Tenable Holdings, Inc. (TENB)
SIC breadcrumb: Services > Business Services > SIC 7372 Services-Prepackaged Software
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1660280. Latest filing source: 0001660280-26-000005.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read TENB's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read TENB's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 999,405,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-27 |
| Net income | -36,118,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-27 |
| Assets | 1,747,667,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-27 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-27. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001660280.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 124,371,000 | 187,727,000 | 267,360,000 | 354,586,000 | 440,221,000 | 541,130,000 | 683,191,000 | 798,710,000 | 900,021,000 | 999,405,000 |
| Net income | -37,208,000 | -41,022,000 | -73,521,000 | -99,013,000 | -42,731,000 | -46,677,000 | -92,222,000 | -78,284,000 | -36,301,000 | -36,118,000 |
| Operating income | -35,833,000 | -40,760,000 | -72,581,000 | -90,799,000 | -36,433,000 | -41,768,000 | -67,815,000 | -52,160,000 | -6,856,000 | -9,168,000 |
| Gross profit | 110,152,000 | 162,139,000 | 224,193,000 | 293,768,000 | 362,667,000 | 434,734,000 | 528,402,000 | 615,133,000 | 700,353,000 | 780,468,000 |
| Diluted EPS | -1.03 | -0.42 | -0.44 | -0.83 | -0.68 | -0.31 | -0.30 | |||
| Operating cash flow | -2,785,000 | -6,266,000 | -2,559,000 | -10,744,000 | 64,232,000 | 96,765,000 | 131,151,000 | 149,855,000 | 217,476,000 | 266,750,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 5,776,000 | 2,755,000 | 5,733,000 | 20,674,000 | 18,882,000 | 3,887,000 | 9,359,000 | 1,704,000 | 4,247,000 | 12,102,000 |
| Share buybacks | 85,000 | 385,000 | 75,000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14,934,000 | 99,977,000 | 247,468,000 |
| Assets | 164,337,000 | 460,612,000 | 558,612,000 | 690,589,000 | 1,248,819,000 | 1,439,530,000 | 1,606,871,000 | 1,742,119,000 | 1,747,667,000 | |
| Liabilities | 258,267,000 | 338,849,000 | 459,707,000 | 539,924,000 | 1,033,506,000 | 1,168,664,000 | 1,260,527,000 | 1,342,165,000 | 1,421,291,000 | |
| Stockholders' equity | -301,918,000 | -371,665,000 | 121,763,000 | 98,905,000 | 150,665,000 | 215,313,000 | 270,866,000 | 346,344,000 | 399,954,000 | 326,376,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 27,210,000 | 165,116,000 | 74,363,000 | 178,223,000 | 278,000,000 | 300,866,000 | 237,132,000 | 328,647,000 | 187,762,000 | |
| Free cash flow | -8,561,000 | -9,021,000 | -8,292,000 | -31,418,000 | 45,350,000 | 92,878,000 | 121,792,000 | 148,151,000 | 213,229,000 | 254,648,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -29.92% | -21.85% | -27.50% | -27.92% | -9.71% | -8.63% | -13.50% | -9.80% | -4.03% | -3.61% |
| Operating margin | -28.81% | -21.71% | -27.15% | -25.61% | -8.28% | -7.72% | -9.93% | -6.53% | -0.76% | -0.92% |
| Return on equity | -60.38% | -100.11% | -28.36% | -21.68% | -34.05% | -22.60% | -9.08% | -11.07% | ||
| Return on assets | -24.96% | -15.96% | -17.72% | -6.19% | -3.74% | -6.41% | -4.87% | -2.08% | -2.07% | |
| Liabilities / equity | 2.78 | 4.65 | 3.58 | 4.80 | 4.31 | 3.64 | 3.36 | 4.35 | ||
| Current ratio | 0.62 | 1.56 | 1.11 | 1.29 | 1.55 | 1.47 | 1.19 | 1.27 | 0.95 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Income statement bridge from reported figures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Revenue: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax; source concepts us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | Gross profit: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept GrossProfit; source concepts us-gaap:GrossProfit | Operating income: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept OperatingIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss | Net income: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept NetIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001660280-26-000005; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: GrossProfit. Source concepts: us-gaap:GrossProfit.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001660280-26-000005; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-05. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001660280.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | -0.25 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | -0.17 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | -0.22 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 195,036,000 | -15,974,000 | -0.14 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 201,529,000 | -15,565,000 | -0.13 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 213,306,000 | -21,648,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 215,961,000 | -14,386,000 | -0.12 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 221,241,000 | -14,572,000 | -0.12 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 227,088,000 | -9,211,000 | -0.08 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 235,731,000 | 1,868,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 239,137,000 | -22,935,000 | -0.19 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 247,295,000 | -14,706,000 | -0.12 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 252,440,000 | 2,260,000 | 0.02 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 260,533,000 | -737,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 262,058,000 | 1,414,000 | 0.01 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001660280-26-000023; filed 2026-05-05. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001660280-26-000023; filed 2026-05-05. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001660280-26-000023; filed 2026-05-05. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001660280-26-000023.
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with (1) our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Form 10-Q, and (2) our consolidated financial statements, related notes and management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, or the 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on February 27, 2026. This Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item IA of the 10-K, in Part II, Item 1A of this Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are the leading provider of exposure management solutions. Exposure management is an increasingly critical category that extends foundational vulnerability management, capabilities to advance risk assessment and prioritization across the entire attack surface – from IT infrastructure and cloud environments to critical infrastructure and AI. We unify security visibility, insight and action across this attack surface, equipping modern organizations to quickly identify and close the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust.
Tenable One, our AI-powered exposure management platform, gives enterprises a single, unified view of risk across all types of assets and attack pathways. The platform combines broad, industry-leading vulnerability coverage, spanning IT assets, cloud resources, containers, web apps, identity systems, third-party connectors and AI-related assets and workloads.
Our solutions are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term, but are increasingly being sold with longer contractual durations. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These subscriptions are typically invoiced in advance at the beginning of the term, however multi-year subscriptions are increasingly being invoiced annually in installments.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel network of distributors, resellers and managed security service providers (MSSPs), in developing sales opportunities. We typically use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, who in turn sell to our resellers, who then sell to end users, who we call customers.
18
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2026 | 2025 | ||||
| Revenue | $ | 262,058 | $ | 239,137 | ||
| Income (loss) from operations | 8,763 | (17,711) | ||||
| Net income (loss) | 1,414 | (22,935) | ||||
| Net earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted | 0.01 | (0.19) | ||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 87,971 | 87,407 | ||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (2,587) | (6,553) | ||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (2,745) | (624) |
Recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software (both recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 96% of revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025.
Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use and monitor the following operating and financial metrics, which include non-GAAP financial measures, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance.
Customer Metrics
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable One, Tenable Vulnerability Management, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable OT Security or Tenable Security Center for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Tenable Nessus Expert to enterprise platforms. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | Change (%) | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period | 406 | 361 | 12% |
| March 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | Change (%) | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 2,204 | 2,042 | 8% |
Dollar-Based Net Expansion Rate
Our dollar-based net expansion rate reflects both our customer retention and ability to drive additional sales to our existing customers. Our dollar-based net expansion rate has historically fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly basis as a result of a number of factors, including existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, existing customer retention, the pricing of our solutions, the availability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof, and the timing of customer renewals. In addition, our sales pipeline opportunities vary from quarter to quarter between new customers and expansion from existing customers, and we do not prioritize one over the other to maximize the dollar-based net expansion rate.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate is evaluated on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis, and is calculated as follows:
19
Table of Contents
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
The following table presents our dollar-based net expansion rate:
| March 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||
| Dollar-based net expansion rate | 105 | % | 108 | % |
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services.
We typically experience seasonality in customer agreement volumes, entering into a significantly higher percentage of new and renewal agreements in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in the third quarter is primarily driven by U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter reflects typical large enterprise buying patterns in the software industry. Although the ratable nature of our subscription revenue lessens the financial impact, these historical trends may be impacted by macroeconomic conditions and U.S. policy decisions, which may lengthen purchasing and approval phases of our sales cycle in 2026.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any ordinary course severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology, facilities and insurance.
We expect our gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, may fluctuate from period to period, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development, general and administrative and restructuring expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and ordinary course severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization, allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs, as well as acquisition-related expenses.
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events, allocated overhead costs and acquisition-related expenses.
20
Table of Contents
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources, allocated overhead and acquisition-related expenses. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead and acquisition-related expenses.
Restructuring expenses consist of non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations.
We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of revenue, although our actual expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of expenses.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net
Interest income consists of income earned on cash and cas
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Form 10-K. This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are the leading provider of exposure management solutions. Exposure management is an increasingly critical category that extends foundational vulnerability management capabilities to advance risk assessment and prioritization across the entire attack surface – from IT infrastructure and cloud environments to critical infrastructure and AI. Tenable unifies security visibility, insight and action across this attack surface, equipping modern organizations to quickly identify and close the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust.
Tenable One, our AI-powered exposure management platform, gives enterprises a single, unified view of risk across all types of assets and attack pathways. The platform combines broad, industry-leading vulnerability coverage, spanning IT assets, cloud resources, containers, web apps, identity systems, third-party connectors and AI-related assets and workloads.
Our solutions are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term, but are increasingly being sold with longer contractual durations. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These subscriptions are typically invoiced in advance at the beginning of the term, however multi-year subscriptions are increasingly being invoiced annually in installments.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel network of distributors, resellers and managed security service providers (MSSPs), in developing sales opportunities. We typically use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, who in turn sell to our resellers, who then sell to end users, who we call customers.
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 999,405 | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (9,168) | (6,856) | (52,160) | |||||||
| Net loss | (36,118) | (36,301) | (78,284) | |||||||
| Net loss per share, basic and diluted | (0.30) | (0.31) | (0.68) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 266,750 | 217,476 | 149,855 | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (12,102) | (4,247) | (1,704) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (4,474) | (6,451) | (7,052) |
51
Table of Contents
Recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software (both recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 96% of revenue in 2025 and 2024 and 95% of revenue in 2023.
Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use and monitor the following operating and financial metrics, which include non-GAAP financial measures, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance.
Calculated Current Billings
Calculated current billings consists of revenue recognized in a period plus the change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period. Variability in total billings, depending on the timing of large multi-year contracts and the preference for annual billing versus multi-year upfront billing, may distort growth in one period over another.
Calculated current billings may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. Calculated current billings in any one period may be impacted by the timing and amount of new sales transactions, the timing and amount of renewal transactions, including early renewals, the mix of the amount of subscriptions and perpetual licenses and the timing of billing professional services, as well as the timing and amount of multi-year prepaid contracts, all of which could favorably or unfavorably impact quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year comparisons. For example, an increasing number of large sales transactions, for which the timing has and will continue to vary, may occur in quarters subsequent to or in advance of those that we anticipate. Additionally, our calculation of calculated current billings may be different from other companies that report similar financial measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated current billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.
Historically we have used calculated current billings as a key metric to measure our periodic performance and to measure and monitor our ability to provide our business with the working capital generated by upfront payments from our customers. Recently, however, the shift to annual installment billing for larger multi-year transactions is reducing our overall billing duration. We believe this shift creates a negative distortion in calculated current billings that fails to accurately represent the growth of our business and as such we have transitioned away from relying on calculated current billings to monitor performance of our business. We have included calculated current billings for comparative purposes.
The following table presents calculated current billings, including a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 999,405 | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | ||||
| Deferred revenue (current), end of period | 706,866 | 650,372 | 580,779 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period(1) | (657,035) | (580,887) | (506,192) | |||||||
| Calculated current billings | $ | 1,049,236 | $ | 969,506 | $ | 873,297 |
_______________
(1) Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period for 2025, 2024 and 2023 includes $6.7 million, $0.1 million and $4.1 million, respectively, related to acquired deferred revenue.
52
Table of Contents
Customer Metrics
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable One, Tenable Vulnerability Management, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable OT Security or Tenable Security Center for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Tenable Nessus Expert to enterprise platforms. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period(1) | 1,667 | 1,689 | 1,788 |
_______________
(1) The number of new enterprise platform customers added in 2023 includes 104 legacy customers of Ermetic, Ltd. ("Ermetic").
| December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 2,161 | 1,988 | 1,721 |
Dollar-Based Net Expansion Rate
Our dollar-based net expansion rate reflects both our customer retention and ability to drive additional sales to our existing customers. Our dollar-based net expansion rate has historically fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly basis as a result of a number of factors, including existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, existing customer retention, the pricing of our solutions, the availability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof, and the timing of customer renewals. In addition, our sales pipeline opportunities vary from quarter to quarter between new customers and expansion from existing customers, and we do not prioritize one over the other to maximize the dollar-based net expansion rate.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate is evaluated on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis, and is calculated as follows:
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
The following table presents our dollar-based net expansion rate:
| December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Dollar-based net expansion rate | 106 | % | 108 | % | 111 | % |
53
Table of Contents
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services. We begin to recognize revenue when control of our software or services is transferred to the customer, which for sales made through our channel network is typically concurrent with the transfer to the end user.
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms to use our software or cloud-based solutions, including ongoing software updates during the contractual period. For software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released through the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance that include ongoing software updates to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which provide critical utility to the software. We recognize perpetual license revenue over a five-year estimated economic life of the expected customer contract.
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
We have historically experienced, and expect in the future to experience, seasonality in entering into agreements with customers. We typically enter into a significantly higher percentage of agreements with new customers, as well as renewal agreements with existing customers, in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in customer agreements in the third quarter is primarily attributable to U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter is primarily attributable to large enterprise account buying patterns typical in the software industry. We anticipate that these historical trends may be impacted by current macroeconomic conditions and U.S. policy decisions related to the funding of government agencies and the imposition of tariffs which may lengthen purchasing and approval phases of our sales cycle in 2026. The ratable nature of our subscription revenue makes this seasonality less apparent in our overall financial results.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any ordinary course severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology, facilities and insurance.
We intend to continue to invest additional resources in our cloud-based platform and customer support team as we grow our business. The level and timing of investment in these areas could affect our cost of revenue in the future.
Gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, and gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, have been and will continue to be affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers and our renewals of and follow-on sales to existing customers, the costs associated with operating our cloud-based platform, the extent to which we expand our customer support team and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements.
We expect our gross profit to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period depending on the interplay of all of these factors, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue.
54
Table of Contents
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development, general and administrative and restructuring expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and ordinary course severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization, allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs, as well as acquisition-related expenses.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events, allocated overhead costs and acquisition-related expenses. We capitalize sales commissions, including related fringe benefit costs, and recognize the expense over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. Sales commissions on professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual periods of these arrangements are generally less than one year.
We intend to continue to make investments in sales and marketing to increase revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. We expect our sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars annually and to be our largest operating expense category for the foreseeable future. However, as our revenue increases, we expect our sales and marketing expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue in 2026 and over the long term. Our sales and marketing expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses, including sales commissions, which may fluctuate depending on the mix of sales and related expense recognition.
Research and Development
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources, allocated overhead and acquisition-related expenses. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
We expect our research and development expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development efforts to enhance the functionality of our exposure management platform. However, we expect our research and development expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our research and development expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead and acquisition-related expenses.
We expect our general and administrative expense to continue to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our general and administrative expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses. In 2025, our general and administrative expense included $15.5 million of termination benefits, including cash compensation and accelerated equity award vesting, related to the passing of our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Restructuring
Restructuring expenses consist of non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations. In the three months ended December 31, 2025, we recorded $3.1 million of restructuring
55
Table of Contents
expense for non-ordinary course severance and employee-related benefits. We expect to record approximately $5.0 million in restructuring expense in the year ended December 31, 2026.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net
Interest income consists of income earned on cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense in connection with our Term Loan, unused commitment fees on our senior secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility, and letter of credit fees. Other income (expense), net consists primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction gains and losses and any realized and unrealized gains and losses, including impairment losses and gains related to our investments in privately held securities.
Provision for Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes consists of income taxes in all jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales with customers. We have recorded deferred tax assets for which a valuation allowance has been provided, including net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. We expect to maintain this valuation allowance for the foreseeable future as it is more likely than not that some or all of those deferred tax assets may not be realized based on our history of losses. The valuation allowance is subject to change based on our ability to generate future taxable income. We will continue to evaluate the realization of deferred tax assets to determine changes to valuation allowance in future periods.
56
Table of Contents
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 999,405 | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | ||||
| Cost of revenue(1) | 218,937 | 199,668 | 183,577 | |||||||
| Gross profit | 780,468 | 700,353 | 615,133 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing(1) | 416,949 | 395,385 | 393,450 | |||||||
| Research and development(1) | 223,669 | 181,624 | 153,163 | |||||||
| General and administrative(1) | 145,905 | 124,130 | 116,181 | |||||||
| Restructuring | 3,113 | 6,070 | 4,499 | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 789,636 | 707,209 | 667,293 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | (9,168) | (6,856) | (52,160) | |||||||
| Interest income | 15,992 | 23,325 | 24,700 | |||||||
| Interest expense | (28,419) | (31,920) | (31,339) | |||||||
| Other expense, net | (1,338) | (3,435) | (8,602) | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (22,933) | (18,886) | (67,401) | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 13,185 | 17,415 | 10,883 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (36,118) | $ | (36,301) | $ | (78,284) |
_______________
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 13,714 | $ | 12,677 | $ | 11,247 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 68,801 | 62,727 | 61,322 | |||||
| Research and development | 56,542 | 47,656 | 37,225 | |||||
| General and administrative(2) | 52,756 | 40,455 | 35,533 | |||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 191,813 | $ | 163,515 | $ | 145,327 |
_______________
(2) Stock-based compensation expense in 2025 includes $14.6 million of expense related to the accelerated vesting of equity awards for our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
57
Table of Contents
Comparison of 2025 and 2024
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 919,573 | $ | 824,659 | $ | 94,914 | 12 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 44,661 | 47,774 | (3,113) | (7) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 35,171 | 27,588 | 7,583 | 27 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 999,405 | $ | 900,021 | $ | 99,384 | 11 | % |
The increase in revenue of $99.4 million included $95.7 million from existing customers as of January 1, 2025 and $3.7 million from new customers. U.S. revenue increased $40.9 million, or 8%. International revenue increased $58.5 million, or 14%.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 218,937 | $ | 199,668 | $ | 19,269 | 10 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 780,468 | 700,353 | 80,115 | 11 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 78 | % | 78 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $19.3 million was primarily due to:
•a $6.5 million increase in amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $4.0 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $3.9 million increase in personnel costs, including a $1.0 million increase in stock-based compensation; and
•a $2.4 million increase in depreciation and amortization.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 416,949 | $ | 395,385 | $ | 21,564 | 5 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $21.6 million was primarily due to:
•a $10.3 million increase in personnel costs, including a $6.1 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $4.5 million increase in sales commissions;
•a $4.2 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts; and
•a $3.1 million increase in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscription costs.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 223,669 | $ | 181,624 | $ | 42,045 | 23 | % |
58
Table of Contents
The increase in research and development expense of $42.0 million was primarily due to:
•a $34.9 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including an $8.9 million increase in stock-based compensation; and
•a $3.0 million increase in allocated overhead expenses.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 145,905 | $ | 124,130 | $ | 21,775 | 18 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $21.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $17.0 million increase in personnel costs, including $15.5 million in termination benefits including cash compensation and accelerated equity award vesting related to the passing of our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and
•a $2.3 million increase in acquisition-related expenses.
Restructuring
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Restructuring | $ | 3,113 | $ | 6,070 | $ | (2,957) | (49) | % |
In 2025, restructuring included $3.1 million in non-ordinary course severance and employee-related benefits. In 2024, restructuring included a $4.5 million non-cash impairment of leasehold improvements and furniture and fixtures that was recorded in connection with the sublease of a portion of our headquarters and $1.6 million in non-ordinary course severance and employee-related benefits.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 15,992 | $ | 23,325 | $ | (7,333) | (31) | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (28,419) | (31,920) | 3,501 | (11) | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (1,338) | (3,435) | 2,097 | (61) | % |
The $7.3 million decrease in interest income was primarily due to a decrease in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as well as lower interest rates on our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The $3.5 million decrease in interest expense was primarily due to a decrease in the variable rate of our Term Loan. The $2.1 million decrease in other expense, net was primarily due to a $3.4 million decrease in foreign exchange losses partially offset by a $1.5 million gain on the conversion of one of our simple agreements for future equity, or SAFE, investments in the prior year.
