Sign in

You're signed outSign in or to get full access.

SH

Spok Holdings, Inc (SPOK)·Q2 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Solid quarter with modest top-line growth and stronger profitability: revenue rose 5% YoY to $35.686M; net income increased 33% YoY to $4.552M; adjusted EBITDA grew 6% YoY to $7.489M .
  • Against S&P Global consensus, Spok delivered a mixed print: revenue modestly beat ($35.686M vs $35.0M*), EPS beat ($0.22 vs $0.18*), while GAAP EBITDA trailed consensus ($6.246M vs $6.9M*). Adjusted EBITDA was $7.489M (non‑GAAP) .
  • Management raised full‑year 2025 guidance for wireless, software, total revenue, and adjusted EBITDA, citing stronger software bookings and backlog; dividend of $0.3125/share was maintained for payout on Sep 9, 2025 .
  • Key catalysts: sustained bookings momentum ($11.7M, +34% YoY), backlog strength ($65.2M, +19% YoY), ARPU expansion offsetting unit declines, and FY25 guidance raise—all supportive for sentiment and estimate revision trajectory .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

  • What Went Well

    • Strong software momentum: software revenue +10% YoY; bookings $11.7M (+34% YoY) with 23 six‑figure and one seven‑figure contracts; backlog $65.2M (+19% YoY) .
    • Profitability resilience: adjusted EBITDA $7.489M (+6% YoY) covered dividend; net income up 33% YoY; cash ended at $20.242M with no debt .
    • Pricing/ARPU traction: wireless ARPU rose to $8.20 (+4.6% YoY) as pricing and Gen A pager mix helped offset unit declines; sequential net unit churn improved by 50 bps to 1.6% (from 2.1%) per CFO .
  • What Went Wrong

    • Sequential deceleration: revenue ($35.686M) and adjusted EBITDA ($7.489M) were below Q1 ($36.294M and $8.204M), reflecting normal quarterly lumpiness and higher selling/marketing vs a one-time commission deferral in Q2’24 .
    • GAAP EBITDA missed consensus (S&P Global) despite non‑GAAP strength, and software maintenance/subscription was down YoY (‑2.6%), reflecting mix and timing .
    • Units in service declined to 694k (‑7.1% YoY), underscoring secular pager contraction despite ARPU gains; management expects secular wireless volume pressure to continue .

Financial Results

Overall results (oldest → newest):

MetricQ4 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
Total Revenue ($M)$33.892 $36.294 $35.686
Net Income ($M)$3.644 $5.196 $4.552
Diluted EPS ($)$0.18 $0.25 $0.22
EBITDA ($M, GAAP)$5.576 $6.877 $6.246
Adjusted EBITDA ($M, non‑GAAP)$7.055 $8.204 $7.489

Q2 2025 Actual vs S&P Global Consensus

MetricQ2 2025 ActualQ2 2025 ConsensusSurprise
Revenue ($M)$35.686 $35.0*+$0.686M / +2%
EPS ($)$0.22 $0.18*+$0.04
EBITDA ($M, GAAP)$6.246 $6.9*−$0.654M

Values with asterisk (*) are from S&P Global consensus; values retrieved from S&P Global.

Segment revenue breakdown (oldest → newest, $M):

SegmentQ4 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
Wireless$18.370 $18.474 $18.440
Software (Total)$15.522 $17.820 $17.246
• License$1.283 $2.631 $2.394
• Prof. Svcs – Projects$3.503 $4.471 $3.831
• Prof. Svcs – Managed$1.226 $1.315 $1.520
• Hardware$0.269 $0.321 $0.376
• Maintenance & Subscription$9.241 $9.082 $9.125

Key performance indicators (oldest → newest):

KPIQ4 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025
Units in Service (000s)720 705 694
Wireless ARPU ($)8.16 8.24 8.20
Software Ops Bookings ($M)7.124 8.337 11.661
Software Backlog ($M)62.439 63.152 65.187
Cash & Equivalents ($M)29.145 19.873 20.242
Capital Returned ($M)6.336 7.947 6.477

Context and drivers

  • Sequential change: Q2 revenue and adjusted EBITDA declined vs Q1 due to normal seasonality and higher sales/marketing vs a one-time commission deferral in Q2’24; management also noted a one-time ~$0.7M other income gain from a legacy domain sale boosting Q2 other income (non‑operating) .
  • Mix: Professional services remain a growth engine, with managed services up sharply YoY; maintenance/subscription was modestly lower YoY (-2.6%) .
  • Wireless: ARPU growth and Gen A pagers continue to offset secular unit declines; sequential net unit churn improved to 1.6% from 2.1% in Q1 (50 bps improvement) .

Non‑GAAP notes

  • Adjusted EBITDA excludes taxes, interest, D&A, stock‑based comp, and severance/restructuring; reconciliation provided in the release .

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious Guidance (From–To)Current Guidance (From–To)Change
Wireless Revenue ($M)FY2025$69.0 – $72.0 $71.5 – $73.5 Raised
Software Revenue ($M)FY2025$65.0 – $70.0 $66.5 – $70.0 Raised (midpoint)
Total Revenue ($M)FY2025$134.0 – $142.0 $138.0 – $143.5 Raised
Adjusted EBITDA ($M)FY2025$27.5 – $32.5 $28.5 – $32.5 Raised (low end)
DividendQuarterly$0.3125/share (ongoing) $0.3125/share declared for Sep 9, 2025 Maintained

Management rationale: stronger first‑half execution, bookings/backlog, ARPU trends, and pipeline confidence; expect H2 R&D to step‑up 5–7% YoY and further 6–8% into 2026, including AI initiatives .

