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Vimeo, Inc. (VMEO)·Q3 2024 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q3 revenue of $104.6M declined 1.6% YoY but was above the company’s Q2 guidance for “at or below $100M”; operating income of $7.4M and Adjusted EBITDA of $16.1M materially exceeded guidance (prior guide: operating loss ≈$1M and high single-digit EBITDA) due to cost discipline and stronger enterprise momentum .
- Vimeo Enterprise continued to be the growth engine: enterprise revenue grew 42% YoY, annualized enterprise bookings reached $100M, and ARPU rose 11% YoY to $23,043, offsetting Self-Serve pressure; total bookings were slightly up YoY despite ~50% YoY cuts to advertising spend .
- Profitability and cash generation remained robust: GAAP gross margin 79%; net income $9.3M; cash from operations $20.8M; cash and equivalents increased to $324.8M; the company repurchased 1.3M shares in Q3 and an additional 0.4M through Oct 31 .
- Q4 guidance implies revenue “around $100M,” operating income ≈$2M, and Adjusted EBITDA ≈$10M as reinvestment ramps; management signaled confidence in returning to bookings and revenue growth in 2025 as enterprise scale, pricing tests, and OTT stabilization take hold .
- Near-term stock catalysts: continued enterprise acceleration and security/integration wins, evidence of pricing/packaging lift in Self-Serve, delivery vs Q4 profitability guide, and AI product uptake (translations, “ask-a-video,” Vision Pro app) .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Enterprise outperformance: enterprise revenue grew 42% YoY with annualized enterprise bookings at $100M; ARPU +11% YoY to $23,043; notable wins across e-learning, marketing, and video repositories (e.g., Volvo, Figma, Legal & General) .
- Profitability and cash flow: GAAP gross margin 79%; Adjusted EBITDA $16.1M (15% margin); net income $9.3M; cash from operations $20.8M; free cash flow $21.0M, all while advertising spend fell ~50% YoY .
- Strategic product and AI momentum: launched Vision Pro app; AI translations seeing “tens of thousands of minutes” translated among a small cohort; “ask-a-video” feature and enhanced enterprise-grade security/integrations (Teams, Google Meet; HIPAA BAA example) resonating with customers .
What Went Wrong
- Self-Serve still contracting: Self-Serve & Add-Ons revenue down 6% YoY and subscribers down 9% YoY; bookings -8% YoY despite improving ARPU (+4% YoY) and pricing tests still early .
- “Other” shrinking due to deprecations: Other revenue down 21% YoY; while OTT stabilized and now 82% of Other, legacy deprecations continue to weigh, though diminishing in impact .
- Sequential growth pressure into Q4: CFO noted Q4 revenue growth rate comes down due to the bookings waterfall from a prior down bookings quarter; Q4 revenue guided “around $100M” vs Q3 $104.6M as reinvestment ramps .
Financial Results
Sequential performance (Q1–Q3 2024)
Year-over-year (Q3 2023 vs Q3 2024)
Actual vs Consensus Estimates (S&P Global)
Note: S&P Global consensus data unavailable at time of analysis due to data access limits; will update when available.
Segment revenue breakdown
KPIs (selected, by segment)
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Bookings growth turned slightly positive. We delivered $105 million in revenue and $21 million in operating cash flow… Vimeo is better positioned than ever to support customers in their strategic video communications.” – CEO Philip Moyer .
- “Run rate, we’ve taken about $100 million in operating expenses annually out of the business… making room for us to make investments… we firmly believe Vimeo should be a profitable business… investments will be sizable, but not… put us in any kind of loss position.” – CFO Gillian Munson .
- “Enterprise… AOV of our pipeline has gotten to a larger size… investments in integrations and security are really resonating with customers.” – CEO Philip Moyer .
- “We’re seeing tens of thousands of minutes being translated already by the [AI translation] tool… we think we can make video even more intelligent… [and] bring a lot of security to that space.” – CEO Philip Moyer .
- “Q4 guide… implies the growth rate comes down… due to [bookings] waterfall… we’re looking forward [to 2025].” – CFO Gillian Munson .
Q&A Highlights
- Enterprise strength and drivers: Larger AOV pipeline, security/integrations (Teams, Google Meet), HIPAA BAA, EU data residency; use cases across e-commerce, e-learning, internal comms, media .
- Investment cadence: ~$100M opex cut gives room to invest in 2025 while keeping profitability intact; hiring pace will govern spend ramp .
- Path to growth in 2025: Enterprise scale can carry overall growth even if other products unchanged; pricing/packaging and OTT stabilization add tailwinds .
- Self-Serve outlook: Not guiding by segment; aim to get back to growth with pricing/packaging and product; math favors overall growth as enterprise expands .
- Q4 revenue shape: Growth rate “comes down” due to bookings waterfall from a prior down bookings quarter; revenue guided “around $100M” with positive operating income and ~$10M Adjusted EBITDA .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus estimates for Q3 and Q4 were unavailable at the time of analysis due to data access limits; as a result, we cannot quantify beat/miss vs Street for revenue or EPS in this report. We will update with S&P Global consensus when accessible. In the interim, results significantly exceeded company-issued Q3 guidance across revenue, operating income, and Adjusted EBITDA .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Enterprise is the flywheel: 42% YoY revenue growth, $100M annualized bookings, and double-digit ARPU growth provide a durable multi-quarter growth vector into 2025 .
- Self-Serve stabilization underway: Despite subscriber declines, ARPU gains and early pricing/packaging tests suggest improving unit economics as ad spend stays disciplined .
- Profitability/cash optionality: 79% gross margin, $16.1M Adjusted EBITDA, and $20.8M operating cash flow in Q3 provide ample firepower to reinvest while maintaining profits; cash balance $324.8M and ongoing buybacks support per-share value .
- Product/AI differentiation: Active adoption of AI translations and “ask-a-video,” plus enterprise-grade security/integrations and the Vision Pro app, strengthen enterprise win rates and pricing power .
- Q4 setup is conservative by design: Guide for ~$100M revenue and profitability reflects bookings timing; 2025 commentary points to bookings and revenue growth resumption with reinvestment .
- Watch for catalysts: Continued enterprise deal velocity, evidence of Self-Serve uplift from pricing/packaging, OTT six-figure adds, and 2025 plan disclosure in Q4 update .
- Risk checks: Self-Serve subscriber erosion, macro/IT budget variability, and regulatory/data residency requirements remain watch points even as enterprise mix rises .
Appendix: Additional Items
- Share repurchases: 1.3M shares in Q3 at $3.83 average; additional 0.4M through Oct 31 at $4.87; $31M buyback authorization remaining as of Oct 31 .
- Balance sheet: Total assets $643.0M; deferred revenue $163.3M; shareholders’ equity $409.4M at Q3-end .
- Q4 non-GAAP outlook bridge: Operating income ~$1.6M plus add-backs (SBC ~$8.0M, D&A ~$0.4M) to Adjusted EBITDA ~$10.0M .