Provision for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 13,185 | $ | 17,415 | $ | (4,230) | (24) | % |
59
Table of Contents
In 2025, the provision for income taxes included:
•$7.0 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$6.2 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business.
In 2024, the provision for income taxes included:
•$6.9 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers;
•$6.2 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$3.3 million related to Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax, or BEAT; and
•$1.2 million of additional tax incurred related to the 2021 restructuring of Indegy; partially offset by
•$0.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition.
Comparison of 2024 and 2023
For a discussion of our consolidated results for 2024 compared to 2023, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 21, 2025.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2025, we had $187.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds, and $214.4 million of short-term investments, which consisted of commercial paper, asset backed securities, U.S. Treasury and agency obligations and corporate and Yankee bonds.
We have generated significant operating losses prior to and during 2025 as reflected by our accumulated deficit of $897.5 million at December 31, 2025.
We typically invoice our customers in advance, however multi-year subscriptions are increasingly being invoiced annually in installments. Deferred revenue consists primarily of the unearned portion of billed fees for our subscriptions and perpetual licenses, which is subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. At December 31, 2025, we had deferred revenue of $899.3 million, of which $706.9 million was recorded as a current liability and is expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Our principal uses of cash in recent periods have been funding our operations, expansion of our sales and marketing and research and development activities, investments in infrastructure, acquiring complementary businesses and technology and repurchasing shares of our common stock. We paid $196.2 million, $29.2 million and $243.3 million to acquire businesses in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements for details about recent acquisitions. We expect to enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in other complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights, in the future.
We expect to continue incurring operating losses in the near term. Even though we generated positive cash flows from operations and free cash flow in 2025, 2024 and 2023, we may not be able to sustain these cash flows. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operating and capital needs for at least the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth rate, subscription renewal activity, the timing and extent of spending to support further infrastructure and research and development efforts, the timing and extent of additional capital expenditures to invest in new and existing office spaces, the expansion of sales and marketing and international operating activities, any acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies, the timing of our introduction of new product capabilities and enhancements of our platform and the continuing market acceptance of our platform. It may be necessary to seek additional equity or debt financing to fund our operating and capital needs. In the event that financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
60
Table of Contents
Share Repurchase Program
In November 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of our common stock. In October 2024, July 2025 and January 2026, our Board of Directors increased the repurchase authorization by $200 million, $250 million and $150 million, respectively. Since the inception of the share repurchase program and through December 31, 2025, we have purchased a total of 10.6 million shares for $362.4 million.
Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility
In July 2021, we entered into a credit agreement, or the Credit Agreement, which is comprised of a $375.0 million Term Loan and a $50.0 million Revolving Credit Facility, with a $15.0 million letter of credit sublimit. The Term Loan bears interest at a rate of 2.75% per annum over SOFR, subject to a 0.50% floor, plus a credit spread adjustment depending on the interest period.
In 2025, interest rates on our Term Loan were between 6.78% and 7.22%. The Term Loan is being amortized at 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments until the final payment of $350.6 million on the July 7, 2028 maturity date. We may be subject to mandatory Term Loan prepayments related to the excess cash provisions in the Credit Agreement if our first lien net leverage ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) exceeds 3.5. At December 31, 2025, our first lien net leverage ratio was 0.84.
The Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at a rate, depending on first lien net leverage, ranging from 2.00% to 2.50% over SOFR and matures on July 7, 2026. We pay a commitment fee during the term ranging from 0.25% to 0.375% per annum of the average daily undrawn portion of our Revolving Credit Facility. At December 31, 2025, we were in compliance with the covenants and had $0.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 266,750 | $ | 217,476 | $ | 149,855 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (174,578) | (41,431) | (212,615) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (234,095) | (79,401) | 1,251 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | 1,038 | (5,129) | (2,225) | |||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (140,885) | $ | 91,515 | $ | (63,734) |
Operating Activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash collections from sales of our products and services, as we typically invoice our customers in advance. Our primary uses of cash are employee compensation costs, third-party cloud infrastructure and other software subscription costs, demand generation expenditures and general corporate costs.
Investing Activities
From 2024 to 2025, net cash used in investing activities increased by $133.1 million, primarily due to an increase in cash paid for acquisitions of $167.0 million and a $7.9 million increase in purchases of property and equipment, partially offset by a $41.2 million net decrease in purchases of short-term investments.
From 2023 to 2024, net cash used in investing activities decreased by $171.2 million, primarily due to a decrease in cash paid for acquisitions of $214.1 million, partially offset by a $43.3 million net decrease in sales of short-term investments.
61
Table of Contents
Financing Activities
From 2024 to 2025, net cash used in financing activities increased by $154.7 million, primarily due to a $147.5 million increase in the repurchase of common stock under our share repurchase program.
From 2023 to 2024, net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $80.7 million, primarily due to an $85.0 million increase in the repurchase of common stock under our share repurchase program, partially offset by a $4.6 million increase in proceeds from the exercise of stock options.
Contractual Obligations
We have certain contractual obligations for future payments. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for our required operating lease payments and Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for our required payments to Microsoft and AWS for cloud services.
At December 31, 2025, we had other non-cancellable purchase obligations of $25.8 million due in the next twelve months and $7.9 million due thereafter.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
The critical accounting estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In recognizing revenue, we apply the following steps:
•Identify the contract with a customer
•Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Determine the transaction price
•Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied
In situations where we enter into a contractual arrangement that includes non-standard terms and conditions, such as acceptance provisions and options to purchase additional products and services, as well as contract modifications, we apply judgment in identifying and assessing the impact on revenue recognition.
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services and other revenue.
Subscription Revenue
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and allow customers to use our software or cloud solutions. For our software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released throughout the contract period. When the critical utility of our
62
Table of Contents
software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Perpetual License and Maintenance Revenue
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance that include ongoing software updates to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which provide critical utility to the software. We recognize perpetual license revenue over a five-year estimated economic life of the expected customer contract.
We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could impact our financial results.
Professional Services and Other Revenue
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
In cases where our contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, the contract transaction price is allocated on a relative standalone selling price basis. We typically determine standalone selling price based on observable selling prices of our products and services.
Variable Consideration
We record revenue from sales at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration when applicable. Certain of our customers may be entitled to receive credits and in certain circumstances, refunds, if service level commitments are not met. We have not historically experienced significant incidents affecting the ability to meet these service level commitments and any estimated refunds related to these agreements have not been material.
Sales through our channel partner network of distributors and resellers are generally discounted as compared to the price that we would sell to an end user. Revenue for sales through our channel network, which is fixed, is recorded net of any distributor or reseller margin.
Deferred Commissions
Sales commissions, including related incremental fringe benefit costs, are considered to be incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and therefore are deferred over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. We have estimated the period of benefit based on the expected contract term including renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations by recognizing the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, a non-recurring Level 3 fair value measurement, we make estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets such as identified acquired technology and trade names. We generally determine the fair value of acquired technology using the multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the
63
Table of Contents
income approach. However, in certain situations we may use the cost approach. Estimates in valuing identifiable intangible assets include, but are not limited to, projected revenue growth rates, obsolescence projections and an appropriate discount rate. Our estimate of fair value is based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may make adjustments to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with offsetting adjustments to goodwill. Any adjustments made after the measurement period will be reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment on October 1, or more frequently, when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We operate as one reporting unit and have elected to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company as a whole is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative assessment includes an evaluation of relevant events and circumstances, including macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, our overall financial performance, and trends in the value of our common stock. During the periods presented, there were no indications of impairment and it was not more likely than not that goodwill was impaired.
Income Taxes
We are subject to federal, state and local taxes in the United States as well as numerous international jurisdictions. These foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates than the United States. Earnings generated by our international entities are related to transfer pricing requirements as applicable under local jurisdiction tax laws.
We record a provision for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. We have elected to treat taxes related to Global Intangible Low Taxed Income, or GILTI, as a period cost. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have valuation allowances in all jurisdictions against deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities that will provide a source of taxable income when reversed. Our evaluation of valuation allowances could change in the future and the impact could have a material impact on our financial statements.
We recognize tax benefits from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. Interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions are classified as a component of income tax expense.
Depending on the jurisdiction, distributions of earnings could be subject to withholding taxes at rates applicable to the distributing jurisdiction. As we intend to continue to reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely, we have not provided for a U.S. income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes on undistributed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for more information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001660280-25-000034.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Form 10-K. This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are a leading provider of exposure management solutions. Exposure management is the evolution of vulnerability management, advancing risk assessment and prioritization across the entire attack surface – from IT infrastructure to cloud environments to critical infrastructure. Tenable unifies security visibility, insight and action across this attack surface, equipping modern organizations to expose and close the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust.
Tenable One is an AI-powered exposure management platform that gives enterprises a single, unified view of risk across all types of assets and attack pathways. The platform combines broad, industry-leading vulnerability coverage, spanning IT assets, cloud resources, containers, web apps and identity systems. Tenable One builds on the speed and breadth of vulnerability coverage from our research team of cybersecurity and data science experts, or Tenable Research, and adds aggregated exposure view analytics, guidance on mitigating attack pathways and a centralized asset inventory. It leverages AI, and machine learning, or ML, rapidly analyzing and interpreting vast data sets to pinpoint priority weaknesses and high-risk attack paths, deliver recommendations and automate routine tasks.
Tenable One integrates Tenable Vulnerability Management, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable Web App Scanning, Tenable Lumin Exposure View, Tenable Attack Surface Management, Tenable Security Center and Tenable OT Security. Our products, including Nessus are also offered on a standalone basis.
Our platform offerings are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These offerings are typically prepaid in advance.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel network of distributors, resellers and managed security service providers (MSSPs), in developing sales opportunities. We typically use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, who in turn sell to our resellers, who then sell to end users, who we call customers.
49
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (6,856) | (52,160) | (67,815) | |||||||
| Net loss | (36,301) | (78,284) | (92,222) | |||||||
| Net loss per share, basic and diluted | (0.31) | (0.68) | (0.83) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 217,476 | 149,855 | 131,151 | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (4,247) | (1,704) | (9,359) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (6,451) | (7,052) | (9,789) |
Recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software (both recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 96% of revenue in 2024 and 95% of revenue in 2023 and 2022.
Key Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use and monitor the following operating and financial metrics, which include non-GAAP financial measures, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance.
Calculated Current Billings
We use the non-GAAP measure of calculated current billings, which we believe is a key metric to measure our periodic performance. Given that most of our customers pay in advance, we typically recognize a majority of the related revenue ratably over time. We use calculated current billings to measure and monitor our ability to provide our business with the working capital generated by upfront payments from our customers.
Calculated current billings consists of revenue recognized in a period plus the change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period. We believe that calculated current billings, which excludes deferred revenue for periods beyond twelve months in a customer’s contractual term, more closely correlates with annual contract value. Variability in total billings, depending on the timing of large multi-year contracts and the preference for annual billing versus multi-year upfront billing, may distort growth in one period over another.
Calculated current billings may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. Calculated current billings in any one period may be impacted by the timing and amount of new sales transactions, the timing and amount of renewal transactions, including early renewals, the mix of the amount of subscriptions and perpetual licenses and the timing of billing professional services, as well as the timing and amount of multi-year prepaid contracts, all of which could favorably or unfavorably impact quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year comparisons. For example, an increasing number of large sales transactions, for which the timing has and will continue to vary, may occur in quarters subsequent to or in advance of those that we anticipate. Additionally, our calculation of calculated current billings may be different from other companies that report similar financial measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated current billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.
50
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to calculated current billings:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | ||||
| Deferred revenue (current), end of period | 650,372 | 580,779 | 502,115 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period(1) | (580,887) | (506,192) | (408,443) | |||||||
| Calculated current billings | $ | 969,506 | $ | 873,297 | $ | 776,863 |
_______________
(1) Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period for 2024, 2023 and 2022 includes $0.1 million, $4.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively, related to acquired deferred revenue.
Free Cash Flow
We use the non-GAAP measure of free cash flow, which we define as GAAP net cash flows from operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity measure of the cash (if any) that is available, after purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs, for investment in our business and to make acquisitions. We believe that free cash flow is useful as a liquidity measure because it measures our ability to generate cash.
Our use of free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. First, free cash flow is not a substitute for net cash flows from operating activities. Second, other companies may calculate free cash flow or similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of free cash flow as a tool for comparison. Additionally, the utility of free cash flow is further limited as it does not reflect our future contractual commitments and does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for a given period. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider free cash flow along with net cash provided by operating activities and our other GAAP financial measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to free cash flow:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 217,476 | $ | 149,855 | $ | 131,151 | ||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (4,247) | (1,704) | (9,359) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (6,451) | (7,052) | (9,789) | |||||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 206,778 | $ | 141,099 | $ | 112,003 |
Free cash flow for the periods presented was impacted by:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash paid for interest and other financing costs(1) | $ | (30,977) | $ | (34,323) | $ | (16,047) | ||||
| Employee stock purchase plan activity | (1,016) | 1,077 | 837 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | (1,496) | (9,336) | (2,655) | |||||||
| Restructuring | (5,911) | — | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers | — | — | (838) | |||||||
| Tax payment on intra-entity asset transfers(1) | (1,232) | — | (2,697) |
51
Table of Contents
_______________
(1) The tax payment on intra-entity asset transfer in 2024 includes $0.3 million of interest that is included in cash paid for interest and other financing costs.
Free cash flow in 2022 was benefited by approximately $8 million from prepayments of software subscription costs, insurance and rent made in prior quarters.
Customer Metrics
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable One, Tenable Vulnerability Management, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable OT Security or Tenable Security Center for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Tenable Nessus Expert to enterprise platforms. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period(1) | 1,689 | 1,788 | 2,078 |
_______________
(1) The number of new enterprise platform customers added in 2023 includes 104 legacy customers of Ermetic, Ltd. ("Ermetic").
| December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 1,988 | 1,721 | 1,420 |
Dollar-Based Net Expansion Rate
Our dollar-based net expansion rate reflects both our customer retention and ability to drive additional sales to our existing customers. Our dollar-based net expansion rate has historically fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly basis as a result of a number of factors, including existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, existing customer retention, the pricing of our solutions, the availability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof, and the timing of customer renewals. In addition, our sales pipeline opportunities vary from quarter to quarter between new customers and expansion from existing customers, and we do not prioritize one over the other to maximize the dollar-based net expansion rate.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate is evaluated on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis, and is calculated as follows:
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
The following table presents our dollar-based net expansion rate:
52
Table of Contents
| December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Dollar-based net expansion rate | 108 | % | 111 | % | 117 | % |
Non-GAAP Income from Operations and Non-GAAP Operating Margin
We use non-GAAP income from operations along with non-GAAP operating margin as key indicators of our financial performance. We define these non-GAAP financial measures as their respective GAAP measures, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, restructuring expenses, costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities and amortization of acquired intangible assets. Acquisition-related expenses include transaction and integration expenses, as well as costs related to the intercompany transfer of acquired intellectual property. Restructuring expenses include non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our core operating results over multiple periods. There are a number of limitations related to the use of the non-GAAP financial measures as compared to GAAP loss from operations and operating margin, including that non-GAAP income from operations and non-GAAP operating margin exclude stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
The following table presents a reconciliation of loss from operations, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP income from operations, and operating margin, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP operating margin:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (6,856) | $ | (52,160) | $ | (67,815) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 163,515 | 145,327 | 120,633 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | 1,932 | 9,472 | 2,642 | |||||||
| Restructuring | 6,070 | 4,499 | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(1) | — | — | 838 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 19,457 | 13,859 | 11,372 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP income from operations | $ | 184,118 | $ | 120,997 | $ | 67,670 | ||||
| Operating margin | (1) | % | (7) | % | (10) | % | ||||
| Non-GAAP operating margin | 20 | % | 15 | % | 10 | % |
________________
(1) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfer resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share
We use non-GAAP net income, which excludes stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, restructuring expenses and amortization of acquired intangible assets, as well as the related tax impacts, and the tax impact and related costs of intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities as well as deferred income tax benefits recognized in connection with acquisitions, to calculate non-GAAP earnings per share. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide important information because they facilitate comparisons of our core operating results over multiple periods.
53
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss and net loss per share, the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except for per share amounts) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (36,301) | $ | (78,284) | $ | (92,222) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 163,515 | 145,327 | 120,633 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 2,845 | 2,017 | 2,103 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 1,932 | 9,472 | 2,642 | |||||||
| Restructuring(2) | 6,070 | 4,499 | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(3) | — | — | 838 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 19,457 | 13,859 | 11,372 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | (161) | 265 | (3,703) | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | 1,232 | — | 2,652 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | $ | 158,589 | $ | 97,155 | $ | 44,315 | ||||
| Net loss per share, diluted | $ | (0.31) | $ | (0.68) | $ | (0.83) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 1.38 | 1.25 | 1.08 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 0.02 | 0.08 | 0.02 | |||||||
| Restructuring(2) | 0.05 | 0.04 | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(3) | — | — | 0.01 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 0.16 | 0.11 | 0.10 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | — | — | (0.03) | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | 0.01 | — | 0.03 | |||||||
| Adjustment to diluted earnings per share(7) | (0.05) | (0.02) | (0.02) | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | $ | 1.29 | $ | 0.80 | $ | 0.38 | ||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute GAAP net loss per share, diluted | 118,789 | 115,408 | 111,321 | |||||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | 123,370 | 120,714 | 117,534 |
________________
(1) The tax impact of stock-based compensation is based on the tax treatment for the applicable tax jurisdictions.
(2) The tax impact of acquisition-related expenses and restructuring expenses are not material.
(3) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
(4) The tax impact of the amortization of acquired intangible assets is included in the tax impact of acquisitions.
(5) The tax impact of acquisitions in 2024 includes the deferred tax benefits of the 2021 Alsid acquisition. The tax impact of acquisitions in 2023 includes the deferred tax benefits of the Alsid acquisition and a reversal of deferred tax expense related to indefinite-lived intangible assets. The tax impact of acquisitions in 2022 includes a deferred tax benefit of $1.2 million related to Alsid and reversal of the $2.5 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Bit Discovery acquisition.
(6) The tax impact of the intra-entity transfer in 2024 is additional tax incurred related to the 2021 internal restructuring of Indegy. The tax impact of the intra-entity transfer in 2022 is related to current tax expense based on the applicable Israeli tax rates resulting from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
(7) An adjustment to reconcile GAAP net loss per share, which excludes potentially dilutive shares, to non-GAAP earnings per share, which includes potentially dilutive shares.
54
Table of Contents
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services. We begin to recognize revenue when control of our software or services is transferred to the customer, which for sales made through our channel network is typically concurrent with the transfer to the end user.
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms to use our software or cloud-based solutions, including ongoing software updates during the contractual period. For software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released through the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance that include ongoing software updates to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which provide critical utility to the software. We recognize perpetual license revenue over a five-year estimated economic life of the expected customer contract.
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
We have historically experienced, and expect in the future to experience, seasonality in entering into agreements with customers. We typically enter into a significantly higher percentage of agreements with new customers, as well as renewal agreements with existing customers, in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in customer agreements in the third quarter is primarily attributable to U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter is primarily attributable to large enterprise account buying patterns typical in the software industry. The ratable nature of our subscription revenue makes this seasonality less apparent in our overall financial results. We expect longer purchasing and approval phases of our sales cycle to continue in 2025.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any ordinary course severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology, facilities and insurance.
We intend to continue to invest additional resources in our cloud-based platform and customer support team as we grow our business. The level and timing of investment in these areas could affect our cost of revenue in the future.
Gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, and gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, have been and will continue to be affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers and our renewals of and follow-on sales to existing customers, the costs associated with operating our cloud-based platform, the extent to which we expand our customer support team and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements.
We expect our gross profit to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period depending on the interplay of all of these factors, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue.
55
Table of Contents
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development, general and administrative and restructuring expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and ordinary course severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization as well as allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events and allocated overhead costs. We capitalize sales commissions, including related fringe benefit costs, and recognize the expense over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. Sales commissions on professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual periods of these arrangements are generally less than one year.
We intend to continue to make investments in our sales and marketing teams to increase revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. We expect our sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars annually and to be our largest operating expense category for the foreseeable future. However, as our revenue increases, we expect our sales and marketing expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue in 2025 and over the long term. Our sales and marketing expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses, including sales commissions, which may fluctuate depending on the mix of sales and related expense recognition.
