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Sunrun Inc. (RUN)·Q3 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Revenue of $724.6M grew 35% year-over-year and materially beat Wall Street consensus ($601.2M), driven by strength in customer agreements and a new structure that sold certain newly originated assets; diluted EPS of $0.06 missed consensus $0.117 as interest expense remained elevated. Revenue beat of ~$123.4M (~20.5%); EPS miss of ~$0.057 (~48.7%)* .
  • Sixth consecutive quarter of positive Cash Generation ($108M), above the Q3 guidance range ($50–$100M), underpinned by disciplined margin management and capital markets execution .
  • Guidance: FY25 Cash Generation narrowed to $250–$450M (midpoint $350M unchanged); FY25 Aggregate Subscriber Value ($5.7–$6.0B) and Contracted Net Value Creation ($1.0–$1.3B) maintained; Q4 Cash Generation guided to $60–$260M .
  • Strategic highlights: Storage-first strategy raised attachment rate to 70%; activated nation’s first residential vehicle-to-grid program with BGE and Ford F‑150 Lightning; continued securitization access at a 6.21% yield and ~240 bps spread, diversifying capital sources .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

  • Storage-first strategy: Storage attachment reached 70% (vs. 60% prior-year), with customer additions including storage up 20% YoY; management emphasized “generating cash while growing” and “leading the industry with superior energy offerings” .
  • Capital markets: Priced three securitizations (~$1.4B senior non-recourse debt) with 6.21% yield and ~240 bps spread; year-to-date ~$2.8B non-recourse debt raised, demonstrating diversified and resilient access .
  • Cash Generation and margin discipline: Upfront Net Subscriber Value margin ~7% (up ~5 points YoY); Q3 Cash Generation $108M (sixth consecutive positive quarter). “We are reiterating the midpoint of our Cash Generation outlook for 2025” .

What Went Wrong

  • EPS miss vs. consensus, despite revenue beat: Diluted EPS $0.06 vs. $0.117 consensus, with interest expense of $265.8M and other expense of $17.9M weighing on P&L .
  • Subscriber additions down slightly YoY (-1%) and Creation Costs per subscriber rose 4% YoY, reflecting higher battery hardware and labor costs from increased storage attachment .
  • Sequential unit value slightly lower (Subscriber Value $52,446 vs. $53,891 in Q2), and Q4 Aggregate Subscriber Value guided to decline ~5% YoY at midpoint, highlighting seasonality and transaction timing .

Financial Results

Revenue, EPS, Margins vs. Prior Periods and Estimates

MetricQ1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025
Revenue ($USD Millions)$504.3 $569.3 $724.6
Diluted EPS ($USD)$0.20 $1.07 $0.06
EBIT Margin %-22.8%*-19.7%*0.5%*
Net Income Margin %9.9%*49.1%*2.3%*

Values with asterisk retrieved from S&P Global.

Segment Revenue Breakdown

SegmentQ1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025
Customer agreements & incentives ($USD Millions)$402.9 $458.0 $491.6
Solar energy systems & product sales ($USD Millions)$101.4 $111.3 $233.0

Notes: Q3 solar systems & product sales +77% YoY, primarily due to a new transaction selling certain storage/solar systems subject to newly originated agreements to a third party while retaining customer servicing and future upsell opportunities .

KPIs

KPIQ1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025
Subscriber Additions (units)23,692 28,823 30,104
Storage Attachment Rate (%)69% 70% 70%
Storage Capacity Installed (MWh)333.7 391.5 412.0
Solar Capacity Installed (MW)190.9 227.2 239.2
Subscriber Value ($ per addition)$52,206 $53,891 $52,446
Net Subscriber Value ($ per addition)$10,390 $17,004 $13,205
Aggregate Subscriber Value ($USD Billions)$1.237 $1.553 $1.579
Contracted Net Value Creation ($USD Millions)$164 $376 $279
Cash Generation ($USD Millions)$56 $27 $108

Actuals vs. Consensus

MetricConsensusActualSurprise ($)Surprise (%)
Revenue ($USD)$601.166M*$724.557M +$123.391M+20.5%
Primary EPS ($USD)$0.117*$0.06 -$0.057-48.7%
EPS # of Estimates9*
Revenue # of Estimates16*

Values with asterisk retrieved from S&P Global.

