FI
Fastly, Inc. (FSLY)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Fastly delivered Q1 2025 revenue of $144.5M (+8% YoY), above the high end of guidance, and non-GAAP EPS of $(0.05); the company raised full-year 2025 guidance and posted positive free cash flow ($8.2M), marking improving execution and cash discipline .
- Results beat S&P Global consensus: revenue by ~$6.1M (+4.4%) and EPS by ~$0.01, driven by better-than-expected seasonal traffic, share gains, and disciplined OpEx; management cited go-to-market (GTM) transformation and packaging momentum as key contributors . Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
- Mix quality improved: top-10 customer concentration held at 33% (down from 38% a year ago) while RPO surged to a record $303M (+24% QoQ), signaling improved revenue visibility from larger commitments and packaging .
- 2025 outlook nudged higher: FY revenue to $585–$595M (from $575–$585M), non-GAAP operating loss tightened to $(12)–$(6)M, gross margin ~58%±50 bps, OpEx ~ $350M, and FCF improved to $(10)M to breakeven; company anticipates operating profit in 2H 2025 .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Beat on revenue and operating loss with positive free cash flow: “outperformed our revenue and operating loss guidance… delivering positive free cash flow” and raised full-year guidance .
- Improved demand signals and visibility: RPO hit a record $303M (up from $244M in Q4), reflecting higher commitments and packaging momentum; management emphasized stronger high-touch engagement with largest accounts .
- GTM and product velocity: Packaging deals more than doubled YoY; new logo packages +80% YoY; continued security and compute enhancements (Client-Side Protection GA; Bot Management upgrades; HTTP Cache API GA) .
- CEO: “We made great progress in our go-to-market transformation, product release velocity, and growing traffic share with our large enterprise customers” .
What Went Wrong
- Margin pressure and pricing backdrop: GAAP gross margin fell 160 bps YoY to 53.2% as 2024 pricing declines weighed on YoY comps; management expects price declines to stabilize to high teens in 2025 .
- Security growth remained modest in the quarter: Security revenue grew 7% YoY (to $26.4M), with management noting early-stage adoption in bot/DDoS (single-digit % penetration), expecting acceleration later in 2025 .
- Cohort health lag indicators: LTM NRR dipped to 100% (from 102% in Q4’24 and 114% a year ago), tracking prior large-customer declines; management expects expansion in 2H25 as 2024 acquisitions contribute .
Financial Results
- Non-GAAP treatment recast: Beginning Q1’25, Fastly excludes amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation in non-GAAP metrics; prior periods recast for comparability .
Segment breakdown (Revenue, $M):
Key KPIs:
Cash and FCF:
- Cash/cash equivalents: $125.5M; current marketable securities: $181.8M; total cash and current securities ~$307.3M; current debt $187.9M (March 2026 converts now current), LT debt $149.9M .
- Free Cash Flow: $8.2M (vs $(2.2)M in Q1’24) .
- CFO affirmed adequate liquidity and ability to cover notes maturity; positive cash from operations $17.3M .
Guidance Changes
Additional call color: Q2 gross margin +50 bps sequentially; anticipating operating profit in 2H 2025 .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We are raising our financial guidance for 2025 and plan to enrich our current revenue mix with the platform enhancements we've recently shipped in security and compute” — CEO .
- “Gross margin… was 57.3%, slightly better than our projections… actions to improve fixed overhead and bandwidth costs… supply chain dependencies… any tariff impact on our CapEx spend will be immaterial” — CEO .
- “Our trailing 12-month net retention rate was 100%, down from 102%… we anticipate… remain flattish near term, followed by expansion in the second half of 2025” — CFO .
- “TikTok… represented less than 10% of our revenue… U.S. traffic less than 2%… our 2025 guidance excludes revenue from their U.S. traffic after June 19” — CFO .
Q&A Highlights
- Upside drivers: Better-than-expected seasonal traffic, share gains, and improved execution; top 10 cohort improved; pricing environment stabilizing .
- Security adoption: WAF usage beneath half of installed base; bot/DDoS in very early innings (single-digit% penetration); expect acceleration in back half 2025 .
- RPO and commitments: Strong growth driven by strategic renewals, sales incentives for higher commits, and packaging; improved senior-level engagement at large accounts .
- TikTok policy risk: U.S. traffic excluded from guide post June 19; global relationship remains strong; potential upside if policy changes .
- AI and compute: Increasing traction in edge compute for dynamic experiences; AI Accelerator positions for low-latency, lower-cost LLM use cases; AI used in security (bot/DDoS) .
Estimates Context
- Revenue: Actual $144.5M vs consensus $138.4M (+$6.1M, +4.4%)*. Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Non-GAAP EPS: Actual $(0.05) vs consensus $(0.062) (beat by ~$0.01)*. Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Q1 2025 Results vs Consensus*
*Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Execution inflection: Beat-and-raise with positive FCF and record RPO highlight improving GTM productivity, stronger commitments, and better visibility into growth .
- Mix quality improving: Top-10 concentration stabilizing in low–mid 30s; growth outside top-10 +17% YoY points to healthier diversification and reduced volatility over time .
- Margin outlook constructive: Pricing declines moderating back to high-teens; targeted cost actions and bandwidth optimization support gross margin near ~58% for 2025 .
- Security optionality ahead: Despite modest Q1 security growth, low penetration in bot/DDoS and expanded portfolio set up potential share gains in 2H’25 and 2026 .
- Manageable policy/tariff risks: TikTok U.S. exposure excluded from guidance (potential upside if policy shifts); tariff impact on CapEx expected to be immaterial .
- 2H profitability target: Operating profit expected in second half; OpEx discipline (~$350M) and packaging-driven predictability support the trajectory .
- Trading implication: The raise to FY revenue/FCF and record RPO are likely core stock catalysts; watch Q2 margin/NRR trend and security pipeline conversion for durability .
Appendix: Other Q1 2025-period Press Releases (Context)
- Fastly DDoS Protection “Attack Insights” adds real-time visibility into mitigations (confidence to operate in blocking mode) .
- Forrester TEI study: Fastly Application Security Solutions delivered 235% ROI over three years (composite model), highlighting conversion uplift and productivity gains .