Research Solutions(RSSS) - 2025 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for fiscal year 2025 was approximately $49.1 million, a 10% increase from fiscal year 2024 [19] - Platform subscription revenue increased 36% to roughly $19 million [19] - Annual recurring revenue (ARR) reached $20.9 million, up 20% year over year [12][19] - Net income for the quarter was $2.4 million or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $2.8 million or $0.09 per diluted share in the prior year quarter [18] - Adjusted EBITDA for the year was $5.3 million, a company record compared to $2.2 million in fiscal year 2024 [21] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Platform subscription revenue accounted for over 40% of total revenue in the quarter, increasing from 35% in the prior year quarter [12] - B2B ARR was $14.2 million, while normalized ARR associated with B2C subscribers was approximately $6.7 million [13] - Transaction revenue for fiscal year 2025 was $30.1 million, a 2% decrease from the prior year [19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company experienced a modest sequential decline in B2C ARR due to seasonal challenges [13] - The total active customer count decreased to 1,338 from 1,398 in the same period a year ago [14] - The company noted competitive pressures in the B2C space that may affect near-term growth [25] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to reach a $30 million platform ARR target by the end of fiscal year 2027, focusing on product development and unique value delivery [5] - A shift from a transaction-based model to a vertical SaaS model is underway, with an emphasis on AI's impact on research workflows [8] - The company is pursuing a headless strategy, allowing customers to integrate services into their own systems and workflows [35] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about B2B ARR growth momentum and the potential for a return to low levels of growth in transaction revenue [25] - The company is focused on improving conversion rates in the transaction business and enhancing customer experience [79] - Management expects to continue investing in sales and marketing while aiming to reduce general and administrative expenses [25] Other Important Information - The company has a strong acquisition pipeline and is exploring opportunities to enhance its product offerings [5][29] - The final earn-out for the SITE acquisition was determined to be $15.4 million, with a cash mix increased to approximately 62% [22] - Cash flow from operations for fiscal year 2025 was over $7 million, nearly double the previous year's result [24] Q&A Session Summary Question: What drove the sequential uptick in ASP? - The increase in ASP was attributed to larger deals and improved sales execution under the new Chief Revenue Officer [44] Question: How is the Resolute software adapting to the new strategy? - Resolute's strong API aligns well with the headless strategy, allowing for better integration into customer workflows [46][48] Question: What is the competitive landscape for the API strategy? - Other publishers are beginning to open up their articles to LLM providers, but the company believes it is uniquely positioned due to its relationships with various publishers [50][51] Question: How do you see margins expanding in fiscal year 2026? - The company expects to maintain EBITDA margins above 10% while continuing to invest in growth [74] Question: What strategies are in place to stem the decline in the transactions business? - The focus is on product improvements and enhancing the customer experience to increase conversion rates [79]