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Clarivate plc: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 lowered, 1 narrowed, 7 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Continuing revenue down on disposals: Third-quarter revenue from continuing operations was $481.6M, against $530.3M a year earlier, primarily due to inorganic disposals. Source
  • Organic revenue rose 0.4%: Organic revenue from continuing operations rose 0.4%; recurring growth was partly offset by lower transactional revenue. Source
  • Academia & Government revenue fell: A&G third-quarter revenue was $286.9M, against $332.5M, mainly from disposals (14.1%); organic revenue rose 0.9%. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin rose to 45.3%: Continuing-operations Adjusted EBITDA margin was 45.3% in the quarter, against 41.9% a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.21: Adjusted net income including LS&H was $136.0M, or $0.21 per diluted share, against $119.3M, or $0.18, a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow lower: Free cash flow including discontinued operations was $233.1M for nine months, against $276.1M a year earlier. Source
  • Total debt cut by $293.8M: Debt fell $293.8M from a year earlier, after a $100M accelerated repayment and $192.6M of repurchases at about a 5% discount to par. Source
  • Focus on two segments after sale: Management says the LS&H sale positions the company for value creation in A&G and IP, its two market-leading segments. Source

“Third quarter results continued to improve across key metrics, including organic recurring revenue growth and the return to positive ACV growth in the Intellectual Property segment.”

Matti Shem Tov, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
ACV organic growth SourceFull year 20261.75% to 2.25%Lowered from 2.0% to 3.0%
Recurring organic revenue growth SourceFull year 20261.00% to 1.50%
Revenues excluding discontinued operations SourceFull year 2026$1.965B to $1.985BNarrowed from $1.94B to $2.04B
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$0.865B to $0.885B
Adjusted EBITDA margin SourceFull year 202643.0% to 45.0%
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFull year 2026$0.73 to $0.77
Free cash flow SourceFull year 2026$320M to $340M
Net cash from operating activities and capital expenditures SourceFull year 2026$550M to $570M operating cash flow; $230M capital expenditures
Net loss SourceFull year 2026(154) to (144) million
Depreciation and amortization SourceFull year 2026650 million
Restructuring costs SourceFull year 202630 million
Adjusted weighted average diluted shares SourceFull year 2026 and Q4 2026approximately 646 million
ACV organic growth SourceQ4 20261.75% to 2.25%New
Recurring organic revenue growth SourceQ4 20262.00% to 2.50%New
Revenues SourceQ4 2026$490M to $510MNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceQ4 2026$215M to $235MNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin SourceQ4 202644.0% to 46.0%New
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceQ4 2026$0.14 to $0.18New
Free cash flow SourceQ4 2026$85M to $105MNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Chief financial officer named as Michael Easton; the prior release named Jonathan Collins in that role. Source
  • Ended: Life Sciences & Healthcare segment sold on October 6, 2026, for net cash proceeds of $488.4 million; it is now presented as discontinued operations. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2026 guidance provided for the first time, in connection with completion of the LS&H divestiture. Source
  • New: Full-year 2026 guidance restated after the LS&H divestiture. The release says the block excludes discontinued operations, while some lines include nine months of them. Source

Revenue and earnings results

  • Continuing revenue down on disposals: Third-quarter revenue from continuing operations was $481.6M, against $530.3M a year earlier, primarily due to inorganic disposals. Source
  • Organic revenue rose 0.4%: Organic revenue from continuing operations rose 0.4%; recurring growth was partly offset by lower transactional revenue. Source
  • Nine-month organic revenue up 0.1%: Nine-month revenue from continuing operations was $1,472.4M, against $1,546.7M; organic recurring revenue rose 0.9%, offset by lower transactional revenue. Source
  • Third-quarter net loss widened: Third-quarter net loss including LS&H was $80.8M, or $0.13 per diluted share, against $28.3M, or $0.04, a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month net loss widened on impairment: Nine-month net loss including LS&H was $389.6M, or $0.61 per share, against $204.2M, driven by a $283.9M non-cash LS&H goodwill impairment. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA declined in quarter: Third-quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $245.3M including LS&H, against $252.4M; continuing operations were $218.2M, against $222.2M. Source

