Gartner, Inc. IT reported strong second-quarter 2018 results, with revenues and earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Adjusted earnings of $1.03 per share outpaced the consensus mark by 6 cents and increased 17% on a year-over-year basis.
Revenues totaled $1 billion, which exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $15 million. The reported figure was up 19% year over year. Adjusted revenues of $1 billion were up 14% from the year-ago quarter. Strength across the majority of the segments drove the top line. Total contract value was approximately $2.9 billion, up 12% year over year.
Shares of Gartner have gained 3.2% over the past year, underperforming the industry’s rally of 23.2%.
Let’s check out the numbers.
Revenues by Segment
Revenues at the Research segment increased 25% year over year to $770 million. Gross contribution margin was 69% in the second quarter, up from 65% in the year-ago period.
Under Global Technology Sales, client retention was 82% and wallet retention was 105%. Global Business Sales client retention was 83% and wallet retention was 97%.
Revenues at the Consulting segment grew 5% from the year-ago quarter to $96 million. Gross contribution margin was 35% in the quarter, up from 34% in the year-ago period. Backlog, the key leading indicator of future revenue growth for the Consulting business, totaled $106 million compared with $91 million in the prior-year period.
Revenues at the Events segment increased 22% from the year-ago quarter to $111 million. Gross contribution margin was 57%, up from 55% in the year-ago period. Revenues at the Other segment summed $23 million, while gross contribution margin was 65%.
Operating Results
Adjusted EBITDA increased 11% year over year to $191 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 50 basis points (bps) to 19.1%.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
Gartner exited the second quarter with cash and cash equivalents balance of $141.8 million compared with $190 million at the end of the prior quarter. Long-term debt at the end of the second quarter was $2.15 billion compared with $2.19 billion at the end of the second quarter. Operating cash flow totaled $174 million and free cash flow was $183 million in the reported quarter.
2018 Outlook
The company expects full-year revenues to be in the range of $3.92-$4.03 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $3.99 billion, which is within the currently guided range.
Adjusted earnings are anticipated to be in the range of $3.51-$3.91 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $3.74, within the currently guided range.Adjusted EBITDA is projected in the $710-$760 million band. Operating cash flow is envisioned between $425 million and $475 million. Free cash flow is expected in the range of $416-$456 million.
Zacks Rank & Upcoming Releases
Gartner currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Investors interested in the broader Business Services sector are keenly awaiting second-quarter earnings reports from key players like Avis Budget CAR, Genpact G and Delphi Technologies DLPH. While Avis Budget and Genpact will report their quarterly numbers on Aug 7, Delphi Technologies will release results on Aug 8.
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