- While the headline ARR grew at an annualized rate of 11% q/q, slightly below our forecast of 17%, the FX-adjusted ARR grew by an annualized rate of 24% q/q. That is an acceleration compared to Q3 and a strong number in our view.
- Total sales beat our forecast by 12% due to strong System Sales. While growing System Sales is not Vertiseit’s focus, with its solid 29% gross margin, the contribution to gross profit is notable. In total, gross profit beat our forecast by 8%.
- Most SaaS metrics, like churn and NRR, continue to improve – resulting in solid full-year figures.
- OPEX was about 6% below our expectations. The divestment of MultiQ Transport and the cost-saving program made estimating the underlying OPEX more difficult than usual. Thus, seeing an outcome lower than expected is positive, indicating a lower cost base than we thought.
- EBITDA – CAPEX of SEK14.4m (5.3) beat our forecast of SEK4.1m substantially. While the beat is partly due to the strong System sales – which we assume will not recur – the lower-than-expected OPEX also contributes. Although the cash flow was not as strong as in Q3 – mainly due to the cost-saving program – net working capital was roughly flat, and Vertiseit continues its streak of improved profitability.
- Overall, it was a solid Q4 report considering ARR growth and profitability. We will likely increase our forecasts and Base Case. However, we believe investors should not fully extrapolate the strong margin as the high System sales boosts it.