Research and Development
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources as well as allocated overhead. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
We expect our research and development expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development efforts to enhance the functionality of our cloud-based platform. However, we expect our research and development expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our research and development expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead and acquisition-related expenses.
We expect our general and administrative expense to continue to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our general and administrative expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses. We expect general and administrative expenses in Q1 2025 to increase sequentially, primarily due to termination benefits, including cash compensation and accelerated equity award vesting, related to the passing of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
56
Table of Contents
Restructuring
Restructuring expenses consist of non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
Interest income consists of income earned on cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense in connection with our Term Loan, unused commitment fees on our senior secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility, and letter of credit fees. Other expense, net consists primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction gains and losses and any realized and unrealized gains and losses, including impairment losses and gains related to our non-marketable investments.
Provision for Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes consists of income taxes in all jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales with customers. We have recorded deferred tax assets for which a full valuation allowance has been provided, including net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. We expect to maintain this full valuation allowance for the foreseeable future as it is more likely than not that some or all of those deferred tax assets may not be realized based on our history of losses.
57
Table of Contents
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | ||||
| Cost of revenue(1) | 199,668 | 183,577 | 154,789 | |||||||
| Gross profit | 700,353 | 615,133 | 528,402 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing(1) | 395,385 | 393,450 | 349,430 | |||||||
| Research and development(1) | 181,624 | 153,163 | 143,560 | |||||||
| General and administrative(1) | 124,130 | 116,181 | 103,227 | |||||||
| Restructuring | 6,070 | 4,499 | — | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 707,209 | 667,293 | 596,217 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | (6,856) | (52,160) | (67,815) | |||||||
| Interest income | 23,325 | 24,700 | 6,284 | |||||||
| Interest expense | (31,920) | (31,339) | (19,001) | |||||||
| Other expense, net | (3,435) | (8,602) | (4,757) | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (18,886) | (67,401) | (85,289) | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 17,415 | 10,883 | 6,933 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (36,301) | $ | (78,284) | $ | (92,222) |
_______________
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 12,677 | $ | 11,247 | $ | 8,369 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 62,727 | 61,322 | 49,383 | |||||
| Research and development | 47,656 | 37,225 | 31,499 | |||||
| General and administrative | 40,455 | 35,533 | 31,382 | |||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 163,515 | $ | 145,327 | $ | 120,633 |
Comparison of 2024 and 2023
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 824,659 | $ | 725,013 | $ | 99,646 | 14 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 47,774 | 48,729 | (955) | (2) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 27,588 | 24,968 | 2,620 | 10 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 900,021 | $ | 798,710 | $ | 101,311 | 13 | % |
The increase in revenue of $101.3 million included $101.1 million from existing customers as of January 1, 2024 and $0.2 million from new customers. U.S. revenue increased $44.0 million, or 10%. International revenue increased $57.3 million, or 16%.
58
Table of Contents
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 199,668 | $ | 183,577 | $ | 16,091 | 9 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 700,353 | 615,133 | 85,220 | 14 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 78 | % | 77 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $16.1 million was primarily due to:
•a $5.6 million increase in amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $3.5 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $2.2 million increase in professional fees;
•a $1.7 million increase in personnel costs, including a $1.4 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.1 million increase in depreciation and amortization;
•a $0.8 million increase in allocated overhead expenses; and
•a $0.8 million increase in subscription costs.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 395,385 | $ | 393,450 | $ | 1,935 | — | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $1.9 million was primarily due to:
•a $4.7 million increase in sales commissions;
•a $2.8 million increase in allocated overhead expenses;
•a $2.2 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts; and
•a $0.2 million increase in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscription costs; partially offset by
•a $7.6 million decrease in personnel costs, net of a $1.4 million increase in stock-based compensation; and
•a $0.4 million decrease in depreciation expense.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 181,624 | $ | 153,163 | $ | 28,461 | 19 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $28.5 million was primarily due to:
•a $21.3 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $10.4 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $2.9 million increase in allocated overhead expenses;
•a $1.7 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $0.8 million decrease in tax credits;
•a $0.6 million increase in travel and meeting costs; and
59
Table of Contents
•a $0.5 million increase in software subscriptions.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 124,130 | $ | 116,181 | $ | 7,949 | 7 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $7.9 million was primarily due to:
•an $8.6 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $4.9 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $5.1 million increase in professional fees; and
•a $0.9 million increase in software subscriptions; partially offset by
•a $4.2 million decrease in acquisition-related expenses; and
•a $2.6 million decrease in allocated overhead expenses.
Restructuring
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Restructuring | $ | 6,070 | $ | 4,499 | $ | 1,571 | 35 | % |
The increase in restructuring of $1.6 million was due to a $4.5 million non-cash impairment of leasehold improvements and furniture and fixtures that was recorded in connection with the sublease of a portion of our headquarters in 2024, net of a decrease of $2.9 million in non-ordinary course severance and employee-related benefits.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 23,325 | $ | 24,700 | $ | (1,375) | (6) | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (31,920) | (31,339) | (581) | 2 | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (3,435) | (8,602) | 5,167 | (60) | % |
The $1.4 million decrease in interest income was primarily due to lower interest rates on our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The $0.6 million increase in interest expense was primarily due to an increase in the variable rate of our Term Loan. The $5.2 million decrease in other expense, net was primarily due to $5.6 million of impairment losses on our simple agreements for future equity, or SAFE, investments in 2023 and a $1.5 million gain on the conversion of a SAFE investment to an investment in preferred stock in 2024, partially offset by a $1.9 million increase in foreign exchange losses.
Provision for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 17,415 | $ | 10,883 | $ | 6,532 | 60 | % |
In 2024, the provision for income taxes included:
•$6.9 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers;
60
Table of Contents
•$6.2 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$3.3 million related to Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax, or BEAT; and
•$1.2 million of additional tax incurred related to the 2021 restructuring of Indegy; partially offset by
•$0.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition.
In 2023, the provision for income taxes included:
•$5.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business; and
•$5.3 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; partially offset by
•$0.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition.
Comparison of 2023 and 2022
For a discussion of our consolidated results for 2023 compared to 2022, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2024.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2024, we had $328.6 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds, and $248.5 million of short-term investments, which consisted of commercial paper, asset backed securities, U.S. Treasury and agency obligations and corporate and Yankee bonds.
Since our inception, we have primarily financed our operations through cash provided by operations, including payments received from customers using our software products and services. Prior to our IPO, we did not raise any primary institutional capital, and the proceeds of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock financings were used to repurchase shares of capital stock from former stockholders. We have generated significant operating losses as reflected by our accumulated deficit of $861.3 million at December 31, 2024.
We typically invoice our customers annually in advance and, to a lesser extent, multi-years in advance. Therefore, a substantial source of our cash is from such prepayments, which are included in deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenue consists primarily of the unearned portion of billed fees for our subscriptions and perpetual licenses, which is subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. At December 31, 2024, we had deferred revenue of $833.2 million, of which $650.4 million was recorded as a current liability and is expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Our principal uses of cash in recent periods have been funding our operations, expansion of our sales and marketing and research and development activities, investments in infrastructure, acquiring complementary businesses and technology and repurchasing shares of our common stock. We paid $29.2 million, $243.3 million and $66.8 million to acquire businesses in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. In February 2025, we acquired Vulcan Cyber Ltd., or Vulcan Cyber, for approximately $148 million in cash and $2 million of restricted stock units (RSUs) that vest over a future period. We expect to enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in other complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights, in the future.
We expect to continue incurring operating losses in the near term. Even though we generated positive cash flows from operations and free cash flow in 2024, 2023 and 2022, we may not be able to sustain these cash flows. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operating and capital needs for at least the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth rate, subscription renewal activity, the timing and extent of spending to support further infrastructure and research and development efforts, the timing and extent of additional capital expenditures to invest in new and existing office spaces, the expansion of sales and marketing and international operating activities, any acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies, the timing of our introduction of new product capabilities and enhancements of our platform and the continuing market acceptance of our platform. It may be necessary to seek additional equity or debt financing to fund our operating and capital needs. In the event that financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional
61
Table of Contents
capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
Stock Repurchase Plan
In November 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of our common stock. In October 2024, our Board of Directors increased the repurchase authorization by $200 million. Since the inception of the repurchase program and through December 31, 2024, we have purchased a total of 2.7 million shares for $114.9 million.
Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility
In July 2021, we entered into a credit agreement, or the Credit Agreement, which is comprised of a $375.0 million Term Loan and a $50.0 million Revolving Credit Facility, with a $15.0 million letter of credit sublimit. The Term Loan bears interest at a rate of 2.75% per annum over SOFR, subject to a 0.50% floor, plus a credit spread adjustment depending on the interest period.
From January to December 2024, interest rates on our Term Loan have been between 7.44% and 8.22%. The Term Loan is being amortized at 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments until the final payment of $350.6 million on the July 7, 2028 maturity date. We may be subject to mandatory Term Loan prepayments related to the excess cash provisions in the Credit Agreement if our first lien net leverage ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) exceeds 3.5. At December 31, 2024, our first lien net leverage ratio was 0.86.
The Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at a rate, depending on first lien net leverage, ranging from 2.00% to 2.50% over SOFR and matures on July 7, 2026. We pay a commitment fee during the term ranging from 0.25% to 0.375% per annum of the average daily undrawn portion of our Revolving Credit Facility. At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants and had $0.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 217,476 | $ | 149,855 | $ | 131,151 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (41,431) | (212,615) | (128,039) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (79,401) | 1,251 | 23,318 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | (5,129) | (2,225) | (3,835) | |||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 91,515 | $ | (63,734) | $ | 22,595 |
Operating Activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash collections from sales of our products and services, as we typically invoice our customers in advance. Our primary uses of cash are employee compensation costs, third-party cloud infrastructure and other software subscription costs, demand generation expenditures and general corporate costs.
Investing Activities
From 2023 to 2024, net cash used in investing activities decreased by $171.2 million, primarily due to a decrease in cash paid for acquisitions of $214.1 million, a $3.5 million increase in proceeds from our investments in private companies and a $0.6 million decrease in capitalized software development costs, partially offset by a $43.3 million net decrease in sales of short-term investments, a $2.5 million increase in purchases of property and equipment, and a $1.3 million increase in cash paid for other investments.
62
Table of Contents
From 2022 to 2023, net cash used in investing activities increased by $84.6 million, primarily due to an increase in cash paid for acquisitions of $176.5 million, partially offset by a $71.6 million net increase in sales of short-term investments, $10.0 million in cash paid for other investments in 2022, a $7.7 million decrease in purchases of property and equipment and a $2.7 million decrease in capitalized software development costs.
Financing Activities
From 2023 to 2024, net cash used in financing activities increased by $80.7 million, primarily due to an $85.0 million increase in the repurchase of common stock under our stock repurchase program partially offset by a $4.6 million increase in proceeds from the exercise of stock options.
From 2022 to 2023, net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $22.1 million, primarily due to the repurchase of common stock under our stock repurchase program of $14.9 million and an $8.2 million decrease in proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by a $1.4 million increase in proceeds from stock issued in connection with our employee stock purchase program.
Contractual Obligations
We have certain contractual obligations for future payments. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for our required operating lease payments and Note 9 for our required payments to Microsoft and AWS for cloud services.
At December 31, 2024, we had other non-cancellable purchase obligations of $24.5 million due in the next twelve months and $10.5 million due thereafter. Additionally, we had $8.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits and $1.4 million of asset retirement obligations, the timing of payments for which is uncertain.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
The critical accounting estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In recognizing revenue, we apply the following steps:
•Identify the contract with a customer
•Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Determine the transaction price
•Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied
In situations where we enter into a contractual arrangement that includes non-standard terms and conditions, such as acceptance provisions and options to purchase additional products and services, as well as contract modifications, we apply judgment in identifying and assessing the impact on revenue recognition.
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services and other revenue.
63
Table of Contents
Subscription Revenue
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and allow customers to use our software or cloud solutions. For our software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released throughout the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Perpetual License and Maintenance Revenue
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance that include ongoing software updates to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which provide critical utility to the software. We recognize perpetual license revenue over a five-year estimated economic life of the expected customer contract.
We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of the our technology and other factors. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could impact our financial results.
Professional Services and Other Revenue
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
In cases where our contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, the contract transaction price is allocated on a relative standalone selling price basis. We typically determine standalone selling price based on observable selling prices of our products and services.
Variable Consideration
We record revenue from sales at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration when applicable. Certain of our customers may be entitled to receive credits and in certain circumstances, refunds, if service level commitments are not met. We have not historically experienced significant incidents affecting the ability to meet these service level commitments and any estimated refunds related to these agreements have not been material.
Sales through our channel partner network of distributors and resellers are generally discounted as compared to the price that we would sell to an end user. Revenue for sales through our channel network, which is fixed, is recorded net of any distributor or reseller margin.
Deferred Commissions
Sales commissions, including related incremental fringe benefit costs, are considered to be incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and therefore are deferred over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. We have estimated the period of benefit based on the expected contract term including renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
64
Table of Contents
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, or RSUs, and purchase rights issued under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2018 ESPP, is calculated based on the fair value of the awards granted and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally two to four years. Our performance stock units, or PSUs, vest over a period of 4 years and are subject to defined performance and service conditions. Our PSUs and RSUs that include performance-based vesting conditions are expensed using the accelerated attribution method. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
The fair value of our RSUs, PSUs and restricted stock is based on the market price of our common stock on the date of grant. Estimating the fair value of purchase rights under the 2018 ESPP using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires assumptions as to the fair value of our underlying common stock, the estimated term of the option, the risk free interest rates, the expected volatility of the price of our common stock and the expected dividend yield. The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the option awards reflect our best estimates. If any of the assumptions change significantly, stock-based compensation for future awards may differ significantly compared with the awards granted previously.
The assumptions and estimates are as follows:
•Fair Value of Common Stock. See Valuations below.
•Expected Term. We use the actual purchase periods as the expected term in the 2018 ESPP.
•Volatility. This is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable, such as a share price, has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. We use the volatility of our common stock to calculate expected volatility for the 2018 ESPP.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate. This is the U.S. Treasury rate, having a term that most closely resembles the expected remaining term of each offering of the 2018 ESPP.
•Dividend Yield. We have not and do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock.
Valuations
We use the market price of our common stock at the date of grant as the fair value.
The fair value of the 2018 ESPP purchase rights were estimated on the offering or modification dates based on the following assumptions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Expected term (in years) | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | ||
| Expected volatility | 31.9% — 51.4% | 46.9% — 58.1% | 42.8% — 61.0% | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 3.8% — 5.1% | 4.8% — 5.4% | 0.1% — 3.4% | ||
| Expected dividend yield | — | — | — |
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations by recognizing the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, a non-recurring Level 3 fair value measurement, we make estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets such as identified acquired technology and trade names. We generally determine the fair value of acquired technology using the multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach. However, in certain situations we may use the cost approach. Estimates in valuing identifiable intangible assets include, but are not limited to, projected revenue growth rates, obsolescence projections and an appropriate discount rate. Our estimate of fair value is based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may make adjustments to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with offsetting adjustments to goodwill.
65
Table of Contents
Any adjustments made after the measurement period will be reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment on October 1, or more frequently, when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We operate as one reporting unit and have elected to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company as a whole is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative assessment includes an evaluation of relevant events and circumstances, including macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, our overall financial performance, and trends in the value of our common stock. During the periods presented, there were no indications of impairment and it was not more likely than not that goodwill was impaired.
Income Taxes
We are subject to federal, state and local taxes in the United States as well as numerous international jurisdictions. These foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates than the United States. Earnings generated by our international entities are related to transfer pricing requirements as applicable under local jurisdiction tax laws.
We record a provision for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. We have elected to treat taxes related to Global Intangible Low Taxed Income, or GILTI, as a period cost. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have valuation allowances in all jurisdictions against deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities that will reverse and provide a source of taxable income. Our evaluation of valuation allowances could change in the future and the impact could have a material impact on our financial statements.
We recognize tax benefits from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. Interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions are classified as a component of income tax expense.
Depending on the jurisdiction, distributions of earnings could be subject to withholding taxes at rates applicable to the distributing jurisdiction. As we intend to continue to reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely, we have not provided for a U.S. income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes on undistributed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for more information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001660280-24-000033.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Form 10-K. This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are a leading provider of exposure management solutions. Exposure management is an effective discipline for managing, measuring and comparing cybersecurity risk in today's complex IT environments.
Our Tenable One Exposure Management Platform, or Tenable One, unifies a variety of data sources into a single exposure view to help organizations gain visibility, prioritize efforts and communicate cyber risks. Building on our existing products, Tenable One is designed to take advantage of the integrations that already exist with our partners and form the foundation of an exposure management program, alongside the other tools, such as endpoint detection and response and firewalls, and required business processes.
With Tenable One, organizations can translate technical data about assets, vulnerabilities and threats into clear business insights and actionable intelligence for security executives and practitioners. The platform combines broad, industry-leading vulnerability coverage in the industry, spanning IT assets, cloud resources, containers, web apps and identity systems. Tenable One builds on the speed and breadth of vulnerability coverage from Tenable Research and adds aggregated exposure view analytics, guidance on mitigating attack pathways and a centralized asset inventory.
Tenable One incorporates Tenable Vulnerability Management, Tenable Web App Scanning, Tenable Lumin, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable Attack Surface Management, Tenable Security Center and Tenable OT Security. All of these products are also offered as standalone solutions, alongside Nessus.
Our platform offerings are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These offerings are typically prepaid in advance. To a lesser extent, we recognize revenue ratably from perpetual licenses and from the related ongoing maintenance.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel partners, which includes a network of distributors and resellers, in developing sales opportunities. We use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, which in turn sell to our resellers, which then sell to end users, which we call customers.
Revenue in 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $798.7 million, $683.2 million and $541.1 million, representing year-over-year growth of 17% and 26%, respectively. Our recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 95% of revenue in 2023, 2022 and 2021. Our net loss in 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $78.3 million, $92.2 million and $46.7 million, respectively. Our cash flows from operating activities were $149.9 million, $131.2 million and $96.8 million in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
49
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (52,160) | (67,815) | (41,768) | |||||||
| Net loss | (78,284) | (92,222) | (46,677) | |||||||
| Net loss per share, basic and diluted | (0.68) | (0.83) | (0.44) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 149,855 | 131,151 | 96,765 | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (1,704) | (9,359) | (3,887) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (7,052) | (9,789) | (2,674) |
Key Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use and monitor the following operating and financial metrics, which include non-GAAP financial measures, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance.
Calculated Current Billings
We use the non-GAAP measure of calculated current billings, which we believe is a key metric to measure our periodic performance. Given that most of our customers pay in advance, we typically recognize a majority of the related revenue ratably over time. We use calculated current billings to measure and monitor our ability to provide our business with the working capital generated by upfront payments from our customers.
Calculated current billings consists of revenue recognized in a period plus the change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period. We believe that calculated current billings, which excludes deferred revenue for periods beyond twelve months in a customer’s contractual term, more closely correlates with annual contract value. Variability in total billings, depending on the timing of large multi-year contracts and the preference for annual billing versus multi-year upfront billing, may distort growth in one period over another.
Calculated current billings may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. Calculated current billings in any one period may be impacted by the timing and amount of new sales transactions, the timing and amount of renewal transactions, including early renewals, the mix of the amount of subscriptions and perpetual licenses, the timing of billing professional services, as well as the timing and amount of multi-year prepaid contracts, all of which could favorably or unfavorably impact quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year comparisons. For example, an increasing number of large sales transactions, for which the timing has and will continue to vary, may occur in quarters subsequent to or in advance of those that we anticipate. Additionally, our calculation of calculated current billings may be different from other companies that report similar financial measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated current billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.
50
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to calculated current billings:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | ||||
| Deferred revenue (current), end of period | 580,779 | 502,115 | 407,498 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period(1) | (506,192) | (408,443) | (331,462) | |||||||
| Calculated current billings | $ | 873,297 | $ | 776,863 | $ | 617,166 |
_______________
(1) Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period for 2023, 2022 and 2021 includes $4.1 million, $0.9 million and $2.6 million, respectively, related to acquired deferred revenue.
Free Cash Flow
We use the non-GAAP measure of free cash flow, which we define as GAAP net cash flows from operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity measure of the cash (if any) that is available, after purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs, for investment in our business and to make acquisitions. We believe that free cash flow is useful as a liquidity measure because it measures our ability to generate or use cash.
