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    Devin Au

    Research Analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.

    Devin Au is an AVP, Associate Analyst in Equity Research at KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he specializes in software and technology sector coverage, including companies like Pegasystems. He has maintained a Buy rating on key software firms, demonstrating robust sector expertise, though specific performance metrics such as success rates or TipRanks rankings are not publicly disclosed. Beginning his career as a Senior Analyst with the University of Oregon Investment Group, Au gained further experience at Chartwell Financial Advisory before joining KeyBanc Capital Markets in 2019 as a Senior Associate, and was promoted to his current role in 2022. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and the CFA designation, and operates with professional credentials and training relevant to his field.

    Devin Au's questions to APPIAN (APPN) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to APPIAN (APPN) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Devin Au of KeyBanc Capital Markets asked about the strategy behind recent leadership hires in EMEA and marketing, and requested details on the expenses that were shifted into the second half of the year.

    Answer

    CEO Matt Calkins explained that the new hires are part of a continuous strategy to enhance alignment and discipline in the go-to-market organization, not a sudden shift. CFO Serge Tanjga clarified that the deferred expenses were primarily for marketing and consulting services and were a minor factor in the Q2 EBITDA outperformance.

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    Devin Au's questions to APPIAN (APPN) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Devin Au asked about the key learnings from the successful adoption of Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) that could be applied to new AI agent offerings, and sought more detail on the strong public sector bookings growth.

    Answer

    Matthew Calkins, Chairman and CEO, highlighted that IDP has long been the top AI use case and its newest version can "read anything" without pre-training, making it more adaptive and accurate. He noted the 59% federal bookings growth exceeded his expectations but reiterated a stance of "cautious optimism." Mark Lynch, Interim CFO, added that federal revenue grew 21% YoY, outpacing the company's total revenue growth.

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    Devin Au's questions to CHEGG (CHGG) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to CHEGG (CHGG) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Devin Au of KeyBanc Capital Markets questioned the drivers behind the steady performance of Busuu's B2C segment. He also asked about the competitive positioning of Chegg's Skills business amid growing AI education initiatives from large tech companies.

    Answer

    President & CEO Nathan Schultz attributed Busuu's B2C strength to focusing on the 'success seeker' user persona and integrating engaging AI features like 'speaking bytes'. Regarding the Skills business, Schultz noted that after a 12-month modernization, the platform is now well-positioned with a micro-learning format to meet market demand for upskilling, with growth expected in 2026.

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    Devin Au's questions to CHEGG (CHGG) leadership • Q4 2024

    Question

    Devin Au asked two questions: first, for a quantification of the impact from the temporary Q4 retention dip, and second, about the promotional pricing strategy in international markets and if ARPU headwinds might moderate.

    Answer

    CFO David Longo estimated the retention dip had a roughly $2-3 million impact on Q4 revenue. Regarding international pricing, he explained that Chegg constantly experiments to optimize LTV. While they had rolled back some promotions in mid-2024, they reintroduced some in early February 2025 to boost international subscriber numbers, indicating a dynamic strategy rather than a permanent one.

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    Devin Au's questions to Udemy (UDMY) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to Udemy (UDMY) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Devin Au of KeyBanc Capital Markets asked for details on a one-time $2.5 million consumer revenue benefit and whether the recent business momentum was driven more by execution or a change in customer sentiment.

    Answer

    CFO Sarah Blanchard explained the revenue benefit was a one-time catch-up of cumulative breakage revenue. CEO Hugo Sarrazin attributed the business's "green shoots" to both improved execution and a clear shift in customer demand, stating that customers are now urgently seeking AI fluency solutions, which aligns perfectly with Udemy's strategic pivot to an AI-powered learning platform.

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    Devin Au's questions to Udemy (UDMY) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Devin Au of KeyBanc Capital Markets sought clarification on the downtick in Udemy Business net dollar retention (NDR), particularly for large customers, asking if it was driven by churn, downsell, or slower expansion.

    Answer

    CFO Sarah Blanchard explained the decline was caused by two issues: an unexpected one-point drop in gross dollar retention and slower upsell activity. The slower upsell was attributed to the recent sales reorganization and the time required to ramp up reps. She expressed confidence that the new Chief Customer Experience Officer will help unlock the significant expansion opportunity within the existing customer base.

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    Devin Au's questions to Udemy (UDMY) leadership • Q4 2024

    Question

    Devin Au asked for color on the expectations for enterprise ARR growth in 2025, how net new ARR would trend, and whether ARR is expected to recover sooner than revenue.

    Answer

    CFO Sarah Blanchard confirmed that ARR, as a leading indicator, is expected to recover ahead of revenue. She projected that net new ARR would be more muted in the first half of 2025 due to the smaller SMB sales capacity and team ramping, with an acceleration expected in the second half of the year.

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    Devin Au's questions to Udemy (UDMY) leadership • Q3 2024

    Question

    Devin Au from KeyBanc Capital Markets asked about the specific go-to-market strategies planned to drive more product expansion and upsells, and questioned the reason for the sequential decline in net new Udemy Business customer additions.

