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Axon Enterprise, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 34% to $807 million: Net sales were $807.3 million, up from $603.6 million a year earlier. Management said growth came from Software & Services and Platform Solutions, and all major product categories grew double digits. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 30%: Adjusted EBITDA was $201.6 million, a 25.0% margin, up from $155.2 million. Higher revenue was partly offset by continued R&D investment and lower gross margin. Source
  • Platform Solutions up 95%: Platform Solutions revenue was $111.2 million, up 95% year over year. Management said Dedrone revenue increased over 300% year over year. Source
  • AI product revenue up over 700%: AI Era Plan product revenue, including the AI Era Plan and standalone products such as Draft One and Axon Assistant, rose over 700% year over year. Source
  • Gross margin fell 150 basis points: Gross margin was 59.1%, against 60.6% a year earlier, and up from 57.9% in Q4 2025. Adjusted gross margin was 61.6%, against 63.6% a year earlier. Source
  • Operating cash flow was an outflow: Operating cash flow was an outflow of $31.5 million, against an inflow of $25.8 million a year earlier. Free cash flow was negative $54.6 million, against $155.4 million in Q4 2025. Source
  • Net debt position of $1.0 billion: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $731 million against $1.8 billion of senior notes. The supplemental table shows net debt of $1,018.8 million, against $112.3 million at December 31, 2025. Source

“Our results exceeded expectations and support an increased outlook for the year.”

Axon Enterprise, Inc., press release

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth SourceFull-year 202630% to 32%Raised from 27% to 30%
Adjusted EBITDA margin SourceFull-year 202625.5%Kept
Stock-based compensation expense SourceFull-year 2026$590 million to $620 millionKept
Operating cash flow SourceFull-year 2026over $600 million
Free cash flow SourceFull-year 2026approximately $450 million
Capital expenditures Source2026$160 million to $190 million

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2026 revenue growth range raised to 30% to 32% from 27% to 30%. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance of 25.5% unchanged. Source
  • New: Dedrone C2 introduced as the next evolution of the Dedrone platform, with improved sensor fusion, mitigation management and third-party integrations. Source
  • New: A series of product innovations was introduced in April at the annual user conference. Source
  • New: From Q1 2026, Adjusted EBITDA excludes all components of other income (loss), net; prior periods were not recast for this change. Source
  • New: From Q1 2026, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets; prior periods were recast. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 34% to $807 million: Net sales were $807.3 million, up from $603.6 million a year earlier. Management said growth came from Software & Services and Platform Solutions, and all major product categories grew double digits. Source
  • Net income reached $169 million: GAAP net income was $169.3 million, or $2.05 per diluted share, against $88.0 million or $1.08 a year earlier. Higher operating income and other income drove the increase. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose to $1.61: Non-GAAP net income was $132.9 million, or $1.61 per diluted share, against $119.8 million or $1.47 a year earlier. Management attributed the increase primarily to higher revenue. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 30%: Adjusted EBITDA was $201.6 million, a 25.0% margin, up from $155.2 million. Higher revenue was partly offset by continued R&D investment and lower gross margin. Source
  • Operating income up $38 million: Income from operations was $29.2 million, compared with a loss of $8.8 million a year earlier. Management attributed the change to higher revenue and operating leverage. Source

Segments and regions

  • Software & Services grew 35%: Software & Services revenue was $354.5 million, up 34.9% year over year and 3.5% sequentially. Management cited new users and adoption of premium software by existing customers. Source
  • Connected Devices grew 33%: Connected Devices revenue was $452.8 million, up 32.8% year over year and down 0.3% sequentially. Gross margin was 48.7%, against 50.1% a year earlier. Source
  • Platform Solutions up 95%: Platform Solutions revenue was $111.2 million, up 95% year over year. Management said Dedrone revenue increased over 300% year over year. Source
  • TASER and sensors grew: TASER revenue rose 19% and Personal Sensors revenue rose 23% year over year. Management linked the growth to TASER 10 and Axon Body 4 deployments. Source
  • International sales reached 20%: Sales in other countries were $160.8 million, or 20% of revenue, up from $74.2 million or 12% a year earlier. U.S. sales were $646.5 million, or 80% of revenue. Source

“We are breaking down information barriers and providing a secure, compliant foundation to help prevent harm, accelerate justice and protect life in the communities our customers serve.”