Our use of free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. First, free cash flow is not a substitute for net cash flows from operating activities. Second, other companies may calculate free cash flow or similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of free cash flow as a tool for comparison. Additionally, the utility of free cash flow is further limited as it does not reflect our future contractual commitments and does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for a given period. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider free cash flow along with net cash provided by operating activities and our other GAAP financial measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to free cash flow:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 149,855 | $ | 131,151 | $ | 96,765 | ||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (1,704) | (9,359) | (3,887) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (7,052) | (9,789) | (2,674) | |||||||
| Free cash flow(1) | $ | 141,099 | $ | 112,003 | $ | 90,204 |
_______________
(1) Free cash flow for the periods presented was impacted by:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Cash paid for interest and other financing costs | $ | 34,323 | $ | 16,047 | $ | 4,978 | ||||
| Employee stock purchase plan activity | 1,077 | 837 | (283) | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | (9,336) | (2,655) | (6,464) | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers | — | (838) | — | |||||||
| Tax payment on intra-entity asset transfers | — | (2,697) | (2,808) | |||||||
| Capital expenditures related to new headquarters | — | — | (928) |
Free cash flow in 2022 was benefited by approximately $8 million from prepayments of software subscription costs, insurance and rent made in prior quarters.
51
Table of Contents
Customer Metrics
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period(1)(2) | 1,788 | 2,078 | 1,882 |
_______________
(1) We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable One, Tenable Venerability Management, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Identity Exposure, Tenable OT Security or Tenable Security Center for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Tenable Nessus Expert to enterprise platforms.
(2) The number of new enterprise platform customers added in 2023 and 2021 include 104 and 95 legacy customers, respectively, of companies we acquired.
| December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 1,721 | 1,420 | 1,095 |
Dollar-Based Net Expansion Rate
Our dollar-based net expansion rate reflects both our customer retention and ability to drive additional sales to our existing customers. Our dollar-based net expansion rate has historically fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly basis as a result of a number of factors, including existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, existing customer retention, the pricing of our solutions, the availability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof, and the timing of customer renewals. In addition, our sales pipeline opportunities vary from quarter to quarter between new customers and expansion from existing customers, and we do not prioritize one over the other to maximize the dollar-based net expansion rate.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate is evaluated on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis, and is calculated as follows:
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
The following table presents our dollar-based net expansion rate:
| December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Dollar-based net expansion rate | 111 | % | 117 | % | 117 | % |
52
Table of Contents
Non-GAAP Income from Operations and Non-GAAP Operating Margin
We use non-GAAP income from operations along with non-GAAP operating margin as key indicators of our financial performance. We define these non-GAAP financial measures as their respective GAAP measures, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, restructuring expenses, costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities and amortization of acquired intangible assets. Acquisition-related expenses include transaction and integration expenses, as well as costs related to the intercompany transfer of acquired intellectual property. Restructuring expenses include non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our core operating results over multiple periods. There are a number of limitations related to the use of the non-GAAP financial measures as compared to GAAP loss from operations and operating margin, including that non-GAAP income from operations and non-GAAP operating margin exclude stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
The following table presents a reconciliation of loss from operations, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP income from operations, and operating margin, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP operating margin:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (52,160) | $ | (67,815) | $ | (41,768) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 145,327 | 120,633 | 79,405 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | 9,472 | 2,642 | 6,901 | |||||||
| Restructuring | 4,499 | — | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(1) | — | 838 | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 13,859 | 11,372 | 6,447 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP income from operations | $ | 120,997 | $ | 67,670 | $ | 50,985 | ||||
| Operating margin | (7) | % | (10) | % | (8) | % | ||||
| Non-GAAP operating margin | 15 | % | 10 | % | 9 | % |
________________
(1) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfer resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share
We use non-GAAP net income, which excludes stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, restructuring expenses and amortization of acquired intangible assets, as well as the related tax impacts, and the tax impact and related costs of intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities as well as deferred income tax benefits recognized in connection with acquisitions, to calculate non-GAAP earnings per share. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide important information because they facilitate comparisons of our core operating results over multiple periods.
53
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss and net loss per share, the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except for per share amounts) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (78,284) | $ | (92,222) | $ | (46,677) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 145,327 | 120,633 | 79,405 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 2,017 | 2,103 | 617 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 9,472 | 2,642 | 6,901 | |||||||
| Restructuring(2) | 4,499 | — | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(3) | — | 838 | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 13,859 | 11,372 | 6,447 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | 265 | (3,703) | (10,560) | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | — | 2,652 | 2,808 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | $ | 97,155 | $ | 44,315 | $ | 38,941 | ||||
| Net loss per share, diluted | $ | (0.68) | $ | (0.83) | $ | (0.44) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 1.25 | 1.08 | 0.75 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 0.08 | 0.02 | 0.06 | |||||||
| Restructuring(2) | 0.04 | — | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfer(3) | — | 0.01 | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.06 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | — | (0.03) | (0.10) | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | — | 0.03 | 0.03 | |||||||
| Adjustment to diluted earnings per share(7) | (0.02) | (0.02) | (0.03) | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | $ | 0.80 | $ | 0.38 | $ | 0.34 | ||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute GAAP net loss per share, diluted | 115,408 | 111,321 | 106,387 | |||||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | 120,714 | 117,534 | 114,825 |
________________
(1) The tax impact of stock-based compensation is based on the tax treatment for the applicable tax jurisdictions.
(2) The tax impact of acquisition-related expenses and restructuring expenses are not material.
(3) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
(4) The tax impact of the amortization of acquired intangible assets is included in the tax impact of acquisitions.
(5) The tax impact of acquisitions in 2023 includes the deferred tax benefits of the Alsid acquisition and a reversal of deferred tax expense related to indefinite-lived intangible assets. The tax impact of acquisitions in 2022 includes a deferred tax benefit of $1.2 million related to Alsid and reversal of the $2.5 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Bit Discovery acquisition. The tax impact of acquisitions in 2021 includes a reversal of the $7.9 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance and a $2.6 million benefit related to Alsid.
(6) The tax impact of the intra-entity transfers is related to current tax expense based on the applicable Israeli tax rates resulting from our internal restructuring of Cymptom in 2022 and Indegy in 2021.
(7) An adjustment to reconcile GAAP net loss per share, which excludes potentially dilutive shares, to non-GAAP earnings per share, which includes potentially dilutive shares.
54
Table of Contents
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services.
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms to use our software or cloud-based solutions, including ongoing software updates during the contractual period. For software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released through the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which includes ongoing software updates. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. This estimate may change over time.
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
We have historically experienced, and expect in the future to experience, seasonality in entering into agreements with customers. We typically enter into a significantly higher percentage of agreements with new customers, as well as renewal agreements with existing customers, in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in customer agreements in the third quarter is primarily attributable to U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter is primarily attributable to large enterprise account buying patterns typical in the software industry. The ratable nature of our subscription revenue makes this seasonality less apparent in our overall financial results. In 2023, we experienced longer sales cycle times in the purchasing and approval phases of our sales cycle, and this trend is expected to continue in 2024.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology, facilities and insurance.
We intend to continue to invest additional resources in our cloud-based platform and customer support team as we grow our business. The level and timing of investment in these areas could affect our cost of revenue in the future.
Gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, and gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, have been and will continue to be affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers and our
55
Table of Contents
renewals of and follow-on sales to existing customers, the costs associated with operating our cloud-based platform, the extent to which we expand our customer support team and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements.
We expect our gross profit to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period depending on the interplay of all of these factors, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development, general and administrative expenses and restructuring expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and ordinary course severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization as well as allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events and allocated overhead costs. We capitalize sales commissions, including related fringe benefit costs, and recognize the expense over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. Sales commissions on professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual periods of these arrangements are generally less than one year.
We intend to continue to make investments in our sales and marketing teams to increase revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. We expect our sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars annually and to be our largest operating expense category for the foreseeable future. However, as our revenue increases, we expect our sales and marketing expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term. Our sales and marketing expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses, including sales commissions, which may fluctuate depending on the mix of sales and related expense recognition.
Research and Development
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources as well as allocated overhead. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
We expect our research and development expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development efforts to enhance the functionality of our cloud-based platform. However, we expect our research and development expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our research and development expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead, and acquisition-related expenses.
We expect our general and administrative expense to continue to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our general and administrative expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
56
Table of Contents
Restructuring
Restructuring expenses consist of non-ordinary course severance, employee related benefits and other charges to reorganize business operations.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
Interest income consists of income earned on cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense in connection with our senior secured term loan facility, or Term Loan, unused commitment fees on our senior secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility, and letter of credit fees. Other expense, net consists primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction gains and losses and impairment losses related to our non-marketable simple agreements for future equity ("SAFE") investments.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
Provision (benefit) for income taxes consists of income taxes in all foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales with customers. We have recorded deferred tax assets for which a full valuation allowance has been provided, including net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. We expect to maintain this full valuation allowance for the foreseeable future as it is more likely than not that some or all of those deferred tax assets may not be realized based on our history of losses.
57
Table of Contents
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | ||||
| Cost of revenue(1) | 183,577 | 154,789 | 106,396 | |||||||
| Gross profit | 615,133 | 528,402 | 434,734 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing(1) | 393,450 | 349,430 | 270,158 | |||||||
| Research and development(1) | 153,163 | 143,560 | 116,432 | |||||||
| General and administrative(1) | 116,181 | 103,227 | 89,912 | |||||||
| Restructuring | 4,499 | — | — | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 667,293 | 596,217 | 476,502 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | (52,160) | (67,815) | (41,768) | |||||||
| Interest income | 24,700 | 6,284 | 606 | |||||||
| Interest expense | (31,339) | (19,001) | (7,502) | |||||||
| Other expense, net | (8,602) | (4,757) | (1,965) | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (67,401) | (85,289) | (50,629) | |||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 10,883 | 6,933 | (3,952) | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (78,284) | $ | (92,222) | $ | (46,677) |
_______________
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 11,247 | $ | 8,369 | $ | 4,446 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 61,322 | 49,383 | 29,410 | |||||
| Research and development | 37,225 | 31,499 | 20,593 | |||||
| General and administrative | 35,533 | 31,382 | 24,956 | |||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 145,327 | $ | 120,633 | $ | 79,405 |
Comparison of 2023 and 2022
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 725,013 | $ | 612,510 | $ | 112,503 | 18 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 48,729 | 50,699 | (1,970) | (4) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 24,968 | 19,982 | 4,986 | 25 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 798,710 | $ | 683,191 | $ | 115,519 | 17 | % |
The increase in revenue of $115.5 million included $125.9 million from existing customers as of January 1, 2023 net of a decrease from new customers of $10.4 million as compared to the prior year. U.S. revenue increased $55.6 million, or 14%. International revenue increased $59.9 million, or 20%.
58
Table of Contents
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 183,577 | $ | 154,789 | $ | 28,788 | 19 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 615,133 | 528,402 | 86,731 | 16 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 77 | % | 77 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $28.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $12.2 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products and an increase in headcount, including a $2.9 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $10.3 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $2.5 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $1.8 million increase in depreciation and amortization;
•a $0.7 million increase in allocated overhead expenses;
•a $0.5 million increase in subscription costs; and
•a $0.3 million increase in professional fees.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 393,450 | $ | 349,430 | $ | 44,020 | 13 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $44.0 million was primarily due to:
•a $22.9 million increase in personnel costs, related to an increase in headcount, including an $11.9 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $9.8 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts;
•a $9.3 million increase in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscription costs;
•a $1.6 million increase in allocated overhead expenses; and
•a $0.3 million increase in depreciation expense.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 153,163 | $ | 143,560 | $ | 9,603 | 7 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $9.6 million was primarily due to:
•a $9.6 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $5.7 million increase in stock-based compensation and a $1.4 million decrease in capitalized software development costs;
•a $4.8 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $1.0 million increase in allocated overhead expenses;
•a $0.5 million increase in travel and meeting costs; and
59
Table of Contents
•a $0.4 million increase in depreciation expense; partially offset by
•a $4.3 million decrease in costs for independent contractors; and
•a $2.3 million increase in tax credits.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 116,181 | $ | 103,227 | $ | 12,954 | 13 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $13.0 million was primarily due to:
•a $5.6 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $4.2 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $3.5 million increase in acquisition-related expenses;
•a $2.1 million increase in professional fees;
•a $1.1 million increase in indirect taxes such as VAT, GST and other;
•a $0.9 million increase in bank charges; and
•a $0.5 million increase in travel and meeting costs; partially offset by
•a $0.8 million decrease in costs related to intra-entity asset transfers.
Restructuring
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Restructuring | $ | 4,499 | $ | — | $ | 4,499 | 100 | % |
The $4.5 million in restructuring includes non-ordinary course severance and employee related benefits related to the optimization of our go-to-market efforts, including reducing our reliance on sales specialists and streamlining layers of management. These changes to our go-to-market and supporting functions resulted in a 5% reduction in our work force. We expect to recognize an additional $2 million to $3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2024 related to the reduction in our work force that took place in January 2024. Additionally, we are currently in negotiations to sublease a portion of our real estate, which could result in a non-cash impairment charge of $6 million to $7 million in 2024.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 24,700 | $ | 6,284 | $ | 18,416 | 293 | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (31,339) | (19,001) | (12,338) | 65 | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (8,602) | (4,757) | (3,845) | 81 | % |
The $18.4 million increase in interest income was due to a higher interest rate on an increased average amount of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The $12.3 million increase in interest expense was primarily due
60
Table of Contents
to an increase in the variable rate of our Term Loan. The $3.8 million increase in other expense, net was primarily due to $5.6 million of impairment losses on our SAFE investments partially offset by a decrease in foreign exchange losses.
Provision for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 10,883 | $ | 6,933 | $ | 3,950 | (57) | % |
In 2023, the provision for income taxes included:
•$5.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$5.3 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; partially offset by
•$0.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition.
In 2022, the provision for income taxes included:
•$4.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$3.9 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.7 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel; partially offset by
•a $2.5 million benefit from releasing a valuation allowance related to the Bit Discovery acquisition;
•$1.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition; and
•$0.8 million of discrete benefits.
Comparison of 2022 and 2021
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 612,510 | $ | 476,023 | $ | 136,487 | 29 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 50,699 | 50,333 | 366 | 1 | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 19,982 | 14,774 | 5,208 | 35 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | $ | 142,061 | 26 | % |
The increase in revenue of $142.1 million included $132.8 million from existing customers at January 1, 2022 and $9.3 million from new customers. U.S. revenue increased $71.2 million, or 23%. International revenue increased $70.9 million, or 31%.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 154,789 | $ | 106,396 | $ | 48,393 | 45 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 528,402 | 434,734 | 93,668 | 22 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 77 | % | 80 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $48.4 million was primarily due to:
•a $24.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
61
Table of Contents
•a $13.8 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products and an increase in headcount, including a $3.9 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $4.9 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $2.8 million increase in professional fees;
•a $0.7 million increase in the cost of goods;
•a $0.7 million increase in depreciation and amortization;
•a $0.6 million increase in subscription costs; and
•a $0.6 million increase in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $0.7 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 349,430 | $ | 270,158 | $ | 79,272 | 29 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $79.3 million was primarily due to:
•a $52.5 million increase in personnel costs, related to an increase in headcount, including a $20.0 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $14.2 million increase in sales commissions;
•a $5.8 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts;
•a $5.4 million increase in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscription costs; and
•a $1.5 million increase in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $3.9 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 143,560 | $ | 116,432 | $ | 27,128 | 23 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $27.1 million was primarily due to:
•a $19.8 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $10.9 million increase in stock-based compensation and is net of a $7.7 million increase in capitalized software development costs;
•a $3.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $2.0 million increase in software subscriptions;
•a $1.1 million increase in allocated overhead expenses; and
•a $0.5 million increase in travel and meeting costs.
The amounts above are net of $2.4 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
62
Table of Contents
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 103,227 | $ | 89,912 | $ | 13,315 | 15 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $13.3 million was primarily due to:
•an $11.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $6.4 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.9 million increase in professional fees;
•a $0.9 million increase in software subscription costs;
•a $0.9 million increase in indirect taxes such as VAT or GST;
•a $0.8 million increase in costs related to intra-entity asset transfers; and
•a $0.3 million increase in travel and meeting costs; partially offset by
•a $4.1 million decrease in acquisition-related expenses; and
•a $0.7 million decrease in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $0.7 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 6,284 | $ | 606 | $ | 5,678 | 937 | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (19,001) | (7,502) | (11,499) | 153 | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (4,757) | (1,965) | (2,792) | 142 | % |
The $5.7 million increase in interest income was due to lower returns on our short-term investments in 2021. The $11.5 million increase in interest expense was primarily related to interest expense for our Term Loan entered into in July 2021. The $2.8 million increase in other expense, net was primarily due to an increase in foreign exchange losses.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes | $ | 6,933 | $ | (3,952) | $ | 10,885 | (275) | % |
In 2022, the provision for income taxes included:
•$4.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$3.9 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.7 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel; partially offset by
•a $2.5 million benefit from releasing a valuation allowance related to the Bit Discovery acquisition;
•$1.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition; and
•$0.8 million of discrete benefits.
In 2021, the benefit for income taxes included:
63
Table of Contents
•$7.9 million of income tax benefits related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Accurics acquisition;
•$2.9 million of discrete benefits primarily related to a Supreme Court decision in India on the taxability of software license payments to nonresidents and the associated withholding taxes; and
•a $2.6 million deferred tax benefit related to the Alsid acquisition; partially offset by
•$3.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$2.8 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.8 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2023, we had $237.1 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds, and $236.8 million of short-term investments, which consisted of commercial paper, asset backed securities, certificates of deposit, U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, and corporate and supranational bonds.
Since our inception, we have primarily financed our operations through cash provided by operations, including payments received from customers using our software products and services. Prior to our IPO, we did not raise any primary institutional capital, and the proceeds of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock financings were used to repurchase shares of capital stock from former stockholders. We have generated significant operating losses, as reflected by our accumulated deficit of $825.0 million at December 31, 2023.
We typically invoice our customers annually in advance and, to a lesser extent, multi-years in advance. Therefore, a substantial source of our cash is from such prepayments, which are included in deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenue consists primarily of the unearned portion of billed fees for our subscriptions and perpetual licenses, which is subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. At December 31, 2023, we had deferred revenue of $750.5 million, of which $580.8 million was recorded as a current liability and is expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Our principal uses of cash in recent periods have been funding our operations, expansion of our sales and marketing and research and development activities, investments in infrastructure, including the build-out of our new headquarters, and acquiring complementary businesses and technology. We paid $243.3 million and $66.8 million to acquire businesses in 2023 and 2022, respectively. We may in the future enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in other complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights.
We expect to continue incurring operating losses in the near term. Even though we generated positive cash flows from operations and free cash flow in 2023, 2022 and 2021, we may not be able to sustain these cash flows. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operating and capital needs for at least the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth rate, subscription renewal activity, the timing and extent of spending to support further infrastructure and research and development efforts, the timing and extent of additional capital expenditures to invest in new and existing office spaces, the expansion of sales and marketing and international operating activities, any acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies, the timing of our introduction of new product capabilities and enhancements of our platform and the continuing market acceptance of our platform. It may be necessary to seek additional equity or debt financing to fund our operating and capital needs. In the event that financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
64
Table of Contents
Stock Repurchase Plan
In November 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of our common stock. In 2023, we purchased 356,240 shares for $14.9 million. The remaining amount available to purchase stock under the stock repurchase program was $85.1 million at December 31, 2023.
Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility
In July 2021, we entered into a credit agreement, or the Credit Agreement, which is comprised of a $375.0 million Term Loan and a $50.0 million Revolving Credit Facility, with a $15.0 million letter of credit sublimit. On June 1, 2023, we began using SOFR for the base interest rate instead of LIBOR. The Term Loan bears interest at a rate of 2.75% per annum over SOFR, subject to a 0.50% floor, plus a credit spread adjustment depending on the interest period.
From January to December 2023, interest rates on our Term Loan have been between 7.16% and 8.21%. The Term Loan is being amortized at 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments until the final payment of $350.6 million on the July 7, 2028 maturity date. We may be subject to mandatory Term Loan prepayments related to the excess cash provisions in the Credit Agreement if our first lien net leverage ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) exceeds 3.5, and at December 31, 2023, our first lien net leverage ratio was 1.28.
The Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at a rate, depending on first lien net leverage, ranging from 2.00% to 2.50% over SOFR and matures on July 7, 2026. We pay a commitment fee during the term ranging from 0.25% to 0.375% per annum of the average daily undrawn portion of the revolving commitments based on the first lien net leverage ratio. The Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and affirmative and negative covenants. Additionally, if at least 35% of the Revolving Credit Facility is drawn on the last day of the quarter, the total net leverage ratio cannot be greater than 5.50 to 1.00. At December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the covenants and at December 31, 2023, we had $0.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 149,855 | $ | 131,151 | $ | 96,765 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (212,615) | (128,039) | (391,590) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 1,251 | 23,318 | 397,646 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | (2,225) | (3,835) | (3,013) | |||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (63,734) | $ | 22,595 | $ | 99,808 |
Operating Activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash collections from sales of our products and services, as we typically invoice our customers in advance. Our primary uses of cash are employee compensation costs, third-party cloud infrastructure and other software subscription costs, demand generation expenditures and general corporate costs.
Investing Activities
From 2022 to 2023, net cash used in investing activities increased by $84.6 million, primarily due to an increase in cash paid for acquisitions of $176.5 million, partially offset by a $71.6 million net increase in sales of short-term investments, $10.0 million in cash paid for other investments in 2022, a $7.7 million decrease in purchases of property and equipment and a $2.7 million decrease in capitalized software development costs.
65
Table of Contents
From 2021 to 2022, net cash used in investing activities decreased by $263.6 million, primarily due to a decrease in cash paid for acquisitions of $191.7 million and a net decrease in cash paid for short-term investments of $89.4 million in 2022, partially offset by an increase in capitalized software development costs of $7.1 million, an increase in purchases of property and equipment of $5.5 million and an increase in cash paid for other investments of $5.0 million.
Financing Activities
From 2022 to 2023, net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $22.1 million, primarily due to the repurchase of common stock under our stock repurchase program of $14.9 million and an $8.2 million decrease in proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by a $1.4 million increase in proceeds from stock issued in connection with our employee stock purchase program.
From 2021 to 2022, net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $374.3 million, primarily due to the net proceeds from the issuance of our Credit Facility in 2021 of $365.7 million, a decrease of $6.5 million in the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and $3.8 million of principal payments made on our Term Loan in 2022, partially offset by a $1.1 million increase in proceeds from stock issued in connection with our employee stock purchase plan.
Contractual Obligations
We have certain contractual obligations for future payments. See Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for our required operating lease payments and Note 9 for our required payments to Microsoft and Amazon Web Services for cloud services.
At December 31, 2023, we had other non-cancellable purchase obligations of $26.1 million due in the next twelve months and $22.1 million due thereafter. Additionally, we had $8.3 million of unrecognized tax benefits and $1.4 million of asset retirement obligations, the timing of payments for which is uncertain.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
The critical accounting estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In recognizing revenue, we apply the following steps:
•Identify the contract with a customer
•Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Determine the transaction price
•Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied
In situations where we enter into a contractual arrangement that includes non-standard terms and conditions, such as acceptance provisions and options to purchase additional products and services, as well as contract modifications, we apply judgment in identifying and assessing the impact on revenue recognition.
66
Table of Contents
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services and other revenue.
Subscription Revenue
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and allow customers to use our software or cloud solutions. For our software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released throughout the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Perpetual License and Maintenance Revenue
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which include ongoing software updates and the ongoing ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of the perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of the our technology and other factors. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Professional Services and Other Revenue
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
In cases where our contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, the contract transaction price is allocated on a relative standalone selling price basis. We typically determine standalone selling price based on observable selling prices of our products and services.
Variable Consideration
We record revenue from sales at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration when applicable. Certain of our customers may be entitled to receive credits and in certain circumstances, refunds, if service level commitments are not met. We have not historically experienced significant incidents affecting the ability to meet these service level commitments and any estimated refunds related to these agreements have not been material.
Sales through our channel partner network of distributors and resellers are generally discounted as compared to the price that we would sell to an end user. Revenue for sales through our channel network, which is fixed, is recorded net of any distributor or reseller margin.
67
Table of Contents
Deferred Commissions
Sales commissions, including related incremental fringe benefit costs, are considered to be incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and therefore are deferred over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. We have estimated the period of benefit based on the expected contract term including renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, or RSUs, and purchase rights issued under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2018 ESPP, is calculated based on the fair value of the awards granted and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally two to four years. Our performance stock units, or PSUs, vest over a period of 4 years and are subject to defined performance and service conditions. Our PSUs and RSUs that include performance-based vesting conditions are expensed using the accelerated attribution method. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
The fair value of our RSUs, PSUs and restricted stock is based on the market price of our common stock on the date of grant. Estimating the fair value of purchase rights under the 2018 ESPP using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires assumptions as to the fair value of our underlying common stock, the estimated term of the option, the risk free interest rates, the expected volatility of the price of our common stock and the expected dividend yield. The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the option awards reflect our best estimates. If any of the assumptions change significantly, stock-based compensation for future awards may differ significantly compared with the awards granted previously.
The assumptions and estimates are as follows:
•Fair Value of Common Stock. See “Valuations” discussion below.
•Expected Term. We use the actual purchase periods as the expected term in the 2018 ESPP.
•Volatility. This is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable, such as a share price, has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. We use the volatility of our common stock to calculate expected volatility for the 2018 ESPP.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate. This is the U.S. Treasury rate, having a term that most closely resembles the expected remaining term of each offering of the 2018 ESPP.
•Dividend Yield. We have not and do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock.
Valuations
We use the market price of our common stock at the date of grant as the fair value.
The fair value of the 2018 ESPP purchase rights were estimated on the offering or modification dates based on the following assumptions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||
| Expected term (in years) | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | ||
| Expected volatility | 46.9% — 58.1% | 42.8% — 61.0% | 37.2% — 59.4% | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 4.8% — 5.4% | 0.1% — 3.4% | 0.1% — 0.2% | ||
| Expected dividend yield | — | — | — |
68
Table of Contents
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations by recognizing the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, a non-recurring Level 3 fair value measurement, we make estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets such as identified acquired technology and trade names. We generally determine the fair value of acquired technology using the multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach. Estimates in valuing identifiable intangible assets include, but are not limited to, projected revenue growth rates, obsolescence projections and an appropriate discount rate. Our estimate of fair value is based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may make adjustments to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with offsetting adjustments to goodwill. Any adjustments made after the measurement period will be reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment on October 1, or more frequently, when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We operate as one reporting unit and have elected to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company as a whole is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative assessment includes an evaluation of relevant events and circumstances, including macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, our overall financial performance, and trends in the value of our common stock. During the periods presented, there were no indications of impairment and it was not more likely than not that goodwill was impaired.
Income Taxes
We are subject to federal, state and local taxes in the United States as well as numerous international jurisdictions. These foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates than the United States. Earnings generated by our international entities are related to transfer pricing requirements as applicable under local jurisdiction tax laws.
We record a provision for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have valuation allowances in all jurisdictions against deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities that will reverse and provide a source of taxable income. Our evaluation of valuation allowances could change in the future and the impact could have a material impact on our financial statements.
We recognize tax benefits from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. Interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions are classified as a component of income tax expense.
Depending on the jurisdiction, distributions of earnings could be subject to withholding taxes at rates applicable to the distributing jurisdiction. As we intend to continue to reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely, we have not provided for a U.S. income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes on undistributed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.
69
Table of Contents
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001660280-23-000032.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Form 10-K. This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are a leading provider of exposure management solutions. Exposure management is an effective discipline for managing, measuring and comparing cybersecurity risk in today's complex IT environments.
In October 2022, we launched our Tenable One Exposure Management Platform (Tenable One), which unifies a variety of data sources into a single exposure view to help organizations gain visibility, prioritize efforts and communicate cyber risks. Building on our existing products, Tenable One is designed to take advantage of the integrations that already exist with our partners and form the foundation of an exposure management program, alongside the other tools, such as endpoint detection and response (EDR) and firewalls, and required business processes.
With Tenable One, organizations can translate technical data about assets, vulnerabilities and threats into clear business insights and actionable intelligence for security executives and practitioners. The platform combines the broadest vulnerability coverage in the industry, spanning IT assets, cloud resources, containers, web apps and identity systems. Tenable One builds on the speed and breadth of vulnerability coverage from Tenable Research and adds aggregated exposure view analytics, guidance on mitigating attack pathways and a centralized asset inventory.
Tenable One incorporates Tenable.io, Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, Tenable Lumin Exposure View, Tenable.cs, Tenable.ad and Tenable.asm. All of these products are also offered as standalone solutions, alongside Tenable.sc, Tenable.ot and Nessus.
Our platform offerings are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These offerings are typically prepaid in advance. To a lesser extent, we recognize revenue ratably from perpetual licenses and from the related ongoing maintenance.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel partners, which includes a network of distributors and resellers, in developing sales opportunities. We use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, which in turn sell to our resellers, which then sell to end users, which we call customers.
Revenue in 2022, 2021 and 2020 was $683.2 million, $541.1 million and $440.2 million, representing year-over-year growth of 26% and 23%, respectively. Our recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 95% of revenue in 2022 and 2021 and 94% of revenue in 2020. Our net loss in 2022, 2021 and 2020 was $92.2 million, $46.7 million and $42.7 million, respectively, as we continue to invest in our business and market opportunity. Our cash flows from operating activities were $131.2 million, $96.8 million and $64.2 million in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
45
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (67,815) | (41,768) | (36,433) | |||||||
| Net loss | (92,222) | (46,677) | (42,731) | |||||||
| Net loss per share, basic and diluted | (0.83) | (0.44) | (0.42) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 131,151 | 96,765 | 64,232 | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (9,359) | (3,887) | (18,882) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs | (9,789) | (2,674) | (1,395) |
Key Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use and monitor the following operating and financial metrics, which include non-GAAP financial measures, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance.
Calculated Current Billings
We use the non-GAAP measure of calculated current billings, which we believe is a key metric to measure our periodic performance. Given that most of our customers pay in advance, we typically recognize a majority of the related revenue ratably over time. We use calculated current billings to measure and monitor our ability to provide our business with the working capital generated by upfront payments from our customers.
Calculated current billings consists of revenue recognized in a period plus the change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period. We believe that calculated current billings, which excludes deferred revenue for periods beyond twelve months in a customer’s contractual term, more closely correlates with annual contract value. Variability in total billings, depending on the timing of large multi-year contracts and the preference for annual billing versus multi-year upfront billing, may distort growth in one period over another.
Calculated current billings may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. Calculated current billings in any one period may be impacted by the timing and amount of new sales transactions, the timing and amount of renewal transactions, including early renewals, as well as the timing and amount of multi-year prepaid contracts, all of which could favorably or unfavorably impact quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year comparisons. For example, an increasing number of large sales transactions, for which the timing has and will continue to vary, may occur in quarters subsequent to or in advance of those that we anticipate. Additionally, our calculation of calculated current billings may be different from other companies that report similar financial measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated current billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.
46
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to calculated current billings:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | ||||
| Deferred revenue (current), end of period | 502,115 | 407,498 | 328,819 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period(1) | (408,443) | (331,462) | (274,348) | |||||||
| Calculated current billings | $ | 776,863 | $ | 617,166 | $ | 494,692 |
_______________
(1) Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period for 2022 and 2021 includes $0.9 million and $2.6 million, respectively, related to acquired deferred revenue.
Free Cash Flow
We use the non-GAAP measure of free cash flow, which we define as GAAP net cash flows from operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity measure of the cash (if any) that is available, after purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs, for investment in our business and to make acquisitions. We believe that free cash flow is useful as a liquidity measure because it measures our ability to generate or use cash.
Our use of free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. First, free cash flow is not a substitute for net cash flows from operating activities. Second, other companies may calculate free cash flow or similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of free cash flow as a tool for comparison. Additionally, the utility of free cash flow is further limited as it does not reflect our future contractual commitments and does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for a given period. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider free cash flow along with net cash provided by operating activities and our other GAAP financial measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to free cash flow:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 131,151 | $ | 96,765 | $ | 64,232 | ||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (9,359) | (3,887) | (18,882) | |||||||
| Capitalized software development costs(1) | (9,789) | (2,674) | (1,395) | |||||||
| Free cash flow(2) | $ | 112,003 | $ | 90,204 | $ | 43,955 |
_______________
(1) Capitalized software development costs were previously included in purchases of property and equipment.
(2) Free cash flow for the periods presented was impacted by:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Employee stock purchase plan activity | $ | 837 | $ | (283) | $ | 893 | ||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | (2,655) | (6,464) | (738) | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers | (838) | — | — | |||||||
| Tax payment on intra-entity asset transfers | (2,697) | (2,808) | — | |||||||
| Proceeds from lease incentives | — | — | 14,199 | |||||||
| Capital expenditures related to new headquarters | — | (928) | (17,241) |
47
Table of Contents
Free cash flow in 2022 was benefited by approximately $10 million due to prepayments of software subscription costs, insurance and rent in 2021 and 2020. The 2021 prepayments reduced free cash flow by $8 million and were offset by a benefit of approximately $15 million from similar prepayments made in 2020. The 2020 prepayments reduced free cash flow by approximately $17 million.
Customer Metrics
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period(1)(2) | 2,078 | 1,882 | 1,455 |
_______________
(1) We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable One, Tenable.io, Tenable.cs, Tenable.ad, Tenable.ot or Tenable.sc for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Nessus Expert to enterprise platforms.
(2) The number of new enterprise platform customers added in 2021 includes 95 legacy customers of companies we acquired.
| December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 1,420 | 1,095 | 837 |
Dollar-Based Net Expansion Rate
Our dollar-based net expansion rate reflects both our customer retention and ability to drive additional sales to our existing customers. Our dollar-based net expansion rate has historically fluctuated and is expected to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly basis as a result of a number of factors, including existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, existing customer retention, the pricing of our solutions, the availability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof, and the timing of customer renewals. In addition, our sales pipeline opportunities vary from quarter to quarter between new customers and expansion from existing customers, and we do not prioritize one over the other to maximize the dollar-based net expansion rate. We generally expect the dollar-based net expansion rate to range from 110% to 120%.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate is evaluated on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis, and is calculated as follows:
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions (both revenue recognized ratably over the subscription term and upon delivery) and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
The following table presents our dollar-based net expansion rate:
| December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Dollar-based net expansion rate | 117 | % | 117 | % | 110 | % |
48
Table of Contents
We have also utilized an alternative dollar-based net expansion rate to assess our ability to expand sales with existing customers and evaluate the performance of our sales team. This alternative dollar-based net expansion rate is based on the methodology described above, but excludes the annual contract value of prior period multi-year sales from ARR in the numerator and the denominator of the calculation. The multi-year sales excluded from ARR has generally been approximately 13% of the total ARR. This methodology measures net expansion by customers with contracts up for renewal during the period. Applying this methodology would have increased the dollar-based net expansion rate by two to four percentage points at December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. As the difference between this alternative rate and the dollar-based net expansion rate disclosed above has not differed significantly over the last three years, we no longer include this alternative rate in our internal analysis of the business and will not disclose the impact of the alternative rate in future periods.
Non-GAAP Income from Operations and Non-GAAP Operating Margin
We use non-GAAP income from operations along with non-GAAP operating margin as key indicators of our financial performance. We define these non-GAAP financial measures as their respective GAAP measures, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities and amortization of acquired intangible assets. Acquisition-related expenses include transaction expenses and costs related to the intercompany transfer of acquired intellectual property.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our core operating results over multiple periods. There are a number of limitations related to the use of the non-GAAP financial measures as compared to GAAP loss from operations and operating margin, including that non-GAAP income from operations and non-GAAP operating margin exclude stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
The following table presents a reconciliation of loss from operations, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP income from operations, and operating margin, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP operating margin:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (67,815) | $ | (41,768) | $ | (36,433) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 120,633 | 79,405 | 59,573 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | 2,642 | 6,901 | 339 | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers(1) | 838 | — | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 11,372 | 6,447 | 2,314 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP income from operations | $ | 67,670 | $ | 50,985 | $ | 25,793 | ||||
| Operating margin | (10) | % | (8) | % | (8) | % | ||||
| Non-GAAP operating margin | 10 | % | 9 | % | 6 | % |
________________
(1) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share
We use non-GAAP net income, which excludes stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and amortization of acquired intangible assets, as well as the related tax impacts, and the tax impact and related costs of intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities as well as deferred income tax benefits recognized in connection with acquisitions, to calculate non-GAAP earnings per share. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide important information because they facilitate comparisons of our core operating results over multiple periods.
49
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss and net loss per share, the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except for per share amounts) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (92,222) | $ | (46,677) | $ | (42,731) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 120,633 | 79,405 | 59,573 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 2,103 | 617 | 1,299 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 2,642 | 6,901 | 339 | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers(3) | 838 | — | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 11,372 | 6,447 | 2,314 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | (3,703) | (10,560) | — | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | 2,652 | 2,808 | — | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | $ | 44,315 | $ | 38,941 | $ | 20,794 | ||||
| Net loss per share, diluted | $ | (0.83) | $ | (0.44) | $ | (0.42) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 1.08 | 0.75 | 0.59 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 0.02 | 0.06 | — | |||||||
| Costs related to intra-entity asset transfers(3) | 0.01 | — | — | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(4) | 0.10 | 0.06 | 0.02 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(5) | (0.03) | (0.10) | — | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers(6) | 0.03 | 0.03 | — | |||||||
| Adjustment to diluted earnings per share(7) | (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.01) | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | $ | 0.38 | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.19 | ||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute GAAP net loss per share, diluted | 111,321 | 106,387 | 101,009 | |||||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | 117,534 | 114,825 | 109,962 |
________________
(1) The tax impact of stock-based compensation is based on the tax treatment for the applicable tax jurisdictions.
(2) The tax impact of acquisition-related expenses is not material.
(3) The costs related to the intra-entity asset transfers resulted from our internal restructuring of Cymptom.
(4) The tax impact of the amortization of acquired intangible assets is included in the tax impact of acquisitions.
(5) The tax impact of acquisitions in 2022 includes a deferred tax benefit of $1.2 million related to the Alsid acquisition and a reversal of the $2.5 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Bit Discovery acquisition. The tax impact of acquisitions in 2021 includes a reversal of the $7.9 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance and a $2.6 million benefit related to Alsid.
(6) The tax impact of the intra-entity transfers are related to current tax expense based on the applicable Israeli tax rates resulting from our internal restructuring of Cymptom in 2022 and Indegy in 2021.
(7) An adjustment to reconcile GAAP net loss per share, which excludes potentially dilutive shares, to non-GAAP earnings per share, which includes potentially dilutive shares.
50
Table of Contents
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services.
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms to use our software or cloud-based solutions, including ongoing software updates during the contractual period. For software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released through the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which includes ongoing software updates. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. This estimate may change over time.
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
We have historically experienced, and expect in the future to experience, seasonality in entering into agreements with customers. We typically enter into a significantly higher percentage of agreements with new customers, as well as renewal agreements with existing customers, in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in customer agreements in the third quarter is primarily attributable to U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter is primarily attributable to large enterprise account buying patterns typical in the software industry. The ratable nature of our subscription revenue makes this seasonality less apparent in our overall financial results.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology and facilities.
We intend to continue to invest additional resources in our cloud-based platform and customer support team as we grow our business. The level and timing of investment in these areas could affect our cost of revenue in the future.
Gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, and gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, have been and will continue to be affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers and our renewals of and follow-on sales to existing customers, the costs associated with operating our cloud-based platform, the
51
Table of Contents
extent to which we expand our customer support team and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements.
We expect our gross profit to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period depending on the interplay of all of these factors, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development and general and administrative expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization as well as allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events and allocated overhead costs. We capitalize sales commissions, including related fringe benefit costs, and recognize the expense over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. Sales commissions on professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual periods of these arrangements are generally less than one year.
We intend to continue to make investments in our sales and marketing teams to increase revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. We expect our sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars annually and to be our largest operating expense category for the foreseeable future. However, as our revenue increases, we expect our sales and marketing expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term. Our sales and marketing expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses, including sales commissions, which may fluctuate depending on the mix of sales and related expense recognition.
Research and Development
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources as well as allocated overhead. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
We expect our research and development expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development efforts to enhance the functionality of our cloud-based platform. However, we expect our research and development expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our research and development expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead, and acquisition-related costs.
