OI
Okta, Inc. (OKTA)·Q1 2026 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q1 FY26 delivered solid top-line and record profitability: revenue $688M (+12% y/y) and non-GAAP EPS $0.86; both were above Street consensus, with revenue ~$7.9M and EPS ~$0.09 ahead of expectations. Bold beat: revenue $688M vs $680.1M consensus; non-GAAP EPS $0.86 vs $0.77 consensus . Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Operating cash flow $241M (35% margin) and free cash flow $238M (35% margin), underscoring robust cash generation .
- Management maintained a prudent posture in guidance to reflect go-to-market specialization and macro uncertainty. FY26 outlook raised vs preliminary from Q4: revenue growth now 9–10% and non-GAAP operating margin 25% (from ~7% growth and ≥22% margin) — a clear raise .
- Watch-points: cRPO guidance for Q2 (c.$2.200–$2.205B) implies a second sequential decline, with CFO emphasizing seasonality/coverage ratio mechanics rather than bookings weakness; macro caution factored into guidance despite no observed deterioration in Q1 activity .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Record GAAP and non-GAAP operating profitability; non-GAAP operating margin 27% vs 22% y/y, driven by disciplined spend and scale leverage .
- Strong cash generation: operating cash flow $241M (35% margin) and free cash flow $238M (35% margin), matching y/y FCF margin despite higher scale .
- Product innovation and adoption: governance (OIG), Privileged Access, Device Access, Identity Security Posture Management, and Identity Threat Protection with Okta AI contributed; CEO: “world’s biggest organizations continue to turn to Okta… across AI use cases” . Management quote: “suite-based pricing… good, better, best… made good progress in Q1” .
What Went Wrong
- cRPO guidance indicates sequential decline again in Q2, atypical historically; CFO explained seasonality/coverage ratio modeling as the driver rather than demand softness .
- Ongoing NRR pressures tied to seat/MAU headwinds and older customer cohorts; management expects NRR to “travel in this range… plus or minus a little bit” and acknowledged potential macro sensitivity .
- Macro prudence layered into guidance despite solid Q1 linearity; tone has turned more cautious based on customer conversations even though numbers remained consistent early in Q2 .
Financial Results
Core financials: current vs prior quarter vs prior year and vs estimates
Values marked with * retrieved from S&P Global.
Segment revenue breakdown
KPIs and cash metrics
Guidance Changes
Management emphasized prudence tied to go-to-market specialization rollout and macro uncertainty despite solid Q1 performance and pipeline strengthening .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Okta had a solid start to FY26 highlighted by record operating profit and another quarter of robust free cash flow” — CEO Todd McKinnon .
- “We continue to take a prudent approach to forward guidance… factoring in our go-to-market specialization rolled out in Q1 and potential risks related to the uncertain economic environment” — company financial outlook statement .
- On product momentum: “New products such as Okta Identity Governance, Okta Privilege Access, Okta Device Access… and Identity Threat Protection with Okta AI had another quarter of strong contribution” .
- On bundling/pricing: “We have suite-based pricing for the Okta platform now… good, better, best configurations… made good progress in Q1” .
- On macro tone: “We did not see [macro softness] in Q1… numbers stayed consistent… but it warrants being a little prudent here” .
Q&A Highlights
- cRPO sequential decline: CFO detailed modeling via coverage ratio (subscription revenue vs cRPO) and seasonality; emphasized lack of April softness and blowout Q4 backdrop .
- Macro prudence: Added conservatism to guidance despite no Q1 macro deterioration; tone feels more cautious based on field/customer conversations .
- NRR trajectory: Seat/MAU headwinds continue; NRR expected to “travel in this range,” with macro as a potential additional headwind .
- Auth0/Developer momentum: Auth0 had a strong Q1 after record Q4; Auth for GenAI in developer preview; usage-based pricing reinforced .
- Suite pricing and cross-sell: Suite-based bundles driving multi-product adoption and consolidation narratives; “good progress in Q1” .
Estimates Context
Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Consensus breadth: 41–43 estimates across EPS and revenue for Q1/FY26 indicate robust coverage. Beats on Q1 reflect record operating performance and strong product contribution; estimates may need modest upward revisions on profitability, while top-line revisions are likely limited by management’s macro prudence and cRPO seasonality framing .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Quality beat: Strong Q1 revenue and a definitive EPS beat, backed by record operating profit and 35% FCF margin — positive for sentiment on execution durability .
- Guidance raise vs Q4 preliminary: FY26 revenue growth lifted to 9–10% and non-GAAP operating margin to 25%; signals confidence despite macro caution .
- cRPO sequential decline is a modeling artifact, not demand weakness, per CFO; use coverage ratio to map cRPO to near-term subscription revenue .
- Product suite synergies: Governance, Privileged Access, and Identity Threat Protection with Okta AI plus suite pricing are strengthening multi-product wins and cross-sell, especially in large enterprise .
- Public sector momentum continues, but near-term federal uncertainty is baked into prudence; long-term tailwinds supported by certifications and efficiency outcomes .
- Trading lens: Near term, catalysts include sustained profitability and suite-driven deals; risks center on conservative cRPO optics and macro tone. Medium term, specialization and AI/agentic identity should drive mix shift to higher-value products and stable cash generation .
Additional References
- Press release announcing Q1 FY26 results and detailed reconciliations .
- Upcoming investor conferences (post-Q1) to sustain IR engagement .