Thomson Reuters(TRI) - 2025 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total company organic revenues rose by 7%, with the big three segments growing by 9% [4][8] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 10% to $672 million, reflecting a margin increase of 240 basis points to 37.7% [8][20] - Adjusted EPS was $0.85 for the quarter, compared to $0.80 in the prior year period [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Legal organic revenue grew by 9%, improving from 8% in the first half of 2025 [8][18] - Corporate segment organic revenues grew by 9%, with recurring revenue also increasing by 9% [18] - Tax and accounting organic revenues grew by 10%, driven by Latin American and U.S. businesses [18][19] - Reuters News organic revenues rose by 3%, primarily from growth in the agency business [19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Global print organic revenues declined by 4% year on year [9][19] - The percentage of annualized contract value from GenAI-enabled products increased to 24%, up from 22% last quarter [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is reaffirming its full-year 2025 revenue and profit outlook, expecting approximately 9% organic revenue growth for the big three segments [4][21] - The company is focused on leveraging AI and technology to enhance product offerings and operational efficiency [7][16] - The competitive dynamics for core content-enabled technology offerings remain stable, with incremental competition in the AI assistance space [7][58] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted temporary factors affecting revenue growth, including slower commercial print volumes and recent U.S. federal government cancellations [4][21] - The company remains confident in achieving its 9% organic revenue growth outlook for the year, driven by strong innovation-led momentum [21][24] - Looking ahead, the company expects organic revenue growth of approximately 7% in Q4, with legal professionals likely to deliver 9% organic revenue growth [21][24] Other Important Information - The company completed a $1 billion share repurchase program and remains well-capitalized with a net leverage of only 0.6 times [7][8] - The company is committed to a balanced capital allocation approach and is assessing additional inorganic opportunities [8] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the outlook for government and corporate headwinds? - Management acknowledged temporary sales softness in corporates but remains confident in the long-term growth potential, targeting 9%-11% organic growth for next year [31][32] Question: How is customer reaction to Agentic AI? - Customer feedback on Agentic AI products has been very positive, with significant changes in user behavior noted [36][38] Question: What is the impact of the government shutdown on contracts? - Cancellations occurred prior to the shutdown, which has minimal impact on revenue [43] Question: How does the company view competition in the AI assistance space? - The company sees new entrants in the AI assistance space as a white space opportunity and is confident in its competitive position [58] Question: What are the expectations for tax and accounting business growth? - Management remains confident in delivering 11%-13% organic growth for the tax and accounting segment in 2026 [60][62] Question: What is the company's approach to pricing strategy? - The company aims to price based on the value provided by its AI products, with a focus on maintaining competitive pricing [83][86] Question: What is the outlook for capital allocation and share buybacks? - The company maintains a framework for capital allocation but is willing to step up buybacks when opportunities arise [99][100]