We expect our general and administrative expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future due to additional costs associated with accounting, compliance, insurance and investor relations as a public company. However, we expect our general and administrative expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue
52
Table of Contents
over the long term, although our general and administrative expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
Interest income consists of income earned on cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense in connection with our senior secured term loan facility, or Term Loan, unused commitment fees on our senior secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility, and letter of credit fees. Other expense, net consists primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction gains and losses.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
Provision (benefit) for income taxes consists of income taxes in all foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales with customers. We have recorded deferred tax assets for which a full valuation allowance has been provided, including net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. We expect to maintain this full valuation allowance for the foreseeable future as it is more likely than not that some or all of those deferred tax assets may not be realized based on our history of losses.
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | ||||
| Cost of revenue(1) | 154,789 | 106,396 | 77,554 | |||||||
| Gross profit | 528,402 | 434,734 | 362,667 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing(1) | 349,430 | 270,158 | 224,277 | |||||||
| Research and development(1) | 143,560 | 116,432 | 101,687 | |||||||
| General and administrative(1) | 103,227 | 89,912 | 73,136 | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 596,217 | 476,502 | 399,100 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | (67,815) | (41,768) | (36,433) | |||||||
| Interest income | 6,284 | 606 | 1,740 | |||||||
| Interest expense | (19,001) | (7,502) | (496) | |||||||
| Other expense, net | (4,757) | (1,965) | (1,885) | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (85,289) | (50,629) | (37,074) | |||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 6,933 | (3,952) | 5,657 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (92,222) | $ | (46,677) | $ | (42,731) |
_______________
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 8,369 | $ | 4,446 | $ | 3,158 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 49,383 | 29,410 | 19,842 | |||||
| Research and development | 31,499 | 20,593 | 14,794 | |||||
| General and administrative | 31,382 | 24,956 | 21,779 | |||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 120,633 | $ | 79,405 | $ | 59,573 |
53
Table of Contents
Comparison of 2022 and 2021
Revenue
The following table presents the increase in revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 612,510 | $ | 476,023 | $ | 136,487 | 29 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 50,699 | 50,333 | 366 | 1 | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 19,982 | 14,774 | 5,208 | 35 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 683,191 | $ | 541,130 | $ | 142,061 | 26 | % |
The increase in revenue of $142.1 million included $132.8 million from existing customers as of January 1, 2022 and $9.3 million from new customers. U.S. revenue increased $71.2 million, or 23%. International revenue increased $70.9 million, or 31%.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 154,789 | $ | 106,396 | $ | 48,393 | 45 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 528,402 | 434,734 | 93,668 | 22 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 77 | % | 80 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $48.4 million was primarily due to:
•a $24.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $13.8 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products and an increase in headcount, including a $3.9 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $4.9 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $2.8 million increase in professional fees;
•a $0.7 million increase in the cost of goods;
•a $0.7 million increase in depreciation and amortization;
•a $0.6 million increase in subscription costs; and
•a $0.6 million increase in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $0.7 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 349,430 | $ | 270,158 | $ | 79,272 | 29 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $79.3 million was primarily due to:
•a $52.5 million increase in personnel costs, related to an increase in headcount, including a $20.0 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $14.2 million increase in sales commissions;
54
Table of Contents
•a $5.8 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts;
•a $5.4 million increase in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscription costs; and
•a $1.5 million increase in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $3.9 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 143,560 | $ | 116,432 | $ | 27,128 | 23 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $27.1 million was primarily due to:
•a $19.8 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $10.9 million increase in stock-based compensation and is net of a $7.7 million increase in capitalized software development costs;
•a $3.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $2.0 million increase in software subscriptions;
•a $1.1 million increase in allocated overhead expenses; and
•a $0.5 million increase in travel and meeting costs.
The amounts above are net of $2.4 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 103,227 | $ | 89,912 | $ | 13,315 | 15 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $13.3 million was primarily due to:
•an $11.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $6.4 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.9 million increase in professional fees;
•a $0.9 million increase in software subscription costs;
•a $0.9 million increase in indirect taxes such as VAT or GST;
•a $0.8 million increase in costs related to intra-entity asset transfers; and
•a $0.3 million increase in travel and meeting costs; partially offset by
•a $4.1 million decrease in acquisition-related expenses; and
•a $0.7 million decrease in allocated overhead expenses.
The amounts above are net of $0.7 million in savings due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.
55
Table of Contents
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 6,284 | $ | 606 | $ | 5,678 | 937 | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (19,001) | (7,502) | (11,499) | 153 | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (4,757) | (1,965) | (2,792) | 142 | % |
The $5.7 million increase in interest income was due to a higher interest rate on an increased amount of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The $11.5 million increase in interest expense was primarily related to an increase in the variable rate of our Term Loan entered into in July 2021. The $2.8 million increase in other expense, net was primarily due to an increase in foreign exchange losses.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes | $ | 6,933 | $ | (3,952) | $ | 10,885 | 275 | % |
In 2022, the provision for income taxes included:
•$4.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$3.9 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.7 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel; partially offset by
•a $2.5 million benefit from releasing a valuation allowance related to the Bit Discovery acquisition;
•$1.2 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition; and
•$0.8 million of discrete benefits.
In 2021, the benefit for income taxes included:
•$7.9 million of income tax benefits related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Accurics acquisition;
•$2.9 million of discrete benefits primarily related to a Supreme Court decision in India on the taxability of software license payments to nonresidents and the associated withholding taxes; and
•a $2.6 million deferred tax benefit related to the Alsid acquisition; partially offset by
•$3.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$2.8 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.8 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel.
56
Table of Contents
Comparison of 2021 and 2020
Revenue
The following table presents the increase in revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 476,023 | $ | 377,354 | $ | 98,669 | 26 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 50,333 | 50,594 | (261) | (1) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 14,774 | 12,273 | 2,501 | 20 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | $ | 100,909 | 23 | % |
The increase in revenue of $100.9 million included $93.6 million from existing customers as of January 1, 2021 and $7.3 million from new customers. U.S. revenue increased $46.3 million, or 17%. International revenue increased $54.6 million, or 32%.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 106,396 | $ | 77,554 | $ | 28,842 | 37 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 434,734 | 362,667 | 72,067 | 20 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 80 | % | 82 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $28.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $17.8 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $4.1 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $4.0 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products and an increase in headcount, including a $1.3 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.2 million increase in professional fees; and
•a $1.1 million increase in hardware costs; partially offset by
•a $0.6 million decrease in allocated overhead expenses.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 270,158 | $ | 224,277 | $ | 45,881 | 20 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $45.9 million was primarily due to:
•a $23.3 million increase in personnel costs, related to an increase in headcount, including a $9.6 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $10.5 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts;
•a $10.0 million increase in sales commissions; and
57
Table of Contents
•a $3.8 million increase in selling expenses, including software subscriptions and training programs; partially offset by
•a $1.9 million decrease in travel and meeting costs.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 116,432 | $ | 101,687 | $ | 14,745 | 15 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $14.7 million was primarily due to:
•a $13.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $5.8 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $2.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs; and
•a $0.6 million increase in software subscriptions; partially offset by
•a $1.0 million decrease in travel and meeting costs;
•a $0.5 million decrease in allocated overhead; and
•a $0.5 million decrease in depreciation.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 89,912 | $ | 73,136 | $ | 16,776 | 23 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $16.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $7.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $3.2 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $6.3 million increase in acquisition-related expenses;
•a $2.0 million increase in professional fees; and
•a $1.0 million increase in depreciation and amortization.
58
Table of Contents
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Expense, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 606 | $ | 1,740 | $ | (1,134) | (65) | % | ||||||
| Interest expense | (7,502) | (496) | (7,006) | 1,413 | % | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | (1,965) | (1,885) | (80) | 4 | % |
The $1.1 million decrease in interest income was due to lower returns on our short-term investments in 2021. The $7.0 million increase in interest expense was primarily related to interest expense for our Term Loan entered into in July 2021. The $0.1 million increase in other expense, net was primarily due to an increase in foreign exchange losses.
(Benefit) Provision for Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | $ | (3,952) | $ | 5,657 | $ | (9,609) | (170) | % |
In 2021, the benefit for income taxes included:
•$7.9 million of income tax benefits related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Accurics acquisition;
•$2.9 million of discrete benefits primarily related to a Supreme Court decision in India on the taxability of software license payments to nonresidents and the associated withholding taxes; and
•a $2.6 million deferred tax benefit related to the Alsid acquisition; partially offset by
•$3.8 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business;
•$2.8 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers; and
•$2.8 million of current expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel.
In 2020, the provision for income taxes included:
•$4.0 million of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business; and
•$1.7 million of discrete expenses primarily related to withholding taxes on sales to customers.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2022, we had $300.9 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds, and $266.6 million of short-term investments, which consisted of commercial paper, asset backed securities, certificates of deposit, U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, and corporate and supranational bonds.
Since our inception, we have primarily financed our operations through cash provided by operations, including payments received from customers using our software products and services. Prior to our IPO, we did not raise any primary institutional capital, and the proceeds of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock financings were used to repurchase shares of capital stock from former stockholders. We have generated significant operating losses, as reflected by our accumulated deficit of $746.8 million at December 31, 2022.
We typically invoice our customers annually in advance and, to a lesser extent, multi-years in advance. Therefore, a substantial source of our cash is from such prepayments, which are included in deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenue consists primarily of the unearned portion of billed fees for our subscriptions and perpetual licenses, which is subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. At December 31, 2022, we had deferred revenue of $664.6 million, of which $502.1 million was recorded as a current liability and is expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
59
Table of Contents
Our principal uses of cash in recent periods have been funding our operations, expansion of our sales and marketing and research and development activities, investments in infrastructure, including the build-out of our new headquarters, and acquiring complementary businesses and technology. We paid $66.8 million and $258.5 million to acquire businesses in 2022 and 2021, respectively. We may in the future enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in other complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights.
We expect to continue incurring operating losses in the near term. Even though we generated positive cash flows from operations and free cash flow in 2022, 2021 and 2020, we may not be able to sustain these cash flows. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operating and capital needs for at least the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth rate, subscription renewal activity, the timing and extent of spending to support further infrastructure and research and development efforts, the timing and extent of additional capital expenditures to invest in new and existing office spaces, the expansion of sales and marketing and international operating activities, any acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies, the timing of our introduction of new product capabilities and enhancements of our platform and the continuing market acceptance of our platform. It may be necessary to seek additional equity or debt financing to fund our operating and capital needs. In the event that financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility
In July 2021, we entered into a credit agreement, or the Credit Agreement, which is comprised of a $375.0 million Term Loan and a $50.0 million Revolving Credit Facility, with a $15.0 million letter of credit sublimit. The Term Loan bears variable interest at a rate of 2.75% per annum over LIBOR, subject to a 0.50% floor. Prior to January 31, 2022, the interest rate on the Term Loan was 3.25%. From January 2022 through July 2022, July 2022 through October 2022, and October 2022 through January 2023, interest rates on our Term Loan were 3.27%, 5.56% and 7.16%, respectively. Effective January 31, 2023 through April 27, 2023, the Term Loan has an interest rate of 7.58%. The Term Loan is being amortized at 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments until the final payment of $350.6 million on the July 7, 2028 maturity date. We may be subject to mandatory Term Loan prepayments related to the excess cash provisions in the Credit Agreement beginning in 2023. The prepayments related to excess cash flow provisions apply if our first lien net leverage ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) exceeds 3.5, and at December 31, 2022, our first lien net leverage ratio was below that threshold.
The Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at a rate, depending on first lien net leverage, ranging from 2.00% to 2.50% over LIBOR and matures on July 7, 2026. We pay a commitment fee during the term ranging from 0.25% to 0.375% per annum of the average daily undrawn portion of the revolving commitments based on the first lien net leverage ratio. The Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and affirmative and negative covenants. Additionally, if at least 35% of the Revolving Credit Facility is drawn on the last day of the quarter, the total net leverage ratio cannot be greater than 5.50 to 1.00. At December 31, 2022, we were in compliance with the covenants and at December 31, 2022, we had $0.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 131,151 | $ | 96,765 | $ | 64,232 | ||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (128,039) | (391,590) | 4,079 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 23,318 | 397,646 | 36,403 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | (3,835) | (3,013) | (916) | |||||||
| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 22,595 | $ | 99,808 | $ | 103,798 |
60
Table of Contents
Operating Activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash collections from sales of our products and services, as we typically invoice our customers in advance. Our primary uses of cash are employee compensation costs, third-party cloud infrastructure and other software subscription costs, demand generation expenditures and general corporate costs.
Investing Activities
From 2021 to 2022, net cash used in investing activities decreased by $263.6 million, primarily due to a decrease in cash paid for acquisitions of $191.7 million and a net decrease in cash paid for short-term investments of $89.4 million in 2022, partially offset by an increase in capitalized software development costs of $7.1 million, an increase in purchases of property and equipment of $5.5 million and an increase in cash paid for other investments of $5.0 million.
From 2020 to 2021, net cash used in investing activities increased by $395.7 million, primarily due to an increase in cash paid for acquisitions of $258.2 million, a net increase in cash paid for short-term investments of $146.2 million, a $5.0 million other investment in 2021 and an increase in capitalized software development costs of $1.3 million, partially offset by a decrease in purchases of property and equipment of $15.0 million.
Financing Activities
From 2021 to 2022, net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $374.3 million, primarily due to the net proceeds from the issuance of our Credit Facility in 2021 of $365.7 million, a decrease of $6.5 million in the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and $3.8 million of principal payments made on our Term Loan in 2022, partially offset by a $1.1 million increase in proceeds from stock issued in connection with our employee stock purchase plan.
From 2020 to 2021, net cash provided by financing activities increased by $361.2 million, primarily due to net proceeds from our Credit Facility of $365.7 million. This increase was partially offset by a decrease of $3.4 million in the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and $2.0 million of loan proceeds that we received from the state of Maryland in 2020.
Contractual Obligations
We have certain contractual obligations for future payments. Refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for our required operating lease payments and Note 9 for our required payments to Amazon Web Services, Inc. for cloud services.
At December 31, 2022, we had other non-cancellable purchase obligations of $15.3 million due in the next twelve months and $9.0 million due thereafter. Additionally, we had $7.8 million of unrecognized tax benefits and $1.4 million of asset retirement obligations, the timing of payments for which is uncertain.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
The critical accounting estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.
61
Table of Contents
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In recognizing revenue, we apply the following steps:
•Identify the contract with a customer
•Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Determine the transaction price
•Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied
In situations where we enter into a contractual arrangement that includes non-standard terms and conditions, such as acceptance provisions and options to purchase additional products and services, as well as contract modifications, we apply judgment in identifying and assessing the impact on revenue recognition.
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services and other revenue.
Subscription Revenue
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and allow customers to use our software or cloud solutions. For our software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released throughout the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Perpetual License and Maintenance Revenue
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which include ongoing software updates and the ongoing ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of the perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of the our technology and other factors. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Professional Services and Other Revenue
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
62
Table of Contents
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
In cases where our contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, the contract transaction price is allocated on a relative standalone selling price basis. We typically determine standalone selling price based on observable selling prices of our products and services.
Variable Consideration
We record revenue from sales at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration when applicable. Certain of our customers may be entitled to receive credits and in certain circumstances, refunds, if service level commitments are not met. We have not historically experienced significant incidents affecting the ability to meet these service level commitments and any estimated refunds related to these agreements have not been material.
Sales through our channel partner network of distributors and resellers are generally discounted as compared to the price that we would sell to an end user. Revenue for sales through our channel network, which is fixed, is recorded net of any distributor or reseller margin.
Deferred Commissions
Sales commissions, including related incremental fringe benefit costs, are considered to be incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and therefore are deferred over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. We have estimated the period of benefit based on the expected contract term including renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, or RSUs, and purchase rights issued under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2018 ESPP, is calculated based on the fair value of the awards granted and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally two to four years. Our performance stock units, or PSUs, vest over a period of 4 years and are subject to defined performance and service conditions. Our PSUs and RSUs that include performance-based vesting conditions are expensed using the accelerated attribution method. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
The fair value of our RSUs and PSUs is based on the market price of our common stock on the date of grant. Estimating the fair value of stock options and purchase rights under the 2018 ESPP using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires assumptions as to the fair value of our underlying common stock, the estimated term of the option, the risk free interest rates, the expected volatility of the price of our common stock and the expected dividend yield. The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the option awards reflect our best estimates. If any of the assumptions change significantly, stock-based compensation for future awards may differ significantly compared with the awards granted previously.
The assumptions and estimates are as follows:
•Fair Value of Common Stock. See “Valuations” discussion below.
•Expected Term. This is the period of time that the options granted are expected to remain unexercised. We used the simplified method to calculate the average expected term for stock options. We use the actual purchase periods as the expected term in the 2018 ESPP.
•Volatility. This is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable, such as a share price, has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. In 2021, we began using the volatility of our common stock to calculate expected volatility. Prior to 2021, we identified several public entities of
63
Table of Contents
similar size, complexity and stage of development and estimated our volatility based on the volatility of the common stock of these companies.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate. This is the U.S. Treasury rate, having a term that most closely resembles the expected life of the stock option.
•Dividend Yield. We have not and do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock.
Valuations
Following our IPO, we use the market price of our common stock at the date of grant as the fair value. Prior to our IPO, the lack of an active public market for our common stock required our Board of Directors to exercise reasonable judgment and consider a number of factors in order to make the best estimate of fair value of our common stock, in accordance with the technical practice-aid issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid entitled Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. Factors considered in connection with estimating the fair value of our common stock underlying our award of restricted stock and stock option awards when performing the fair value calculations with the Black-Scholes option-pricing model included:
•The results of independent third-party valuations of our common stock
•Recent arm’s length transactions involving the sale or transfer of our common stock
•The rights, preferences and privileges of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock relative to those of our common stock
•Our historical financial results and future financial projections
•The market value of equity interests in substantially similar businesses, which equity interests can be valued through nondiscretionary, objective means
•The lack of marketability of our common stock
•The likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an IPO given prevailing market conditions
•Industry outlook
•General economic outlook including economic growth, inflation and unemployment, interest rate environment and global economic trends
As described above, the exercise price of our stock option awards was determined by our Board of Directors, with input from management, taking into account the factors described above, using a combination of valuation methodologies with varying weighting applied to each methodology as of the grant date.
Application of these approaches involved the use of estimates, judgment and assumptions that were highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses and future cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies and the probability of possible future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions or the relationships between those assumptions would have impacted our valuations as of each valuation date and may have had a material impact on the valuation of our common stock.
The fair value of the 2018 ESPP purchase rights were estimated on the offering or modification dates based on the following assumptions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Expected term (in years) | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | ||
| Expected volatility | 42.8% — 61.0% | 37.2% — 59.4% | 41.6% — 60.1% | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 0.1% — 3.4% | 0.1% — 0.2% | 0.1% — 0.9% | ||
| Expected dividend yield | — | — | — |
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations by recognizing the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The excess
64
Table of Contents
purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, a non-recurring Level 3 fair value measurement, we make estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets such as identified acquired technology and trade names. We generally determine the fair value of acquired technology using the multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach. Estimates in valuing identifiable intangible assets include, but are not limited to, projected revenue growth rates, obsolescence projections and an appropriate discount rate. Our estimate of fair value is based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may make adjustments to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with offsetting adjustments to goodwill. Any adjustments made after the measurement period will be reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment on October 1, or more frequently, when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We operate as one reporting unit and have elected to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company as a whole is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative assessment includes an evaluation of relevant events and circumstances, including macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, our overall financial performance, and trends in the value of our common stock. During the periods presented, there were no indications of impairment and it was not more likely than not that goodwill was impaired.
Income Taxes
We are subject to federal, state and local taxes in the United States as well as numerous international jurisdictions. These foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates than the United States. Earnings generated by our international entities are related to transfer pricing requirements as applicable under local jurisdiction tax laws.
We record a provision for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have valuation allowances in all jurisdictions against deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities that will reverse and provide a source of taxable income. Our evaluation of valuation allowances could change in the future and the impact could have a material impact on our financial statements.
We recognize tax benefits from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. Interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions are classified as a component of income tax expense.
Depending on the jurisdiction, distributions of earnings could be subject to withholding taxes at rates applicable to the distributing jurisdiction. As we intend to continue to reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely, we have not provided for a U.S. income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes on undistributed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001660280-22-000035.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Form 10-K. This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors,” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. Such risks and uncertainties may be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on our business and the global economy. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are a leading provider of Cyber Exposure solutions. Cyber Exposure is a discipline for managing, measuring and comparing cybersecurity risk in the digital era.
