 35% to 40% of CV falls into tariff-impacted industries across both GTS and GBS [59] Question: What are the common AI-related questions from clients? - Clients seek help with mission-critical priorities such as cybersecurity and leveraging AI within their organizations [67][68] Question: How is new business performing among government clients? - New business is being written, but the contracting process is complex, leading to challenges in growth [81][83] Question: What is the impact of tariffs on GTS and GBS? - GBS is likely more reliant on tariff-affected clients due to its focus on supply chain practices [85] Question: How is the company addressing AI's potential impact on service demand? - The company is focused on demonstrating the unique value of its insights and services, which are complex and multi-year in nature [110][112]