PI
PagerDuty, Inc. (PD)·Q1 2026 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Revenue of $119.8M (+7.8% YoY) and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.24 were at the top-end or above guidance; non-GAAP operating margin hit 20.3% (+500 bps vs guide), reflecting disciplined cost control .
- Annual Recurring Revenue grew 7% to $496M; DBNR eased to 104% as enterprise downgrades and SMB churn weighed on retention, indicating transitional go-to-market execution challenges .
- FY26 guidance was lowered for revenue to $493–$499M but raised for non-GAAP EPS to $0.95–$1.00; Q2 FY26 guide is $122.5–$124.5M revenue and $0.19–$0.20 non-GAAP EPS . CFO said implied FY26 non-GAAP operating margin is 20–21% (prior 19–20%) .
- Stock-relevant narrative: margin outperformance and AI product momentum vs. softer top-line trajectory and DBNR trend; management flagged a back-half bookings/ARR improvement as enterprise reps ramp and CRO selection progresses .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Non-GAAP operating margin of 20.3% beat guidance by 500 bps, driven by lower payroll/other personnel costs; free cash flow margin was 24.2% .
- Strong customer acquisition: 127 net new paid customers (largest increase in eight quarters) amid new digital acquisition in commercial; >32,000 free+paid customers (+~9% YoY) .
- AI/product momentum and AWS partnership: integrations with Amazon Q Business, Amazon Bedrock, and AWS Incident Manager; three new AI agents planned; FedRAMP Low achieved for public sector entry .
Quotes:
- “We have a clear path to GAAP profitability.” — Jennifer Tejada .
- “Operating margin…20%…outperformance…due to lower payroll and other personnel costs.” — Howard Wilson .
- “Our platform now seamlessly integrates with Amazon Q Business, Amazon Bedrock, and AWS Incident Manager…” — Jennifer Tejada .
What Went Wrong
- DBNR fell to 104% (vs. 106% prior), reflecting enterprise downgrades and SMB churn; management cited transitional coverage gaps, rep changes, and macro caution in seats at some merged customers .
- FY26 revenue guide lowered to 5–7% growth ($493–$499M) vs. prior $500–$507M, with back-half improvement mainly affecting bookings/ARR rather than in-year revenue recognition .
- Customers >$100k ARR dipped sequentially to 848 (from 849); retention issues require enhanced post-sales engagement under new Chief Customer Officer to stabilize and expand strategic accounts .
Financial Results
Estimates comparison (S&P Global):
Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Segment breakdown: Not disclosed in company materials .
KPIs
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- Strategy: “We’re evolving our coverage model…from a tactical and transactional approach to building more strategic cross-company relationships…scaling our pre- and post-sale practices…leading with AI from a platform perspective.” — Jennifer Tejada .
- Execution and profitability: “Non-GAAP operating margins of 20% this quarter…advance our steady progress toward GAAP profitability next fiscal year.” — Howard Wilson .
- Demand and GTM: “New logo growth…largest increase in eight quarters…driven by our new commercial digital acquisition strategy.” — Jennifer Tejada .
- Product roadmap: “We remain on track to launch three additional AI agents this quarter…agentic offering…taking work off the plate of responders.” — Jennifer Tejada .
Q&A Highlights
- Enterprise downgrades vs. SMB churn: Elevated SMB churn and enterprise seat downgrades (merger-related, macro caution); management emphasizes proactive renewal management under new CCO to mitigate retention issues .
- Guidance prudence and in-year revenue dynamics: FY26 revenue guide “prudent” given Q1 GTM transitions; back-half bookings/ARR improvements won’t fully translate into in-year revenue due to subscription recognition .
- AI module adoption: Early days but strong feedback; seeding access removes friction; opt-out design to increase trials; AI scribe agent and upcoming agents highlighted .
- Billings vs ARR: TTM billings aligns more closely with ARR than quarterly billings due to co-terming; expect ~7% TTM billings growth in Q2 .
- DBNR outlook: Expect 103–105% for FY26; back-half ramping of reps to support expansion; only ~6% of customers spend >$100k, indicating white space .
Estimates Context
- Q1 FY26 beat vs consensus: Revenue $119.805M vs $118.977M* (+$0.828M) and non-GAAP diluted EPS $0.24 vs $0.187* (+$0.053); EBITDA missed vs $22.0M* with SPGI actual $(6.365)M* . Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Forward estimates: Q2 FY26 consensus aligns near company guidance ($122.5–$124.5M revenue; $0.19–$0.20 EPS) ; management raised FY26 EPS guide to $0.95–$1.00 (implies margin uplift), suggesting potential upward EPS estimate revisions even as FY revenue guide was lowered .
Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Quality of earnings: Significant margin outperformance (non-GAAP operating margin 20.3%) and strong FCF (24.2% margin) indicate improving cost discipline despite softer top-line growth .
- Top-line trajectory: FY26 revenue guidance lowered (5–7% YoY) while Q2 revenue guide implies 6–7% growth; watch for back-half bookings/ARR reacceleration rather than in-year revenue lift .
- Retention watch: DBNR trending from 107% → 106% → 104%; stabilization efforts (post-sales overhaul, CCO hire) are critical to restoring enterprise expansion and reducing downgrades/churn .
- AI/product catalysts: New AI agents, AWS integrations, and FedRAMP Low open incremental verticals (public sector, native AI) that can drive platform adoption and multi-product deals .
- Salesforce ramp/CRO hire: >60% enterprise reps reaching 1-year tenure by end-Q2 and an expected CRO appointment are near-term execution levers; look for improved enterprise contribution in 2H FY26 .
- Cash/Capital allocation: ~$597M cash/investments and active $150M buyback provide flexibility and shareholder return while funding AI innovation and enterprise-scale services .
- Near-term trading lens: Balance EPS/margin beats and AI momentum against lowered revenue guide and DBNR softness; monitor Q2 execution, ARR/billings, and retention metrics for confirmation of back-half improvement .
Additional Relevant Q1 FY2026 Press Releases
- AWS Strategic Collaboration Agreement; deepened integrations and joint GTM .
- Pre-announcement of Q1 results reporting date .
- Board appointments and leadership updates relevant to execution (April 28 Carty appointment; March 10 CCO appointment) .