We have continued to expand and diversify our platform offerings from traditional vulnerability management (VM) solutions, which include Tenable.sc and Nessus, to our cloud exposure solutions, which include Tenable.ep, Tenable.io, Tenable.cs, Tenable Web Scanning, or Tenable.io WAS, Tenable.ad and Tenable.ot. Our platform offerings provide broad visibility into security issues such as vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, internal and regulatory compliance violations and other indicators of the state of an organization’s security across IT infrastructure and applications, cloud environments, DevOps environments, Active Directory and Identity environments, and Industrial IoT and OT environments. We also provide deep analytics to help organizations score, trend and compare their cyber exposure over time, and communicate cyber risk in business terms to make better strategic decisions. Our platform offerings integrate and analyze data from our native collectors alongside IT asset, vulnerability and threat data from third-party systems and applications to prioritize security issues for remediation and focus an organization’s resources based on risk and business criticality.
Our platform offerings are primarily sold on a subscription basis with a one-year term. Our subscription terms are generally not longer than three years. These offerings are typically prepaid in advance. To a lesser extent, we recognize revenue ratably from perpetual licenses and from the related ongoing maintenance.
We sell and market our products and services through our field sales force that works closely with our channel partners, which includes a network of distributors and resellers, in developing sales opportunities. We use a two-tiered channel model whereby we sell our enterprise platform offerings to our distributors, which in turn sell to our resellers, which then sell to end users, which we call customers.
Many of our enterprise platform customers initially use either our free or paid version of Nessus, one of the most widely deployed vulnerability assessment solutions in the cybersecurity industry. Nessus, which is sold on a stand-alone basis and is the technology that underpins our enterprise platform offerings, is designed to quickly and accurately identify security vulnerabilities, configuration issues and malware. Our free version of Nessus, Nessus Essentials, allows for vulnerability assessment over a limited number of IP addresses. We believe many of our Nessus customers begin with Nessus Essentials and subsequently upgrade to Nessus Professional, the paid version of Nessus; however, we expect a significant number of users to continue to use Nessus Essentials.
Revenue in 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $541.1 million, $440.2 million and $354.6 million, representing year-over-year growth of 23% and 24%, respectively. Our recurring revenue, which includes revenue from subscription arrangements for software and cloud-based solutions and maintenance associated with perpetual licenses, represented 94.6%, 93.6% and 91.8% of revenue in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our net loss in 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $46.7 million, $42.7 million and $99.0 million, respectively, as we continue to invest in our business and market opportunity. Our cash flows from operating activities were $96.8 million, $64.2 million and $(10.7) million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
44
Table of Contents
COVID-19 Update
While we have not seen a significant adverse impact on our business from the pandemic as of December 31, 2021, the extent to which it will impact our business and operations will depend on future developments that are uncertain. We continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers, partners, employees and service providers. We have resumed limited business travel and adopted a hybrid work environment, which we expect will lead to additional costs. For additional information on the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations, see the "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section below and “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Financial Highlights
Below are our key financial results:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except per share data) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | $ | 354,586 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (41,768) | (36,433) | (90,799) | |||||||
| Net loss | (46,677) | (42,731) | (99,013) | |||||||
| Net loss per share, basic and diluted | (0.44) | (0.42) | (1.03) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | 96,765 | 64,232 | (10,744) | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (6,561) | (20,277) | (20,674) |
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Product Leadership
Our enterprise platform offerings provide visibility into the broadest range of traditional and modern IT assets across cloud and on-premises environments. We are intensely focused on continued innovation and ongoing development of our enterprise platform offerings that empower organizations to understand and reduce their Cyber Exposure. Additionally, we continue to expand the capabilities of our Nessus products, specifically as they relate to the ability to scan for and detect the rapidly expanding volume of vulnerabilities.
We intend to continue to invest in our engineering capabilities and marketing activities to maintain our position in the highly-competitive market for cybersecurity solutions. Our results of operations may fluctuate as we make these investments to drive increased customer adoption and usage.
New Enterprise Platform Customer Acquisition
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings and that our ability to continue to grow the number of enterprise platform customers will increase future opportunities for renewals and follow-on sales. We believe that we have significant room to increase our market share.
We expect to grow our enterprise platform customers by continuing to expand our sales organization and leveraging our channel partner network, which we believe will allow us to identify new enterprise customers, enter new markets, including internationally, as well as to convert more of our existing Nessus Professional customers to enterprise platform customers.
We will continue to invest in our partner network and sales and marketing capability in order to grow domestically and internationally.
45
Table of Contents
Retaining and Expanding Revenue from Existing Customers
Our enterprise platform offerings utilize IT asset-based or IP address-based pricing models. Once enterprise customers have licensed our platform offerings, they typically seek broader coverage over their traditional IT assets, including networking infrastructure, desktops and on-premises servers. As customers launch new applications or migrate existing applications to the cloud and deploy web applications, containers, IoT and OT, they often increase the scope of their subscriptions and/or add additional perpetual licenses to our enterprise platforms.
We are also focused on upselling customers from Nessus Professional to our enterprise platform offerings. Nessus Professional customers are typically organizations or independent security consultants that use Nessus Professional for a single vulnerability assessment at a point in time. We seek to convert these customers to our enterprise platform offerings, which provide continuous visibility and insights into their attack surface, as their needs develop.
Further, we plan to expand existing platform capabilities and launch new products, which we believe will drive new product purchases and follow-on purchases over time, thereby contributing to customer renewals. We believe that there is a significant opportunity to drive additional sales to existing customers, and we expect to invest in sales and marketing and customer success personnel and activities to achieve additional revenue growth from existing customers. However, our ability to increase sales to existing customers will depend on a number of factors, including satisfaction or dissatisfaction with our products and services, competition, pricing, current economic conditions or overall changes in our and our clients' spending levels.
We evaluate our ability to expand sales with existing customers by assessing our dollar-based net expansion rate on a last twelve months, or LTM, basis. We have historically calculated our dollar-based net expansion rate as follows:
•Denominator: To calculate our dollar-based net expansion rate as of the end of a reporting period, we first determine the annual recurring revenue, or ARR, from all active subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses as of the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year. This represents recurring payments that we expect to receive in the next 12-month period from the cohort of customers that existed on the last day of the same reporting period in the prior year.
•Numerator: We measure the ARR for that same cohort of customers representing all subscriptions and maintenance from perpetual licenses based on customer orders as of the end of the reporting period.
We calculate dollar-based net expansion rate by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
Our dollar-based net expansion rate for 2021 exceeded 110% on an LTM basis. Our dollar-based net expansion rate may fluctuate from quarter to quarter if our existing customers choose to reduce or delay technology spending in response to economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, or as a result of a number of other factors, including our existing customers' satisfaction with our solutions, the pricing of our solutions and the ability of competing solutions and the pricing thereof.
We also utilize an alternative dollar-based net expansion rate to assess our ability to expand sales with existing customers and evaluate the performance of our sales team. This alternative dollar-based net expansion rate is based on the methodology described above, but excludes the annual contract value of prior period multi-year sales from ARR in the numerator and the denominator of the calculation. We believe this methodology more closely aligns with the renewal and expansion goals established for our sales team because it measures net expansion by customers with contracts up for renewal during the period. Applying this methodology would have increased the dollar-based net expansion rate by two to five percentage points in 2020 and 2021.
Investing in Business Growth
Since our founding, we have invested significantly in growing our business. We intend to continue to invest in sales and marketing to grow our sales team, expand brand and Cyber Exposure awareness and optimize our channel partner network. We also intend to continue to invest in our research and development team to further our technological leadership position in Cyber Exposure and enhance the functionality of our solutions. Any investments we make in our
46
Table of Contents
sales and marketing and research and development teams will occur in advance of experiencing the benefits from such investments, so it may be difficult for us to determine if we are efficiently allocating resources in those areas. We expect to acquire businesses, technology and/or development personnel that will expand and enhance the functionality of our platform offerings. These investment activities could increase our net losses over the short term if our revenue growth does not increase at higher rates. However, we expect that these investments will ultimately benefit our results of operations.
Key Operating and Financial Metrics
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use certain operating metrics and non-GAAP financial measures, as described below, to understand and evaluate our core operating and financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures, which may be different than similarly titled measures used by other companies, are presented to enhance the overall understanding of our financial performance and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.
We believe that these operating metrics and non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our operating and financial performance, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater transparency with respect to important metrics used by management for financial and operational decision-making. We include these operating metrics and non-GAAP financial measures to present our operating and financial performance using a management view and because we believe that these measures provide an additional comparison of our core operating and financial performance over multiple periods with other companies in our industry.
Calculated Current Billings
We use the non-GAAP measure of calculated current billings, which we believe is a key metric to measure our periodic performance. Given that most of our customers pay in advance, we typically recognize a majority of the related revenue ratably over time. We use calculated current billings to measure and monitor our ability to provide our business with the working capital generated by upfront payments from our customers.
Calculated current billings consists of revenue recognized in a period plus the change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period. We believe that calculated current billings, which excludes deferred revenue for periods beyond twelve months in a customer’s contractual term, more closely correlates with annual contract value. Variability in total billings, depending on the timing of large multi-year contracts and the preference for annual billing versus multi-year upfront billing, may distort growth in one period over another.
While we believe that calculated current billings provides valuable insight into the cash that will be generated from sales of our subscriptions, this metric may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. Calculated current billings in any one period may be impacted by the overall timing of sales, including early renewals, as well as the timing and amount of multi-year prepaid contracts, which could favorably or unfavorably impact year-over-year comparisons. For example, an increasing number of large sales transactions, for which the timing has and will continue to vary, may occur in quarters subsequent to or in advance of those that we anticipate. Our calculation of calculated current billings may be different from other companies that report similar financial measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated current billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.
47
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to calculated current billings:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | $ | 354,586 | ||||
| Deferred revenue (current), end of period | 407,498 | 328,819 | 274,348 | |||||||
| Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period(1) | (331,462) | (274,348) | (214,069) | |||||||
| Calculated current billings | $ | 617,166 | $ | 494,692 | $ | 414,865 |
_______________
(1) Deferred revenue (current), beginning of period for 2021 and 2019 includes $2.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively, related to acquired deferred revenue.
Free Cash Flow and Unlevered Free Cash Flow
We use the non-GAAP measure of free cash flow, which we define as GAAP net cash flows from operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity measure of the cash (if any) that is available, after purchases of property and equipment, for investment in our business and to make acquisitions. We believe that free cash flow is useful as a liquidity measure because it measures our ability to generate or use cash.
We also use the non-GAAP measure of unlevered free cash flow, which we define as free cash flow plus cash paid for interest and other financing costs. We believe unlevered free cash flow is useful as a liquidity measure as it measures the cash that is available to invest in our business and meet our current and future financing needs.
Our use of free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. First, free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow are not substitutes for net cash flows from operating activities. Second, other companies may calculate free cash flow, unlevered free cash flow or similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow as tools for comparison. Additionally, the utility of free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow is further limited as it does not reflect our future contractual commitments and does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for a given period. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow along with net cash provided by (used in) operating activities and our other GAAP financial measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to free cash flow and unlevered cash flow:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 96,765 | $ | 64,232 | $ | (10,744) | ||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (6,561) | (20,277) | (20,674) | |||||||
| Free cash flow(1) | 90,204 | 43,955 | (31,418) | |||||||
| Cash paid for interest and other financing costs | 4,978 | 335 | 96 | |||||||
| Unlevered free cash flow(1) | $ | 95,182 | $ | 44,290 | $ | (31,322) |
_______________
(1) Free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow for the periods presented were impacted by:
48
Table of Contents
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Employee stock purchase plan activity | $ | (0.3) | $ | 0.9 | $ | (0.9) | ||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | (6.5) | (0.7) | (13.1) | |||||||
| Tax payment on intra-entity asset transfer | 2.8 | — | — | |||||||
| Proceeds from lease incentives | — | 14.2 | — | |||||||
| Capital expenditures related to new headquarters | (0.9) | (17.2) | (11.4) |
Free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow in 2021 were reduced by approximately $8 million due to prepayments of software subscription costs, insurance and rent, offset by a benefit of approximately $15 million from prepayments of similar items made in 2020. The 2020 prepayments reduced free cash flow and unlevered free cash flow by approximately $17 million in 2020.
Enterprise Platform Customers
We believe that our customer base provides a significant opportunity to expand sales of our enterprise platform offerings. The following tables summarize key components of our customer base:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||
| Number of new enterprise platform customers added in period(1)(2) | 1,882 | 1,455 | 1,511 |
_______________
(1) We define an enterprise platform customer as a customer that has licensed Tenable.ep, Tenable.io, Tenable.cs, Tenable.ad, Tenable.ot or Tenable.sc for an annual amount of $5,000 or greater. New enterprise platform customers represent new customer logos during the periods presented and do not include customer conversions from Nessus Professional to enterprise platforms.
(2) The number of new enterprise platform customers added in 2021 includes 95 legacy customers of our acquisitions.
| At December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||
| Number of customers with $100,000 and greater in annual contract value at end of period | 1,095 | 837 | 641 |
Non-GAAP Income (Loss) from Operations and Non-GAAP Operating Margin
We use non-GAAP income (loss) from operations along with non-GAAP operating margin as key indicators of our financial performance. We define these non-GAAP financial measures as their respective GAAP measures, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and amortization of acquired intangible assets. Acquisition-related expenses include transaction expenses and costs related to the intercompany transfer of acquired intellectual property.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about our core operating results over multiple periods. There are a number of limitations related to the use of the non-GAAP financial measures as compared to GAAP loss from operations and operating margin, including that non-GAAP income (loss) from operations and non-GAAP operating margin exclude stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
49
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of loss from operations, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP income (loss) from operations, and operating margin, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP operating margin:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (41,768) | $ | (36,433) | $ | (90,799) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 79,405 | 59,573 | 43,443 | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses | 6,901 | 339 | 3,970 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 6,447 | 2,314 | 620 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP income (loss) from operations | $ | 50,985 | $ | 25,793 | $ | (42,766) | ||||
| Operating margin | (8) | % | (8) | % | (26) | % | ||||
| Non-GAAP operating margin | 9 | % | 6 | % | (12) | % |
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) and Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) Per Share
We use non-GAAP net income (loss), which excludes stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and amortization of acquired intangible assets, as well as the related tax impacts, and the tax impact of intra-entity asset transfers resulting from the internal restructuring of legal entities as well as deferred income tax benefits recognized in connection with acquisitions, to calculate non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide important information because they facilitate comparisons of our core operating results over multiple periods.
50
Table of Contents
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss and net loss per share, the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, to non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except for per share amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (46,677) | $ | (42,731) | $ | (99,013) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 79,405 | 59,573 | 43,443 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 617 | 1,299 | (95) | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 6,901 | 339 | 3,970 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(3) | 6,447 | 2,314 | 620 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(4) | (10,560) | — | 10,582 | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfer(5) | 2,808 | — | — | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 38,941 | $ | 20,794 | $ | (40,493) | ||||
| Net loss per share, diluted | $ | (0.44) | $ | (0.42) | $ | (1.03) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation | 0.75 | 0.59 | 0.45 | |||||||
| Tax impact of stock-based compensation(1) | 0.01 | 0.01 | — | |||||||
| Acquisition-related expenses(2) | 0.06 | — | 0.04 | |||||||
| Amortization of acquired intangible assets(3) | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.01 | |||||||
| Tax impact of acquisitions(4) | (0.10) | — | 0.11 | |||||||
| Tax impact of intra-entity asset transfer(5) | 0.03 | — | — | |||||||
| Adjustment to diluted earnings per share(6) | (0.03) | (0.01) | — | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share, diluted | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.19 | $ | (0.42) | ||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute GAAP net loss per share, diluted | 106,387 | 101,009 | 96,014 | |||||||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share, diluted(7) | 114,825 | 109,962 | 96,014 |
________________
(1) The tax impact of stock-based compensation is based on the tax treatment for applicable tax jurisdictions.
(2) The tax impact of acquisition-related expenses is not material.
(3) The tax impact of the amortization of acquired intangible assets is included in the tax impact of acquisitions.
(4) The tax impact of acquisitions in 2021 includes a reversal of the $7.9 million income tax benefit recognized for GAAP purposes related to the partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Accurics acquisition and a reversal of $2.6 million of deferred tax benefits related to the Alsid acquisition. The tax impact of the Indegy acquisition in 2019 includes $6.3 million of current tax expense and $4.2 million of deferred tax expense related to the transfer of acquired intellectual property.
(5) The tax impact of the intra-entity asset transfer is related to the internal restructuring of Indegy, resulting in a current tax payment based on the applicable Israeli tax rate.
(6) An adjustment to reconcile GAAP net loss per share, which excludes potentially dilutive shares, to non-GAAP earnings per share, which includes potentially dilutive shares.
(7) In periods in which there is a non-GAAP net loss, basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding are the same, as potentially dilutive shares would be antidilutive.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services.
51
Table of Contents
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms to use our software or cloud-based solutions, including ongoing software updates during the contractual period. For software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released through the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which includes ongoing software updates. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. This estimate may change over time.
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
We have historically experienced, and expect in the future to experience, seasonality in entering into agreements with customers. We typically enter into a significantly higher percentage of agreements with new customers, as well as renewal agreements with existing customers, in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The increase in customer agreements in the third quarter is primarily attributable to U.S. government and related agencies, and the increase in the fourth quarter is primarily attributable to large enterprise account buying patterns typical in the software industry. The ratable nature of our subscription revenue makes this seasonality less apparent in our overall financial results.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue includes personnel costs related to our technical support group that provides assistance to customers, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any severance. Cost of revenue also includes cloud infrastructure costs, the costs related to professional services and training, depreciation, amortization of acquired and developed technology, hardware costs and allocated overhead costs, which consist of information technology and facilities.
We intend to continue to invest additional resources in our cloud-based platform and customer support team as we grow our business. The level and timing of investment in these areas could affect our cost of revenue in the future.
Gross profit, or revenue less cost of revenue, and gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, have been and will continue to be affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers and our renewals of and follow-on sales to existing customers, the costs associated with operating our cloud-based platform, the extent to which we expand our customer support team and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements.
We expect our gross profit to increase in absolute dollars but our gross margin to decrease over time, as we expect revenue from our cloud-based subscriptions to increase as a percentage of revenue. However, our gross margin could fluctuate from period to period depending on the interplay of all of these factors, particularly as it relates to cloud infrastructure costs.
52
Table of Contents
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, research and development and general and administrative expenses. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation and any severance. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization as well as allocated overhead costs, including IT and facilities costs.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expense consists of personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing programs, travel and entertainment, expenses for conferences, meetings and events and allocated overhead costs. We capitalize sales commissions, including related fringe benefit costs, and recognize the expense over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. Sales commissions on professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual periods of these arrangements are generally less than one year.
We intend to continue to make investments in our sales and marketing teams to increase revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. We expect our sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars annually and to be our largest operating expense category for the foreseeable future. However, as our revenue increases, we expect our sales and marketing expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term. Our sales and marketing expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses, including sales commissions, which may fluctuate depending on the mix of sales and related expense recognition.
Research and Development
Research and development expense consists of personnel costs, software used to develop our products, travel and entertainment, consulting and professional fees for third-party development resources as well as allocated overhead. Our research and development expense supports our efforts to continue to add capabilities to our existing products and enable the continued detection of new network vulnerabilities.
We expect our research and development expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development efforts to enhance the functionality of our cloud-based platform. However, we expect our research and development expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our research and development expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense consists of personnel costs for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and administrative departments. Additional expenses include travel and entertainment, professional fees, insurance, allocated overhead, and acquisition-related costs.
We expect our general and administrative expense to continue to increase annually in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future due to additional costs associated with accounting, compliance, insurance and investor relations as a public company. However, we expect our general and administrative expense to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our general and administrative expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.
Interest (Expense) Income, Net
Interest (expense) income, net consists primarily of interest expense in connection with our senior secured term loan facility, or Term Loan, unused commitment fees on our senior secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility,
53
Table of Contents
and letter of credit fees. Interest (expense) income, net also includes interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments.
Other Expense, Net
Other expense, net consists primarily of foreign currency remeasurement and transaction gains and losses.
(Benefit) Provision for Income Taxes
(Benefit) provision for income taxes has historically consisted of income taxes in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales to foreign customers. We typically maintain a valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits, and expect this to continue for the foreseeable future as it is more likely than not that some or all of those deferred tax assets may not be realized based on our history of losses.
