SAP(US:SAP)2025-07-22 22:00Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q2 2025, cloud revenue rose by 28%, an increase of two percentage points compared to Q1 2025 [8][27] - Total revenue growth accelerated to 12%, reaching €9 billion [9][33] - Operating profit surged by 35%, reflecting improvements in the cost base due to transformation programs [9][32] - Current cloud backlog grew by 28% to €18.1 billion [27][33] - Non-IFRS cloud gross margin expanded by 1.8 percentage points to 75.2% [32] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Cloud ERP suite continued to drive growth, achieving 34% growth in Q2, representing 86% of total cloud revenue [27][32] - Software licenses revenue decreased by 13% in Q2, aligning with the company's strategy to transition customers to cloud solutions [30] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Cloud revenue performance was particularly strong in the APJ and EMEA regions, with notable performances in Brazil, Chile, France, India, Italy, South Korea, and Spain [31] - The US public sector and manufacturing sectors experienced elongated sales cycles due to geopolitical uncertainties [28][30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on product innovation and increasing productivity through business AI [7][25] - SAP aims to strengthen its portfolio with data and AI innovations while maintaining cost discipline [25][34] - The partnership with Alibaba is expected to enhance market penetration in China, targeting both large enterprises and the upper mid-market [10][60] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged ongoing uncertainty in global markets but expressed confidence in the company's pipeline for the second half of the year [7][34] - The company is preparing for potential less favorable outcomes by focusing on elements within its control to protect its bottom line [30] - Management remains optimistic about sustaining momentum and closing the year strongly despite macroeconomic volatility [34] Other Important Information - The company has released over 100 pre-built SAP managed data products, with plans to double that by year-end [21] - The internal adoption of business AI is expected to further enhance productivity and operational efficiency [22][24] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on operating margin and EBIT growth for the second half of the year - Management highlighted that the strong performance in the first half was significantly influenced by a €331 million improvement in stock-based compensation, which is expected to normalize in the second half [41][42] Question: Long-term sustainability of margin improvements - Management expressed confidence in maintaining operating leverage ratios between 80% to 90% for the coming years, despite potential fluctuations in expenses [52][53] Question: Details on the Alibaba partnership and its impact - The partnership aims to leverage Alibaba's presence in China to enhance SAP's cloud offerings, targeting both multinational companies and local tech firms [60][63] Question: Impact of macroeconomic factors on demand - Management noted that elongated deal cycles are primarily due to stricter cost controls in certain industries, but emphasized that the pipeline remains strong [97][100] Question: Cash flow and transformation credits - Management explained that transformation credits are amortized over the term of deals and do not significantly impact cash conversion in the long term [66][67]