greeksoup/ stock research

F5, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 27 October 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 8% in the quarter: Fourth-quarter revenue was $810 million, up from $747 million a year earlier. The prior release had given a range of $780 million to $800 million for the quarter. Source
  • Fiscal 2025 revenue rose 10%: Fiscal 2025 revenue was $3.09 billion, up from $2.82 billion. Management said the year included 18% non-GAAP earnings growth. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin reached 37.0%: Non-GAAP operating income was $299 million, a 37.0% margin, against 34.4% a year earlier. The fiscal year non-GAAP operating margin was 35.2%. Source
  • Security incident may slow sales: Management expects near-term disruption to sales cycles as customers assess and remediate their environments after the recent security incident. Source
  • Operating cash flow and buybacks: Net cash from operating activities was $949.7 million for fiscal 2025, against $792.4 million. Share repurchases were $502.1 million, against $500.6 million. Source
  • CEO to become Chairman in March: François Locoh-Donou, CEO and President, will also become Chairman of the Board effective March 2026. Source

“Our fourth quarter revenue of $810 million reflects 8% growth year over year, driven by 16% product revenue growth, including 42% growth in systems revenue,”

François Locoh-Donou, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenue growth Sourcefiscal year 20260% to 4%New
Revenue growth before near-term disruption Sourcefiscal year 2026mid-single-digitNew
Non-GAAP operating margin Sourcefiscal year 202633.5% to 34.5%New
Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share Sourcefiscal year 2026$14.50 to $15.50New
Revenue Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2026$730 million to $780 millionNew
Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2026$3.35 to $3.85New

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Fiscal 2026 guidance was given for revenue growth, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP EPS. The prior release gave no fiscal 2026 figures. Source
  • New guidance: First quarter fiscal 2026 guidance was given for revenue and non-GAAP EPS. Source
  • New guidance: Fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance of $14.50 to $15.50 was given. Source
  • New: The Board announced that CEO and President François Locoh-Donou will become Chairman of the Board in March 2026. Source
  • New: Management referred to a recent security incident and said it is the immediate priority for customers. Source

Fourth-quarter and full-year results

  • Revenue rose 8% in the quarter: Fourth-quarter revenue was $810 million, up from $747 million a year earlier. The prior release had given a range of $780 million to $800 million for the quarter. Source
  • Fiscal 2025 revenue rose 10%: Fiscal 2025 revenue was $3.09 billion, up from $2.82 billion. Management said the year included 18% non-GAAP earnings growth. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS was $4.39: Non-GAAP net income was $257 million, or $4.39 per diluted share, against $3.67 a year earlier. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.26, against $2.80. Source

Systems, software and services

  • Systems revenue grew 31% for year: Systems revenue was $706 million for fiscal 2025, up 31%. The prior release reported systems growth of 39% in the third quarter. Source
  • Software growth slowed to 0.3%: Fourth-quarter software revenue was $229 million, up 0.3%, against 16% growth in the third quarter. Fiscal 2025 software revenue was $803 million. Source
  • Services revenue grew 2%: Global services revenue was $396 million in the quarter, up 2%, and $1.58 billion for the year, also up 2%. Source

“Following the recent security incident, our immediate priority remains supporting customers as they evaluate and safeguard their environments,”

François Locoh-Donou, President and CEO

Margins and cost lines

  • Non-GAAP operating margin reached 37.0%: Non-GAAP operating income was $299 million, a 37.0% margin, against 34.4% a year earlier. The fiscal year non-GAAP operating margin was 35.2%. Source
  • GAAP gross margin was 82.2%: GAAP gross margin was 82.2% in the quarter and non-GAAP gross margin was 84.3%. Fiscal 2025 GAAP gross margin was 81.4%. Source
  • General and administrative costs rose: General and administrative expense was $94.0 million in the quarter, against $71.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Restructuring and acquisition costs excluded: Restructuring charges were $14.2 million in the quarter and acquisition-related charges were $7.6 million. Both were excluded from non-GAAP results. Source

Demand and sales cycles

  • Security incident may slow sales: Management expects near-term disruption to sales cycles as customers assess and remediate their environments after the recent security incident. Source
  • Hybrid multicloud and AI drive demand: Management said adoption of hybrid multicloud and AI-driven infrastructure is driving demand for application delivery and security solutions. Source
  • Demand impacts concentrated in first half: Management expects any demand impacts to be most pronounced in the first half of fiscal 2026, normalizing in the second half. Source

“Market dynamics are moving in a direction where F5’s solutions are more essential than ever,”

François Locoh-Donou, President and CEO

Cash, buybacks and balance sheet

  • Operating cash flow and buybacks: Net cash from operating activities was $949.7 million for fiscal 2025, against $792.4 million. Share repurchases were $502.1 million, against $500.6 million. Source
  • Acquisitions and capital spending rose: Acquisitions of businesses used $171.1 million of cash in fiscal 2025, against $32.9 million. Purchases of property and equipment were $43.3 million, against $30.4 million. Source
  • Shares outstanding declined: Shares outstanding were 57,684 thousand at September 30, 2025, down from 58,094 thousand a year earlier. Source

Board and leadership

  • CEO to become Chairman in March: François Locoh-Donou, CEO and President, will also become Chairman of the Board effective March 2026. Source
  • Higginson retiring as Chair: Al Higginson is retiring, as previously announced, after nearly 30 years as a director and 20 years as Chair of the Company. Source
  • Lead independent director to be appointed: The Board plans to appoint a lead independent director during the transition period, for independent oversight. Source

Security response and cyber costs

  • Security bar being raised: Management said it is raising the bar on security across all aspects of the business in response to the incident. Source
  • Cyber incident costs excluded: Cyber incident costs of $3.4 million were excluded from non-GAAP results in the quarter. The costs relate to investigation and remediation of the incident. Source
  • Commitment to share insights: Management said it will learn from the incident, share insights with customers and peers, and drive collaborative innovation on critical infrastructure. Source

Coming up, as management said on 27 October 2025

  • Demand to normalize in second half: Management expects demand impacts to be more pronounced in the first half of fiscal 2026 and to normalize in the second half. Source
  • Chairman role takes effect March 2026: Locoh-Donou will take the additional role of Chairman in March 2026, succeeding Al Higginson. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Systems revenue Source$186 million, up 42%
Software revenue Source$229 million, up 0.3%
Services revenue Source$396 million, up 2%
GAAP gross margin Source82.2%
Non-GAAP gross margin Source84.3%
Non-GAAP operating margin Source37.0%

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management said near-term sales cycle disruption may lead to a modest impact on operating margin in the near term. Source
  • Financial: Cyber incident costs were incurred for investigation and remediation and were excluded from non-GAAP results. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it is committed to driving continued operating margin leverage and expects any demand impact to be short term. 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.