Rick Smith, Axon Founder and CEO

Products, AI and customers

  • AI product revenue up over 700%: AI Era Plan product revenue, including the AI Era Plan and standalone products such as Draft One and Axon Assistant, rose over 700% year over year. Source
  • Axon Assistant passes one million uses: Axon Assistant now works by voice or chat across body-worn devices, mobile apps, Axon Evidence and real-time operations tools, within a CJIS-compliant environment. Source
  • Guardian adds escalation alerts for officers: Guardian launches with audio-based escalation detection on body cameras and a sentinel mode on fleet cameras. In test analysis, it would have flagged an incident minutes before backup was called. Source
  • Axon Vision rolls out to enterprise, corrections: Axon Vision analyzes live camera feeds in the Fusus platform to identify defined conditions. Initial rollout targets enterprise and corrections sites that already run fixed video systems. Source
  • Brief One compresses video review: Brief One uses AI summarization to reduce hours of video review to minutes. Form One is now a browser extension for completing forms from existing data. Source
  • Sky Carrier bundles counter-drone and Starlink: Sky Carrier is a compact, portable system for large events. It combines Dedrone, Fusus, Starlink and rapid-launch aircraft. Source

Costs, gross margin and operating expenses

  • Gross margin fell 150 basis points: Gross margin was 59.1%, against 60.6% a year earlier, and up from 57.9% in Q4 2025. Adjusted gross margin was 61.6%, against 63.6% a year earlier. Source
  • SG&A fell from fourth-quarter level: SG&A expense was $259.1 million, or 32.1% of revenue, down from $317.4 million in Q4 2025. R&D expense was $189.0 million, or 23.4% of revenue. Source
  • Severance costs fell sharply: Non-recurring severance costs were $2.0 million, down from $31.8 million in Q4 2025. No severance costs were reported in Q1 2025. Source

“The breadth of innovation this quarter reflects that ambition - and the financial results that follow demonstrate its impact.”

Axon Enterprise, Inc., press release

Demand and the contracted order book

  • Contracted balance fulfilled over time: Management expects to fulfill 20% to 25% of the total contracted balance over the next 12 months, and generally the remainder over the following ten years. Source
  • Federal drone grants of $250 million: Management pointed to the Safer Skies Act, which provides $250 million in federal grants and lets local agencies detect, track and mitigate drone threats, as a further adoption driver. Source
  • Counter-drone adoption still early: Management described counter-drone adoption as in its early stages across a large market, with several major events and catalysts expected to add to it. Source

Cash, debt and capital

  • Operating cash flow was an outflow: Operating cash flow was an outflow of $31.5 million, against an inflow of $25.8 million a year earlier. Free cash flow was negative $54.6 million, against $155.4 million in Q4 2025. Source
  • Seasonal commission and bonus payments: Management attributed the Q1 free cash outflow to seasonal commission and bonus payments and described it as consistent with its expectations for the quarter. Source
  • Net debt position of $1.0 billion: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $731 million against $1.8 billion of senior notes. The supplemental table shows net debt of $1,018.8 million, against $112.3 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy, adjacent markets and investment

  • Innovation extends into adjacent segments: Management said its pace of product innovation is extending its reach into justice, corrections and enterprise customer segments. Source
  • Draft One and Dedrone reach new buyers: Draft One is expanding into healthcare. Dedrone is attracting enterprise customers who want to protect major events, critical infrastructure and datacenters. Source
  • Axon Gravity data repository vision: Management described a multi-year plan, called Axon Gravity, to unify Axon Assistant within one data environment and build a large repository of AI-enhanced public safety data. Source
  • Continued counter-drone investment: Management said it continues to invest in the counter-drone category to extend its leadership position. Source
  • Connected operating system for public safety: Management described the quarter's innovations as continued progress toward a connected operating system for public safety. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • Axon Vision trials and launch timing: Field trials are targeted for mid-2026, with general availability expected in early Q4 2026. Source
  • Guardian launch with two capabilities: Guardian will launch with escalation detection on body cameras and sentinel mode on fleet cameras. Source
  • Assistant to reach smartwatches: Axon Assistant will extend to additional field devices, including smartwatch integrations, later this year. Source
  • More Assistant capabilities planned: Management listed live 911 call monitoring, secure AI web search and deeper application integration as upcoming Axon Assistant capabilities. Source
  • Sky Carrier positioned for 2026 events: Management said Sky Carrier is being positioned ahead of the World Cup and other large US gatherings in 2026 and beyond. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Annual recurring revenue Source$1,493 million, up 35% year over year
Net revenue retention Source125%
Future contracted bookings Source$14.3 billion, up 44% year over year
DFR mission launches Sourceapproximately one every 30 seconds in the United States (company estimate)

Risks management discussed

  • External: Management attributed the year-over-year decline in Connected Devices gross margin to global tariffs and to Dedrone product mix. Source
  • Operational: Management cited higher professional services costs tied to product deployments as a contributor to the gross margin decline. Source
  • Regulatory: Management said Axon Vision does not use facial recognition and that all alerts require human review before action. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it continues to expect strong positive free cash flow for the full year. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.