Segment revenue results

  • Academia & Government revenue fell: A&G third-quarter revenue was $286.9M, against $332.5M, mainly from disposals (14.1%); organic revenue rose 0.9%. Source
  • Intellectual Property organic down 0.4%: IP third-quarter revenue was $194.7M, against $197.8M; organic revenue fell 0.4%, with disposals and FX each taking 0.6%. Source
  • A&G nine-month organic up 1.1%: Nine-month A&G revenue was $882.2M, against $953.7M; disposals reduced it by 8.9% while organic revenue rose 1.1%. Source
  • IP nine-month organic down 1.3%: Nine-month IP revenue was $590.2M, against $593.0M; organic revenue fell 1.3%, with disposals taking 0.3% and FX adding 1.1%. Source

“Our focus remains on translating organic growth into sustainable earnings and free cash flow, while maintaining a disciplined approach to capital allocation.”

Michael Easton, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Products and customers

  • Subscription growth from new sales and pricing: Organic subscription revenue rose 1.5% in the quarter, primarily due to new sales and pricing actions. Source
  • Re-occurring growth from IP volumes: Organic re-occurring revenue rose 0.7%, primarily from higher IP volumes. Source
  • Transactional revenue down on A&G wind-downs: Third-quarter transactional revenue was $37.5M, down $51.6M, primarily from A&G product group wind-downs. Source
  • Customers moving to subscription products: Management attributes part of the lower transactional activity to customers moving to higher-margin subscription products. Source

Costs, margins and earnings

  • Adjusted EBITDA margin rose to 45.3%: Continuing-operations Adjusted EBITDA margin was 45.3% in the quarter, against 41.9% a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.21: Adjusted net income including LS&H was $136.0M, or $0.21 per diluted share, against $119.3M, or $0.18, a year earlier. Source
  • Cost of revenues and SG&A lower: Continuing cost of revenues was $139.0M, against $178.5M; SG&A was $134.6M, against $145.7M, in the quarter. Source
  • Discontinued operations loss in quarter: Third-quarter loss from discontinued operations was $54.4M, or $0.09 per diluted share, against $3.4M. Source
  • Continuing loss per share narrowed: Nine-month continuing-operations loss per diluted share was $0.19, against $0.31 a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and capital

  • Nine-month free cash flow lower: Free cash flow including discontinued operations was $233.1M for nine months, against $276.1M a year earlier. Source
  • Third-quarter free cash flow lower: Third-quarter free cash flow including discontinued operations was $110.2M, against $115.5M. Source
  • Total debt cut by $293.8M: Debt fell $293.8M from a year earlier, after a $100M accelerated repayment and $192.6M of repurchases at about a 5% discount to par. Source
  • Cash balance lower since year-end: Cash and equivalents were $257.0M at September 30, down $72.2M from December 31, 2025. Source
  • Nine-month share repurchases lower: Repurchases of ordinary shares were $18.1M for nine months, against $149.5M a year earlier. Source

Strategy and portfolio

  • Focus on two segments after sale: Management says the LS&H sale positions the company for value creation in A&G and IP, its two market-leading segments. Source
  • AI-led innovation gaining traction: Management cites commercial traction and customer validation from AI-led innovation within A&G and IP. Source
  • Restructuring tied to Value Creation Plan: Restructuring costs expected in 2026 are associated with the Value Creation Plan, according to the guidance reconciliation. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 November 2026

  • Plans to strengthen financial profile: The CFO says the company is well positioned to further strengthen its financial profile and financial flexibility; no date is given. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
ACV organic growth (vs September 30, 2025) Source1.8%
Total ACV growth (vs September 30, 2025) Source3.6%
Subscription revenue (third quarter, continuing) Source$338.3 million, up 0.7%
Recurring revenue organic growth (third quarter) Source1.3% organic, $5.7 million

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Organic transactional revenue fell 12.4% in the quarter, mainly from lower activity in both segments. Source
  • Financial: The third-quarter net loss was driven by a $62.2M non-cash goodwill impairment on the LS&H segment. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management describes the LS&H divestiture as closed early, a milestone it says it achieved in the quarter. Source
  • Not stated: Management refers to these as commitments; no progress against them is quantified in the release. 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.