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicQ4 2024 (Q‑2)Q1 2025 (Q‑1)Q2 2025 (Current)Trend
Bookings & BacklogBookings +73% YoY in Q4; backlog +22% YoY Bookings $8.3M; backlog +15% YoY Bookings $11.7M (+34% YoY); backlog $65.2M (+19% YoY) Strengthening
Wireless ARPU/ChurnARPU $8.16 (+4% YoY) ARPU $8.24 (+4.4% YoY); 12‑mo churn down to 6.4% ARPU $8.20 (+4.6% YoY); net unit churn 1.6% vs 2.1% prior qtr ARPU up; churn improving
Managed Services+183% YoY; 22.7% of PS Triple‑digit YoY growth; enterprise traction Expanding
AI/Product InvestmentPlatform investment; essential utility narrative Evaluating thoughtful AI integration; R&D to increase Building/investing
Macro/TariffsCo. reiterated minimal impact expected No new macro headwinds called out Stable
Capital Returns$6.3M Q4; FY24 $26.4M $7.9M Q1 $6.5M Q2; dividend declared Ongoing discipline

Management Commentary

  • “We generated nearly $4.6 million of net income and nearly $7.5 million of adjusted EBITDA… As anticipated, our cash balances started to grow in the second quarter… we expect cash balances to continue to grow through the remainder of the year.” — Vince Kelly, CEO .
  • “We are increasing our full year 2025 guidance… [midpoint] would grow consolidated revenue… with an expected 6.4% growth in software revenue… midpoint of our adjusted EBITDA guidance will be up from last year.” — Vince Kelly, CEO .
  • “We saw a 50 basis point sequential improvement in quarterly net unit churn… ARPU increased $0.36, or nearly 5% from the prior year… pricing actions and… Gen A pager [helped].” — Calvin Rice, CFO .
  • “Adjusted operating expenses… included a YoY increase in cost of revenue… and in selling and marketing… 2Q24 reflected a one‑time benefit (~$0.9M) from deferral of certain commissions.” — Calvin Rice, CFO .
  • “We continue to evaluate opportunities to thoughtfully integrate AI into our products and into our operating platform… We believe our robust pipeline has us positioned for a strong second half.” — Vince Kelly & Calvin Rice .

Q&A Highlights

  • Unreturned pager fee impact: No effect on unit churn; broader wireless price increases are the churn lever; fee is recognized post‑disconnect as product revenue .
  • Churn mitigation: Pricing actions, Gen A pagers (encrypted, HIPAA‑compliant), bundling Spok Mobile with pagers, and multi‑year renewals; “over $9M” revenue tied to pager plus Spok Mobile .
  • New logo motion: ~7 dedicated business development reps; ~15% of bookings from new logos; larger enterprise suite deals also displace competitive point solutions .
  • One‑time item: ~$0.7M gain from sale of legacy domain (other income) in Q2 .
  • Cash/FCF outlook: FY25 FCF expected $25–$29M; year‑end cash $24–$28M, with sequential rebuild in H2 .

Estimates Context

  • Q2 2025 vs consensus: Revenue beat ($35.686M vs $35.0M*), EPS beat ($0.22 vs $0.18*), GAAP EBITDA missed ($6.246M vs $6.9M*). Coverage is limited: 1 estimate for revenue and EPS in Q2* .
  • Looking ahead (current consensus): Q3 2025 EPS $0.19*, revenue $35.9M*, EBITDA $7.3M*; Q4 2025 EPS $0.18*, revenue $34.6M*, EBITDA $7.7M* (implying modest stability into year‑end).
    Values with asterisk (
    ) are from S&P Global consensus; values retrieved from S&P Global.

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Software momentum is the core driver: bookings strength and a growing backlog continue to underpin license and services growth; management expects double‑digit bookings growth for FY25, supporting the guidance raise .
  • Wireless remains a cash engine despite secular decline: ARPU/pricing and Gen A mix are offsetting unit attrition; sequential churn improvement supports revenue durability .
  • Profitability quality: EPS and revenue beats versus consensus alongside a GAAP EBITDA shortfall; adjusted EBITDA trajectory and mix (licenses, managed services) matter for valuation framing .
  • Capital allocation consistent and shareholder‑friendly: dividend maintained; cash expected to build in H2 with no debt; FY25 FCF guide $25–$29M provides cover for distributions and product investment .
  • Watch H2 execution: management plans higher R&D (including AI initiatives) in H2; sustained bookings conversion and maintenance trajectory will drive whether FY25 lands toward high end of revenue/adj. EBITDA ranges .
  • Trading setup: Guidance raise and bookings/backlog strength are positive estimate revision catalysts; monitor any shift in maintenance/recurring trends and whether EBITDA (GAAP) can align closer with consensus as mix evolves .

Appendices

Additional qualitative items

  • Recognition: 18 of the 20 U.S. News 2025–26 Best Hospitals Honor Roll use Spok technology, reinforcing enterprise positioning in critical clinical communications .
  • Prior quarter context: Q1 revenue $36.294M; adjusted EBITDA $8.204M; reiterated FY25 guide then, subsequently raised at Q2 on stronger 1H performance .