SI
Snowflake Inc. (SNOW)·Q3 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Snowflake delivered a strong quarter: total revenue grew 28% year over year to $942.1M and product revenue rose 29% to $900.3M, with non-GAAP operating margin at 6% and RPO accelerating to $5.7B (+55% YoY) .
- FY25 guidance was raised: product revenue to $3.43B (from $3.356B), non-GAAP product gross margin to 76% (from 75%), and non-GAAP operating margin to 5% (from 3%); Q4 product revenue guided to $906–$911M and 4% non-GAAP operating margin .
- Net revenue retention stabilized at 127% and large deal momentum improved, including three $50M+ TCV deals; management highlighted minimal storage headwinds from Iceberg and strong AI product adoption (Cortex, Intelligence) .
- Catalysts include a multi-year Anthropic partnership to bring Claude models into Cortex AI and a definitive agreement to acquire Datavolo to deepen data engineering and unstructured data ingestion capabilities .
- Note on estimates: S&P Global consensus data was unavailable at request time; management stated “outperforming expectations,” but a formal beat/miss vs Street cannot be determined here .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
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What Went Well
- Strong topline and consumption: product revenue $900.3M (+29% YoY) and RPO $5.7B (+55% YoY) drove raised FY25 guidance; CEO: “Our obsessive drive to produce product cohesion and ease of use has built Snowflake into the easiest and most cost effective enterprise data platform” .
- AI momentum: Cortex and Snowflake Intelligence adoption accelerated; over 1,000 deployed AI/ML use cases and >3,200 accounts using AI/ML features; Anthropic partnership brings Claude models directly into Cortex AI .
- Operating efficiency: non-GAAP operating margin reached 6% on cost rigor and team consolidation; CFO cited efficiencies in R&D and office timing; Snowpark on track to ~3% of revenue and minimal Iceberg storage headwinds .
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What Went Wrong
- Continued GAAP losses: GAAP net loss was $324.3M and GAAP net loss per share was $(0.98), highlighting ongoing heavy stock-based compensation and investment load .
- Services margin drag: professional services gross margin remained negative on GAAP and low single-digit on non-GAAP, reflecting services cost structure vs revenue .
- Near-term seasonality and estimate visibility: management flagged holiday-related Q4 consumption seasonality and did not provide NRR guidance; S&P Global consensus was unavailable, limiting formal beat/miss assessment .
Financial Results
Segment breakdown:
Key KPIs:
Guidance Changes
Notes: Diluted share guidance reflects if-converted impact of 0% convertible senior notes (approx. 20M shares in Q4; ~7M for FY from issuance date), and excludes potential future buybacks; capped calls expected to reduce dilution under certain circumstances, but no anti-dilutive impact in periods presented .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy: “Snowflake delivered a strong third quarter, with product revenue of $900 million, up 29% year-over-year, and remaining performance obligations of $5.7 billion, with year-over-year growth accelerating to 55%... Our obsessive drive to produce product cohesion and ease of use has built Snowflake into the easiest and most cost effective enterprise data platform” .
- CEO on AI strategy: “Our AI feature family Snowflake Cortex is showing significant adoption… Unistore and internal marketplace [GA]… Snowflake Intelligence, a platform to create data agents” .
- CFO Michael Scarpelli: “Non-GAAP product gross margin of 76% stabilized sequentially. Non-GAAP operating margin of 6% exceeded our guidance… For the fourth quarter, we expect product revenue between $906 million and $911 million… We now expect full year product revenue of approximately $3.43 billion” .
- CFO on capital structure: Issued $1.15B 0% notes due 2027 and $1.15B 0% notes due 2029; YTD buybacks of $1.9B for 14.8M shares; $5B in cash and investments . 8-K details ~$2.27B net proceeds, capped calls ($195.5M), and concurrent stock repurchases ($399.6M at $112.50/share) .
Q&A Highlights
- Iceberg/storage impact: Minimal storage headwinds; ~500 accounts adopting Iceberg; data engineering features (Snowpark, Dynamic Tables, connectors) expected to more than offset storage revenue pressure; Iceberg enabling net-new workloads on open formats .
- AI adoption and consumption: Cortex Search/Analyst democratize data; agents expected to drive deeper workflow integration; focus on ease, efficiency, and trust; strong text analytics use cases expanding to image/audio/video .
- Bookings/large deals: Three $50M+ TCV deals signed; expectation of strong Q4 bookings with renewals that include growth .
- NRR/consumption: NRR holding stable at 127%; consumption-focused GTM building backlog of workloads; holiday seasonality acknowledged for Q4 .
- International/federal: Europe mid-market and APJ expansion (Japan strong); federal a small base today but viewed as upside; recent Night Shift acquisition to aid federal positioning .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus estimates were unavailable at request time due to data access limits; therefore, a formal beat/miss vs Street consensus cannot be provided here. Values would ordinarily be retrieved from S&P Global. Management stated the quarter “outperforming expectations” and raised FY25 guidance, but this cannot be equated to a Street beat without consensus figures .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- FY25 guidance raised across product revenue and key non-GAAP margins; sequential operating margin improvement to 6% signals emerging leverage while investing in AI and data engineering .
- AI strategy is gaining real traction: Anthropic partnership embeds Claude models in Cortex AI; >1,000 AI/ML use cases and >3,200 accounts indicate broadening adoption and potential for incremental consumption .
- Iceberg/Open Catalog/Polaris reduce lock-in and expand Snowflake’s addressable data estate; current evidence points to minimal storage headwinds and net-new workloads that can drive compute consumption .
- Bookings quality improving (three $50M+ TCV deals), and RPO growth (+55% YoY) provides forward visibility; watch Q4 seasonality and large renewal cadence for near-term setup .
- Capital flexibility remains strong: ~$5B cash/investments, convert issuance, and remaining buyback authorization ($2B) can support share count management and M&A (e.g., Datavolo) .
- Non-GAAP adjustments are material (stock-based comp, amortization, restructuring), driving a GAAP loss; focus on non-GAAP margin trajectory and FCF conversion to assess durability .
- Tactical trade: Near-term catalysts include Q4 guide execution, AI product updates, and large-deal closures; medium-term thesis centers on AI-enabled multiproduct adoption, open data interoperability, and operating leverage ramp .