NetScout(NTCT) - 2025 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, revenue increased by 1% to approximately $205 million, while non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.52, down approximately 5% year over year [7][24] - For the full fiscal year 2025, revenue was approximately $823 million, essentially flat year over year, down less than 1% [8][25] - Non-GAAP EPS for the full fiscal year 2025 was $2.22, a 1% improvement over fiscal year 2024 [8][26] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Service assurance revenue declined approximately 4% year over year, partially due to the divestiture of the test optimization business [9][27] - Cybersecurity offerings delivered nearly 7% year over year revenue growth, driven by strong momentum within the enterprise customer vertical [11][27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The enterprise customer vertical grew by 7.5%, while the service provider customer vertical revenue decreased by 10.1% [27] - 57% of total revenue came from the enterprise customer vertical, while 43% came from the service provider vertical [27][28] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to continue investing in innovation and deepen relationships with customers while leveraging mission-critical solutions to support evolving performance, availability, and security needs [14][13] - The long-term strategy remains unchanged, focusing on sustainable long-term success [14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed cautious optimism regarding growth in the cybersecurity offerings despite broader economic uncertainty [13][12] - The company expects fiscal year 2026 revenue to be in the range of approximately $825 million to $865 million, with non-GAAP diluted EPS expected between $2.25 and $2.40 [32] Other Important Information - A leadership transition was announced, with the current CEO and CFO retiring effective May 31, 2025, and successors appointed [16][17] - The company ended fiscal year 2025 with $492.5 million in cash and cash equivalents, representing an increase of $68.4 million since the end of fiscal year 2024 [28][29] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of tariffs on customer sentiment and guidance - Management noted some delayed sales cycles but indicated that guidance covers uncertainties, with a wait-and-see approach from customers regarding order timing [38][40] Question: Cybersecurity momentum and new product expectations - Management highlighted that the service assurance business is evolving into a broader observability market, which presents opportunities for growth in both service assurance and cybersecurity [41][43] Question: Interest in software-only solutions - Management confirmed a consistent demand for software solutions, with a focus on maintaining high margins despite growth challenges [50] Question: Contribution from government and defense business - Management indicated no significant impact from recent headlines on sales cycles, but noted that the pipeline remains a question mark for future contributions [52]