Cybersecurity software maker Tenable (NASDAQ:TENB) beat analysts' expectations in Q1 CY2024, with revenue up 14.4% year on year to $216 million. On the other hand, the company expects next quarter's revenue to be around $218 million, slightly below analysts' estimates. It made a non-GAAP profit of $0.25 per share, improving from its profit of $0.11 per share in the same quarter last year.
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Tenable (TENB) Q1 CY2024 Highlights:
- Revenue: $216 million vs analyst estimates of $213.4 million (1.2% beat)
- EPS (non-GAAP): $0.25 vs analyst estimates of $0.17 (43.4% beat)
- Revenue Guidance for Q2 CY2024 is $218 million at the midpoint, below analyst estimates of $219.3 million (operating profit guidance for the period also below)
- The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $904 million at the midpoint (above expectations, as was operating profit guidance for the full year)
- Gross Margin (GAAP): 77.3%, up from 75.9% in the same quarter last year
- Free Cash Flow of $47.13 million, up 31.8% from the previous quarter
- Market Capitalization: $5.34 billion
"We delivered strong results for the first quarter, highlighted by 14% revenue growth and 17% operating margin driven by traction in our unified platform," said Amit Yoran, Chairman and CEO of Tenable.
Founded in 2002 by three cybersecurity veterans, Tenable (NASDAQ:TENB) provides software as a service that helps companies understand where they are exposed to cyber security risk and how to reduce it.
Vulnerability Management
The demand for cybersecurity is growing as more and more businesses are moving their data and processes into the cloud, which along with a major increase in employees working remotely, has increased their exposure to attacks and malware. Additionally, the growing array of corporate IT systems, applications and internet connected devices has increased the complexity of network security, all of which has substantially increased the demand for software meant to protect data breaches.
Sales Growth
As you can see below, Tenable's revenue growth has been strong over the last three years, growing from $123.2 million in Q1 2021 to $216 million this quarter.
This quarter, Tenable's quarterly revenue was once again up 14.4% year on year. However, its growth did slow down compared to last quarter as the company's revenue increased by just $2.66 million in Q1 compared to $11.78 million in Q4 CY2023. While we'd like to see revenue increase by a greater amount each quarter, a one-off fluctuation is usually not concerning.
Next quarter's guidance suggests that Tenable is expecting revenue to grow 11.8% year on year to $218 million, slowing down from the 18.7% year-on-year increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Looking ahead, analysts covering the company were expecting sales to grow 12.7% over the next 12 months before the earnings results announcement.
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Cash Is King
If you've followed StockStory for a while, you know that we emphasize free cash flow. Why, you ask? We believe that in the end, cash is king, and you can't use accounting profits to pay the bills. Tenable's free cash flow came in at $47.13 million in Q1, up 26.2% year on year.
Tenable has generated $150.9 million in free cash flow over the last 12 months, a solid 18.3% of revenue. This strong FCF margin stems from its asset-lite business model, giving it optionality and plenty of cash to reinvest in its business.
Key Takeaways from Tenable's Q1 Results
We enjoyed seeing Tenable exceed analysts' billings expectations this quarter. We were also happy its revenue narrowly outperformed Wall Street's estimates. Full year revenue and operating profit guidance both came in above expectations. On the other hand, its revenue guidance for next quarter missed analysts' expectations. Zooming out, we think this was still a decent, albeit mixed, quarter, showing that the company is staying on track. The stock is up 2.2% after reporting and currently trades at $46 per share.
So should you invest in Tenable right now? When making that decision, it's important to consider its valuation, business qualities, as well as what has happened in the latest quarter. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free.