    Answer

    CEO Greg Brown explained the go-to-market strategy involves enabling the sales team to have more strategic conversations with senior leaders, using case studies to demonstrate bottom-line impact and secure larger initial deals. CFO Sarah Blanchard clarified that the step-down in net new customer logos was an expected result of the strategic resource reallocation away from the SMB segment.

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    Devin Au's questions to PEGASYSTEMS (PEGA) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to PEGASYSTEMS (PEGA) leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Devin Au asked for an update on the public sector business, particularly regarding any deal elongation. He also questioned if any deals were pulled into Q2 and whether Pega Blueprint is shortening sales cycles.

    Answer

    Founder & CEO Alan Trefler acknowledged some project reshuffling in the public sector but sees the government's push for efficiency as a net positive, highlighting a major UK military win. COO & CFO Kenneth Stillwell noted their FedRAMP High certification is a key advantage. Trefler explained that Blueprint primarily accelerates the front-end of the sales cycle, and Stillwell confirmed there were no unusual deal pull-ins.

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    Devin Au's questions to PEGASYSTEMS (PEGA) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Devin Au requested more detail on the deal influence of Pega GenAI Blueprint in the quarter and asked for commentary on the strong acceleration in backlog growth and any changes in contract durations.

    Answer

    CEO Alan Trefler stated that Blueprint's influence is now 'ubiquitous,' impacting every single deal. Executive Peter Welburn advised focusing on current RPO growth, which aligns closely with ACV growth, rather than total RPO, which can be skewed by the timing of large, multi-year cloud renewals.

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    Devin Au's questions to TRIMBLE (TRMB) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to TRIMBLE (TRMB) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Inquired about customer sentiment and project outlook in the AECO segment, specifically regarding sales cycle elongation, and whether any deals were pulled forward contributing to strong growth.

    Answer

    The executive described AECO as 'steady as she goes.' While there are slightly longer sales cycles with the largest enterprise customers, it's not significantly impacting the business and is offset by strength in areas like data centers. Regarding deal pull-forwards, it was deemed not relevant for software and minimal for hardware (less than $5 million), which was more than offset by a decrease in dealer inventories.

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    Devin Au's questions to TRIMBLE (TRMB) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Devin Au of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. inquired about the near-term project outlook for AECO customers, trends in sales cycle duration, and whether strong Q1 results were influenced by deal pull-forwards.

    Answer

    Executive Robert Painter described the AECO segment outlook as "steady as she goes." He acknowledged slightly longer sales cycles for the largest enterprise customers but noted this was offset by strength in data centers, renewables, and small to midsized companies. He stated there was no material pull-forward of deals, estimating less than $5 million in hardware, and pointed out that dealer inventories actually declined, signaling strong end-market demand.

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    Devin Au's questions to TRIMBLE (TRMB) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Devin Au, on for Jason Celino, inquired about customer sentiment and project outlooks within the AECO segment, asking if there was an elongation of sales cycles. He also questioned if any of the strong ARR growth was due to deals being pulled forward.

    Answer

    CEO Robert Painter described the AECO segment as 'steady as she goes,' noting that while sales cycles for the largest enterprise customers have slightly lengthened, it hasn't fundamentally moved the needle. He pointed to strength in data centers and renewables. He estimated a minimal hardware pull-forward of less than $5 million, which was more than offset by a decrease in dealer inventories, indicating strong retail sales.

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    Devin Au's questions to Paycom Software (PAYC) leadership

    Devin Au's questions to Paycom Software (PAYC) leadership • Q3 2024

    Question

    Devin Au, on for Jason Celino, asked if the quarterly revenue outperformance was due to new logo strength, back-to-base sales, or customer employee retention, and also inquired about the ramp-up of new sales reps.

    Answer

    CFO Craig Boelte attributed the revenue beat primarily to new logo additions. CEO Chad Richison added that the new cohort of sales reps is ramping very well, noting their enthusiasm for the product is reflected in strong starts and unit numbers.

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    Devin Au's questions to INST leadership

    Devin Au's questions to INST leadership • Q1 2024

    Question

    Requested more context on a specific customer win-back and asked if the macroeconomic assumptions in the full-year guidance have changed.

    Answer

    The win-back was attributed to Canvas's superior usability and customer service. While such wins are positive, the company emphasized that the largest growth opportunity remains in greenfield markets. Their macro assumptions have not changed, as the education market is more sensitive to specific trends like enrollment, into which they have early visibility, rather than broader economic shifts.

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    Devin Au's questions to INST leadership • Q4 2023

    Question

    Asked if the higher-ed selling environment has worsened and for an update on LearnPlatform's business traction and future revenue contribution.

    Answer

    The higher-ed selling environment is stable, not worsening, with elongated sales cycles persisting from Q4 into Q1. LearnPlatform is performing well, contributing to strong cross-sell bookings growth, and is expected to continue being a growth area.

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