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Certara, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 narrowed, 1 new, 4 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 4% to $94.9 million: Total revenue for the quarter was $94.9 million, up 4% on a reported basis from $90.9 million a year earlier. Continuing-operations figures exclude the divested Regulatory and Medical Writing business. Source
  • Software revenue grew 11%: Software revenue reached $48.8 million, up 11% from $43.8 million. Management described the growth as organic and the first double-digit quarter in two years. Source
  • Services revenue fell 2%: Services revenue was $46.1 million against $47.1 million a year earlier, while software revenue rose over the same period. Source
  • Software bookings rose 15%: Software bookings were $46.9 million, up from $40.8 million a year earlier. Trailing twelve-month software bookings were $202.4 million, an increase of 8%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 31.8%: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 31.8%, compared with 31.5% a year earlier, and rose more than 370 basis points from the second quarter. Source
  • Continuing cash generation of $30.7 million: Cash from continuing operations was $30.7 million in the quarter, and cash ended the quarter at $214.9 million, up from $172.7 million a year earlier. Source

“We delivered solid revenue and profit in the quarter, and software revenue grew 11% organically, our first double-digit quarter in two years.”

Jon Resnick, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth Sourcefull year 20262% to 3%
Software revenue growth Sourcefull year 2026above the 2% to 3% rangeKept
Services revenue growth Sourcefull year 2026at or below the low end of the 2% to 3% rangeKept
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefull year 2026; said to remain appropriate for the fourth quarter29% to 31%Kept
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2026$0.31 to $0.34Narrowed, top end cut from $0.31 to $0.36
Fully diluted weighted average shares Sourcefull year 2026155 million to 157 millionKept
Effective tax rate Sourcefull year 202625% to 30%New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Upper end of the full-year adjusted diluted EPS range moved from $0.36 to $0.34; the lower end stayed at $0.31. Source
  • New guidance: A full-year effective tax rate range of 25% to 30% was given; the prior release did not include one. Source
  • New: Grant Peterson was appointed Chief Product Officer, effective November 2, 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 4% to $94.9 million: Total revenue for the quarter was $94.9 million, up 4% on a reported basis from $90.9 million a year earlier. Continuing-operations figures exclude the divested Regulatory and Medical Writing business. Source
  • Software revenue grew 11%: Software revenue reached $48.8 million, up 11% from $43.8 million. Management described the growth as organic and the first double-digit quarter in two years. Source
  • Continuing net loss narrowed: Net loss from continuing operations was $3.6 million, against $4.8 million a year earlier. Diluted loss per share from continuing operations was $(0.02), against $(0.03). Source

Services and discontinued business

  • Services revenue fell 2%: Services revenue was $46.1 million against $47.1 million a year earlier, while software revenue rose over the same period. Source
  • Regulatory business now discontinued: The Regulatory and Medical Writing business, divested May 8, 2026, is reported as discontinued operations. Continuing-operations figures in this release exclude it for all periods presented. Source
  • Discontinued operations income in quarter: Income from discontinued operations was $9.2 million in the quarter, against $6.4 million a year earlier. The nine-month figure was a loss of $37.0 million. Source

“The third quarter reflects continued software momentum and the initial benefits of the operating actions we implemented in the first half,”

Faiz Mohammed, Interim Chief Financial Officer

Bookings and demand

  • Software bookings rose 15%: Software bookings were $46.9 million, up from $40.8 million a year earlier. Trailing twelve-month software bookings were $202.4 million, an increase of 8%. Source
  • Total bookings edged up 4%: Total bookings were $92.5 million, up 4%. Trailing twelve-month total bookings were $409.2 million, an increase of 2%. Source
  • Services bookings fell 5%: Services bookings were $45.6 million, down 5%. Trailing twelve-month services bookings were $206.8 million, down 2%, with a book-to-bill of 1.15. Source