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious GuidanceCurrent GuidanceChange
Aggregate Subscriber Value ($USD Billions)Q4 2025N/A$1.33–$1.63New
Contracted Net Value Creation ($USD Millions)Q4 2025N/A$182–$482New
Cash Generation ($USD Millions)Q4 2025N/A$60–$260New
Aggregate Subscriber Value ($USD Billions)FY 2025$5.7–$6.0 (unchanged) $5.7–$6.0Maintained
Contracted Net Value Creation ($USD Millions)FY 2025$1,000–$1,300 (raised in Q2 from $650–$850) $1,000–$1,300Maintained
Cash Generation ($USD Millions)FY 2025$200–$500 $250–$450 (midpoint $350 reiterated)Narrowed/raised lower bound

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicQ1 2025 (Previous Mentions)Q2 2025 (Previous Mentions)Q3 2025 (Current Period)Trend
Storage-first strategyAttachment 69%; unit value up; margin focus Attachment 70%; record contracted net value creation Attachment 70%; storage-led NPV and margins Strengthening
Flex productLaunched Flex; customer-friendly variable billing Tesla Electric + Sunrun Flex plan in TX ~40% take rate in offered markets; higher NPS; recurring cash flows Adoption rising
Grid services / VPPsCalReady expanded; 250MW avg dispatch capability 650MW peak dispatch; Puerto Rico events 106k customers enrolled; 3.7 GWh dispatchable capacity; 17 programs Scaling rapidly
Capital marketsJan/Mar securitizations; advance rates >80% July securitization at 6.37% yield; ~240 bps spread Three Q3 securitizations; 6.21% yield; ~240 bps spread Consistent access
New asset sale construct“Non-retained/partially retained” sales; $115M revenue; accretive P&L Diversifying
Recourse debtPaid down $27M in Q1; no maturities until 2027 Paid down $21M in Q2 Paid down $17M in Q3; >$100M targeted for FY25 Deleveraging
Tariffs/supply chainManageable tariff outlook; adaptive stance Onshoring trends; bonus ITC value Module cost increases with onshoring offset by ITC adders Mixed but manageable

Management Commentary

  • “We are generating cash while growing our customer base… leading the industry with superior energy offerings… building critical energy infrastructure the country needs” — Mary Powell (CEO) .
  • “Upfront net subscriber value… representing a 7% margin… sixth consecutive quarter of positive Cash Generation… reiterating the midpoint of our Cash Generation outlook” — Mary Powell (CEO) .
  • “Subscriber value ~ $52,500 (+11% YoY)… storage attachment rate 70%… creation costs up 4% YoY but customer acquisition and overhead down 5% per subscriber” — Danny Abajian (CFO) .
  • “We priced three securitizations… 6.21% yield… spread 240 bps… year-to-date ~$2.8B in non-recourse debt” — Danny Abajian (CFO) .
  • “We complemented our strategy… with selling a portion of newly originated assets… upfront GAAP revenue… similar net cash generation” — Danny Abajian (CFO) .
  • “Nation’s first vehicle-to-grid distributed power plant activated… with BGE and Ford F‑150 Lightning” — Company update .

Q&A Highlights

  • Capital source diversification: New asset sale construct expected to be a continuing part of financing; accretive to GAAP, simplifying part of reporting; bottom-line cash generation similar to historical structures .
  • Storage/VPP monetization: Current pricing largely portfolio-based; expect future price differentiation for well-placed assets as programs mature .
  • Supply chain/tariffs: Onshoring raising module costs but unlocking bonus ITC value; net value accretive anticipated; industry in transition into 2026 .
  • Securitization spreads: Persistently ~240 bps; management sees opportunity for compression vs. broader credit markets (at least ~50 bps elevated) heading into next year .
  • Capital allocation: Focused on >$100M recourse debt paydown in 2025; potential future options (e.g., buybacks/dividends) to be evaluated post deleveraging and board discussions .
  • Demand cadence/25D: Expect to gain significant share in 2026 with subscription offerings and storage-first approach; disciplined margin focus over volume .

Estimates Context

  • Results vs. consensus: Revenue beat (~20.5%), EPS miss (~48.7%); consensus based on S&P Global; 9 EPS and 16 revenue estimates in the quarter*. Actual diluted EPS $0.06 and revenue $724.6M .
  • Implications: Street models likely to adjust for higher “Solar systems & product sales” revenue from new asset sale structure, sustained storage attachment rates, and ongoing interest expense headwinds .

Values referenced with asterisk retrieved from S&P Global.

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Revenue strength and Cash Generation outperformance reflect storage-led unit economics and diversified capital sources; watch persistence of the new asset sale construct’s GAAP optics and cash conversion .
  • EPS miss underscores sensitivity to interest expense; any spread compression and refinancing progress could be a medium-term EPS lever .
  • Storage attachment at 70% and Flex traction (~40% in offered markets) deepen recurring cash flow potential and VPP monetization runway .
  • FY25 guidance stability with narrowed Cash Generation range suggests confidence in capital markets access and margin discipline; Q4 ranges hinge on transaction timing and working capital .
  • Deleveraging continues (recourse debt paydown, no near-term maturities), creating optionality for future capital allocation in 2026+ .
  • Regulatory and supply chain dynamics (onshoring and ITC adders) present mixed cost tailwinds/headwinds but expected net accretion to value creation .
  • Tactical trading lens: Strong revenue beat and cash metrics vs. EPS miss creates a setup sensitive to rate/spread headlines and capital markets prints; narrative favored by storage-first strategy and VPP scaling .