Costs and operating expenses

  • Cost of revenues declined $2.0 million: Cost of revenues was $31.4 million, down from $33.4 million. Equity-based compensation fell $1.6 million and professional and consulting expenses fell $0.4 million. Source
  • Operating expenses rose $3.1 million: Operating expenses were $61.1 million, up from $58.1 million. Employee-related costs and executive recruiting rose, partly offset by lower stock compensation. Source
  • Contingent consideration remeasurement offset costs: A $2.7 million decrease from remeasuring acquisition contingent consideration partly offset the increase in operating expenses for the quarter. Source

“We are focused on the disciplined execution required to deliver this performance consistently.”

Jon Resnick, Chief Executive Officer

Margins and profitability

  • Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 31.8%: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 31.8%, compared with 31.5% a year earlier, and rose more than 370 basis points from the second quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 6%: Adjusted EBITDA was $30.2 million, up $1.6 million from the year-earlier quarter. Nine-month adjusted EBITDA was $83.1 million, against $84.0 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS flat at $0.09: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.09 in both years. Adjusted net income was $13.5 million, compared with $13.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Equity compensation excluded from adjusted results: Adjusted measures exclude equity-based compensation of $6.0 million this quarter. The company notes this is a recurring expense in its business. Source

Cash, capital and buybacks

  • Continuing cash generation of $30.7 million: Cash from continuing operations was $30.7 million in the quarter, and cash ended the quarter at $214.9 million, up from $172.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month operating cash flow lower: Nine-month cash provided by continuing operations was $46.3 million, against $51.4 million. Nine-month share repurchases in the cash flow statement were $57.4 million. Source
  • Repurchase authorization increased by $50 million: The Board approved an additional $50 million under the share repurchase program in the third quarter, with no express expiration date.

Strategy and reorganization

  • Reorganization run-rate savings of $13 million: The second-quarter reduction in force and other steps were expected to yield run-rate savings of about $13 million, including addressing stranded costs from the divestiture.
  • Two business units structure: The company reorganized around two business units, Model Informed Discovery and Drug Development (MID3) and Accelerated Clinical Evidence (ACE), after the divestiture closed in May.
  • Reorganization costs recorded this quarter: Reorganization expense was $2.951 million in the quarter and $7.138 million over nine months, covering legal entity and lease abandonment costs. Source

People and leadership

  • Workforce reduced by about 5%: The second-quarter reduction in force focused mainly on overhead and affected roughly 5% of the global employee base.
  • Product chief brings software experience: Grant Peterson was previously Chief Product Officer at Conga and Chief Technology Officer at DocuSign for 12 years, according to the release. Source
  • Commercial chief appointed effective August: Julien Perrier became Chief Commercial Officer effective August 1, 2026, to align sales and marketing under a unified commercial leadership model.

Coming up, as management said on 5 November 2026

  • Peterson to direct portfolio investments: Grant Peterson, as Chief Product Officer, will direct portfolio investments toward growth in existing and new products, guided by customer input. Source
  • Fourth-quarter margin range remains: Management said the 29% to 31% adjusted EBITDA margin range remains appropriate for the fourth quarter, based on nine-month performance. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Customer count Sourcemore than 2,600 biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies across 70 countries

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said services growth depends on converting pipeline into bookings and revenue, and expects services growth at or below the low end of the range. Source
  • Operational: The company cited stranded costs from the divestiture as a cost item it is working to streamline through the reorganization.
  • Financial: Tax expense rose $1.4 million and other expense rose $0.2 million, both reducing the benefit of the higher revenue on the net loss. Source
  • Financial: Management said variability in acquisition, financing and stock compensation items could significantly affect future GAAP results, and that it cannot reconcile guidance to GAAP. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management referred to initial benefits from the operating actions implemented in the first half of the year. Source
  • Not stated: Management said the range was previously communicated and that it remains appropriate for the fourth quarter. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it continues to expect software revenue growth to be above the full-year revenue growth range. 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.