In 2021, the income tax benefit resulted from a partial release of our valuation allowance associated with the Accurics acquisition and a deferred tax benefit related to post-acquisition activities of Alsid, which were partially offset by tax expense from the restructuring of our research and development operations in Israel as well as income taxes in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business and the related withholding taxes on sales to foreign customers.
In 2019, the provision for income taxes also included the tax impact related to the intercompany transfer of acquired intellectual property.
54
Table of Contents
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Revenue | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | $ | 354,586 | ||||
| Cost of revenue(1) | 106,396 | 77,554 | 60,818 | |||||||
| Gross profit | 434,734 | 362,667 | 293,768 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing(1) | 270,158 | 224,277 | 228,035 | |||||||
| Research and development(1) | 116,432 | 101,687 | 87,064 | |||||||
| General and administrative(1) | 89,912 | 73,136 | 69,468 | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 476,502 | 399,100 | 384,567 | |||||||
| Loss from operations | (41,768) | (36,433) | (90,799) | |||||||
| Interest (expense) income, net | (6,896) | 1,244 | 5,830 | |||||||
| Other expense, net | (1,965) | (1,885) | (680) | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (50,629) | (37,074) | (85,649) | |||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | (3,952) | 5,657 | 13,364 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (46,677) | $ | (42,731) | $ | (99,013) |
_______________
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 4,446 | $ | 3,158 | $ | 2,817 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 29,410 | 19,842 | 16,032 | |||||
| Research and development | 20,593 | 14,794 | 8,911 | |||||
| General and administrative | 24,956 | 21,779 | 15,683 | |||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 79,405 | $ | 59,573 | $ | 43,443 |
Comparison of 2021 and 2020
Revenue
The following table presents the increase in revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 476,023 | $ | 377,354 | $ | 98,669 | 26 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 50,333 | 50,594 | (261) | (1) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 14,774 | 12,273 | 2,501 | 20 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 541,130 | $ | 440,221 | $ | 100,909 | 23 | % |
U.S. revenue increased $46.3 million, or 17%. International revenue increased $54.6 million, or 32%.
55
Table of Contents
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 106,396 | $ | 77,554 | $ | 28,842 | 37 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 434,734 | 362,667 | 72,067 | 20 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 80 | % | 82 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $28.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $17.8 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $4.1 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $4.0 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products and an increase in headcount, including a $1.3 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.2 million increase in professional fees; and
•a $1.1 million increase in hardware costs; partially offset by
•a $0.6 million decrease in allocated overhead expenses.
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 270,158 | $ | 224,277 | $ | 45,881 | 20 | % |
The increase in sales and marketing expense of $45.9 million was primarily due to:
•a $23.3 million increase in personnel costs, related to an increase in headcount, including a $9.6 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $10.5 million increase in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts;
•a $10.0 million increase in sales commissions; and
•a $3.8 million increase in selling expenses, including software subscriptions and training programs; partially offset by
•a $1.9 million decrease in meeting and travel costs.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 116,432 | $ | 101,687 | $ | 14,745 | 15 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $14.7 million was primarily due to:
•a $13.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $5.8 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $2.1 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs; and
•a $0.6 million increase in software subscriptions; partially offset by
•a $1.0 million decrease in travel and meeting costs;
•a $0.5 million decrease in allocated overhead; and
•a $0.5 million decrease in depreciation.
56
Table of Contents
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 89,912 | $ | 73,136 | $ | 16,776 | 23 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $16.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $7.5 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in headcount, including a $3.2 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $6.3 million increase in acquisition-related expenses;
•a $2.0 million increase in professional fees; and
•a $1.0 million increase in depreciation and amortization.
Comparison of 2020 and 2019
Revenue
The following table presents the increase in revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Subscription revenue | $ | 377,354 | $ | 290,549 | $ | 86,805 | 30 | % | ||||||
| Perpetual license and maintenance revenue | 50,594 | 54,173 | (3,579) | (7) | % | |||||||||
| Professional services and other revenue | 12,273 | 9,864 | 2,409 | 24 | % | |||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 440,221 | $ | 354,586 | $ | 85,635 | 24 | % |
U.S. revenue increased $43.0 million, or 19%. International revenue increased $42.6 million, or 33%.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 77,554 | $ | 60,818 | $ | 16,736 | 28 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 362,667 | 293,768 | 68,899 | 23 | % | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 82 | % | 83 | % |
The increase in cost of revenue of $16.7 million was primarily due to:
•a $7.0 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to support for cloud-based products, including a $0.3 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $6.7 million increase in third-party cloud infrastructure costs;
•a $1.7 million increase in the amortization of acquired intangible assets;
•a $1.0 million increase in the amortization of internal use software; and
•a $0.7 million increase in allocated overhead costs driven by both the increase in average headcount and the overall increase in such costs on a year-over-year basis; partially offset by
•a $1.1 million decrease in travel and meeting expenses.
57
Table of Contents
Operating Expenses
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 224,277 | $ | 228,035 | $ | (3,758) | (2) | % |
The decrease in sales and marketing expense of $3.8 million was primarily due to:
•a $7.7 million decrease in selling expenses, including travel and meeting costs and software subscriptions; and
•a $6.4 million decrease in expenses for demand generation programs, including advertising, sponsorships, and brand awareness efforts; partially offset by
•a $8.9 million increase in personnel costs, primarily due to an increase in average headcount, including a $3.8 million increase in stock-based compensation;
•a $1.0 million increase in allocated overhead costs; and
•a $0.7 million increase in depreciation.
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 101,687 | $ | 87,064 | $ | 14,623 | 17 | % |
The increase in research and development expense of $14.6 million was primarily due to:
•a $14.8 million increase in personnel costs, largely associated with an increase in average headcount, including a $5.9 million increase in stock-based compensation and a decrease of $2.6 million of development costs and stock-based compensation capitalized related to internal use software;
•a $2.0 million increase in allocated overhead; and
•a $0.5 million increase in software subscriptions; partially offset by
•a $1.6 million decrease in travel and meeting costs; and
•a $0.9 million decrease in third-party cloud infrastructure costs.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | ($) | (%) | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 73,136 | $ | 69,468 | $ | 3,668 | 5 | % |
The increase in general and administrative expense of $3.7 million was primarily due to:
•an $8.7 million increase in personnel costs, including a $6.1 million increase in stock-based compensation; and
•a $1.3 million increase in allocated overhead; partially offset by
•a $3.6 million decrease in acquisition-related expenses;
•a $2.3 million decrease in professional fees; and
•a $1.5 million decrease in travel and meeting costs.
58
Table of Contents
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2021, we had $278.0 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consisted of bank deposits and money market funds, and $234.3 million short-term investments, which consisted of commercial paper, asset backed securities, certificates of deposit, U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, and corporate and supranational bonds.
Since our inception, we have primarily financed our operations through cash provided by operations, including payments received from customers using our software products and services. Prior to our IPO, we did not raise any primary institutional capital, and the proceeds of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock financings were used to repurchase shares of capital stock from former stockholders. We have generated significant operating losses, as reflected by our accumulated deficit of $654.5 million at December 31, 2021.
We typically invoice our customers annually in advance and, to a lesser extent, multi-year in advance. Therefore, a substantial source of our cash is from such prepayments, which are included in deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenue consists primarily of the unearned portion of billed fees for our subscriptions and perpetual licenses, which is subsequently recognized as revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. At December 31, 2021, we had deferred revenue of $530.9 million, of which $407.5 million was recorded as a current liability and is expected to be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Our principal uses of cash in recent periods have been funding our operations, expansion of our sales and marketing and research and development activities, investments in infrastructure, including the build-out of our new headquarters, and acquiring complementary businesses and technology. In April 2021, we paid $98.5 million in cash to acquire Alsid, and in October 2021, we acquired Accurics for $160.0 million in cash. In February 2022, we acquired Cymptom for approximately $23 million in cash. We may in the future enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in other complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights.
We expect to continue incurring operating losses in the near term. Even though we generated positive cash flows from operations and unlevered free cash flow in 2021 and 2020, we may not be able to sustain these cash flows. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operating and capital needs for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth rate, subscription renewal activity, the timing and extent of spending to support further infrastructure and research and development efforts, the timing and extent of additional capital expenditures to invest in new and existing office spaces, the expansion of sales and marketing and international operating activities, any acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies, the timing of our introduction of new product capabilities and enhancements of our platform and the continuing market acceptance of our platform. It may be necessary to seek additional equity or debt financing to fund our operating and capital needs. In the event that financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
While we have not seen a significant adverse impact on our business from the pandemic as of December 31, 2021, the extent to which it will impact our business and operations will depend on future developments that are uncertain. Accordingly, the current results and financial conditions discussed herein may not be indicative of our future operating results and trends. See the section titled “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility
In July 2021, we entered into a credit agreement, or the Credit Agreement, which is comprised of a $375.0 million Term Loan and a $50.0 million Revolving Credit Facility, with a $15.0 million letter of credit sublimit. The Term Loan bears interest at a rate of 2.75% per annum over LIBOR, subject to a 0.50% floor. The Term Loan will amortize at 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments, starting in March 2022 until the final maturity date on July 7, 2028. We may be subject to mandatory Term Loan prepayments related to the excess cash provisions in the Credit Agreement beginning in 2023. The Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at a rate, depending on first lien net leverage, ranging from 2.00% to 2.50% over LIBOR and matures on July 7, 2026. We will pay a commitment fee during the term ranging from 0.25% to 0.375% per
59
Table of Contents
annum of the average daily undrawn portion of the revolving commitments based on the first lien net leverage ratio. The Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and affirmative and negative covenants. Additionally, if at least 35% of the Revolving Credit Facility is drawn on the last day of the quarter, the total net leverage ratio cannot be greater than 5.50 to 1.00.
At December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with the covenants and there have been no amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility.
In connection with the Credit Agreement, we terminated our $45.0 million senior secured credit facility, or the 2020 Credit Facility, with Silicon Valley Bank, including the release of all related guarantees and liens. Prior to its termination, there were no amounts outstanding under our 2020 Credit Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 96,765 | $ | 64,232 | $ | (10,744) | ||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (391,590) | 4,079 | (113,050) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 397,646 | 36,403 | 34,161 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | (3,013) | (916) | (1,080) | |||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 99,808 | $ | 103,798 | $ | (90,713) |
Operating Activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash collections from sales of our products and services, as we typically invoice our customers in advance. Our primary uses of cash are employee compensation costs, third-party cloud infrastructure and other software subscription costs, demand generation expenditures and general corporate costs.
Investing Activities
From 2020 to 2021, net cash used in investing activities increased by $395.7 million, primarily due to an increase of cash paid for acquisitions of $258.2 million, a net increase in short-term investments of $146.2 million, and a $5.0 million simple agreement for future equity investment in 2021, partially offset by a decrease in purchases of property and equipment of $13.7 million.
From 2019 to 2020, cash flows from investing activities increased by $117.1 million, primarily due to a decrease in cash paid for acquisitions of $74.6 million and an increase in our sales, net of purchases, of investments of $42.1 million.
Financing Activities
From 2020 to 2021, net cash provided by financing activities increased by $361.2 million, primarily due to net proceeds from our Credit Facility of $365.7 million. This increase was partially offset by a decrease of $3.4 million in the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and $2.0 million of loan proceeds that we received from the state of Maryland in 2020.
From 2019 to 2020, net cash provided by financing activities increased by $2.2 million, primarily due to $2.0 million of proceeds from a loan agreement from the state of Maryland and an increase in proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $2.7 million, which was partially offset by a decrease in stock issued in connection with the employee stock purchase plan of $2.1 million.
60
Table of Contents
Contractual Obligations
We have certain contractual obligations for future payments. Refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for our required operating lease payments and Note 9 for our required payments to Amazon Web Services, Inc. for cloud services.
At December 31, 2021, we had other non-cancellable purchase obligations of $8.1 million due in the next twelve months and $11.3 million due thereafter. Additionally, we had $7.6 million of unrecognized tax benefits and $1.2 million of asset retirement obligations, the timing of payments for which is uncertain.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
The critical accounting estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In recognizing revenue, we apply the following steps:
•Identify the contract with a customer
•Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Determine the transaction price
•Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied
In situations where we enter into a contractual arrangement that includes non-standard terms and conditions, such as acceptance provisions and options to purchase additional products and services, as well as contract modifications, we apply judgment in identifying and assessing the impact on revenue recognition.
We generate revenue from subscription arrangements for our software and cloud-based solutions, perpetual licenses, maintenance associated with perpetual licenses and professional services and other revenue.
Subscription Revenue
Our subscription arrangements generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and allow customers to use our software or cloud solutions. For our software subscriptions that are dependent on ongoing software updates and the ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities, revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription term given the critical utility provided by the ongoing updates that are released throughout the contract period. When the critical utility of our software does not depend on ongoing updates, we recognize revenue attributable to the license at the time of delivery and the revenue attributable to the maintenance and support ratably over the contract period.
Perpetual License and Maintenance Revenue
Our perpetual licenses are generally sold with one or more years of maintenance, which include ongoing software updates and the ongoing ability to identify the latest cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Given the critical utility provided by the ongoing software updates and updated ability to identify network vulnerabilities included in maintenance, we combine the perpetual license and the maintenance into a single performance obligation. Perpetual license arrangements generally
61
Table of Contents
contain a material right related to the customer’s ability to renew maintenance at a price that is less than the initial license fee. We apply a practical alternative to allocating a portion of the transaction price to the material right performance obligation and estimate a hypothetical transaction price which includes fees for expected maintenance renewals based on the estimated economic life of the perpetual license contracts. We allocate the transaction price between the cybersecurity subscription provided in the initial contract and the material right related to expected contract renewals based on the hypothetical transaction price. We recognize the amount allocated to the combined license and maintenance performance obligation over the initial contractual period, which is generally one year. We recognize the amount allocated to the material right over the expected maintenance renewal period, which begins at the end of the initial contractual term and is generally four years. We have estimated the five-year economic life of perpetual license contracts based on historical contract attrition, expected renewal periods, the lifecycle of the our technology and other factors. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Professional Services and Other Revenue
Professional services and other revenue is primarily comprised of advisory services and training related to the deployment and optimization of our products. These services do not result in significant customization of our products. Professional services and other revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
In cases where our contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations, the contract transaction price is allocated on a relative standalone selling price basis. We typically determine standalone selling price based on observable selling prices of our products and services.
Variable Consideration
We record revenue from sales at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration when applicable. Certain of our customers may be entitled to receive credits and in certain circumstances, refunds, if service level commitments are not met. We have not historically experienced significant incidents affecting the ability to meet these service level commitments and any estimated refunds related to these agreements have not been material.
Sales through our channel partner network of distributors and resellers are generally discounted as compared to the price that we would sell to an end user. Revenue for sales through our channel network, which is fixed, is recorded net of any distributor or reseller margin.
Deferred Commissions
Sales commissions, including related incremental fringe benefit costs, are considered to be incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and therefore are deferred over an estimated period of benefit, which ranges between three and four years for subscription arrangements and five years for perpetual license arrangements. We have estimated the period of benefit based on the expected contract term including renewal periods, the lifecycle of our technology and other factors. Sales commissions on contract renewals are capitalized and amortized ratably over the contract term, with the exception of contracts with renewal periods that are one year or less, in which case the incremental costs are expensed as incurred. While we believe that the estimates we have made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, or RSUs, and purchase rights issued under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2018 ESPP, is calculated based on the fair value of the awards granted and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally two to four years. RSUs that include performance-based vesting conditions are expensed using the accelerated attribution method. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
62
Table of Contents
Estimating the fair value of stock options and purchase rights under the 2018 ESPP using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires assumptions as to the fair value of our underlying common stock, the estimated term of the option, the risk free interest rates, the expected volatility of the price of our common stock and the expected dividend yield. The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the option awards reflect our best estimates. If any of the assumptions change significantly, stock-based compensation for future awards may differ significantly compared with the awards granted previously.
The assumptions and estimates are as follows:
•Fair Value of Common Stock. See “Valuations” discussion below.
•Expected Term. This is the period of time that the options granted are expected to remain unexercised. We employ the simplified method to calculate the average expected term.
•Volatility. This is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable, such as a share price, has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. In 2021, we began using the volatility of our common stock to calculate expected volatility. Prior to 2021, we identified several public entities of similar size, complexity and stage of development and estimated our volatility based on the volatility of the common stock of these companies.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate. This is the U.S. Treasury rate, having a term that most closely resembles the expected life of the stock option.
•Dividend Yield. We have not and do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock.
Valuations
Following our IPO, we use the market price of our common stock at the date of grant as the fair value. Prior to our IPO, the lack of an active public market for our common stock required our board of directors to exercise reasonable judgment and consider a number of factors in order to make the best estimate of fair value of our common stock, in accordance with the technical practice-aid issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid entitled Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. Factors considered in connection with estimating the fair value of our common stock underlying our award of restricted stock and stock option awards when performing the fair value calculations with the Black Scholes option-pricing model included:
•The results of independent third-party valuations of our common stock
•Recent arm’s length transactions involving the sale or transfer of our common stock
•The rights, preferences and privileges of our Series A and Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock relative to those of our common stock
•Our historical financial results and future financial projections
•The market value of equity interests in substantially similar businesses, which equity interests can be valued through nondiscretionary, objective means
•The lack of marketability of our common stock
•The likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an IPO given prevailing market conditions
•Industry outlook
•General economic outlook including economic growth, inflation and unemployment, interest rate environment and global economic trends
As described above, the exercise price of our stock option awards was determined by our board of directors, with input from management, taking into account the factors described above, using a combination of valuation methodologies with varying weighting applied to each methodology as of the grant date.
Application of these approaches involved the use of estimates, judgment and assumptions that were highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses and future cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies and the probability of possible future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions or the relationships between those assumptions would have impacted our valuations as of each valuation date and may have had a material impact on the valuation of our common stock.
63
Table of Contents
The fair value of the 2018 ESPP purchase rights were estimated on the offering or modification dates based on the following assumptions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||
| Expected term (in years) | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | 0.5 — 2.0 | ||
| Expected volatility | 37.2% — 59.4% | 41.6% — 60.1% | 34.4% — 44.6% | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 0.1% — 0.2% | 0.1% — 0.9% | 1.5% — 2.5% | ||
| Expected dividend yield | — | — | — |
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations by recognizing the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, a non-recurring Level 3 fair value measurement, we make estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets such as identified acquired technology and trade names. We determine the fair value of acquired technology using the multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach. Estimates in valuing identifiable intangible assets include, but are not limited to, projected revenue growth rates, future expected operating expenses, obsolescence projections and an appropriate discount rate. Our estimate of fair value is based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may make adjustments to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with offsetting adjustments to goodwill. Any adjustments made after the measurement period will be reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. Acquisition-related transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The excess purchase consideration over the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment on October 1, or more frequently, when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We operate as one reporting unit and have elected to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company as a whole is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative assessment includes an evaluation of relevant events and circumstances, including macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, our overall financial performance, and trends in the value of our common stock. During the periods presented, there were no indications of impairment and it was not more likely than not that goodwill was impaired.
Income Taxes
We are subject to federal, state and local taxes in the United States as well as numerous international jurisdictions. These foreign jurisdictions have different statutory tax rates than the United States. Earnings generated by our international entities are related to transfer pricing requirements as applicable under local jurisdiction tax laws.
We record a provision for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have valuation allowances in all jurisdictions against deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities that will reverse and provide a source of taxable income. Our evaluation of valuation allowances could change in the future and the impact could have a material impact on our financial statements.
64
Table of Contents
We recognize tax benefits from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. Interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions are classified as a component of income tax expense.
In connection with the 2021 acquisition of Accurics, we elected to first offset our existing deferred tax assets with acquired deferred tax liabilities. This resulted in releasing $7.9 million of the federal and state valuation allowance, which was recorded as a component of our deferred tax benefit.
In December 2019, subsequent to our acquisition of Indegy, we transferred the acquired intellectual property from Israel to the U.S. and Ireland through an intercompany transaction. The sale of Indegy’s intellectual property for tax purposes resulted in $6.3 million of current tax expense and $4.2 million of deferred tax expense in Israel. In January 2021, we transferred Indegy’s R&D business to another wholly owned Israeli entity through an intercompany transaction. The sale of Indegy’s R&D business resulted in $2.8 million of current tax expense in Israel. The valuation of the intellectual property and R&D business for tax purposes required significant judgment and assumptions with respect to forecasted operating results and discount rates.
Depending on the jurisdiction, distributions of earnings could be subject to withholding taxes at rates applicable to the distributing jurisdiction. As we intend to continue to reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely, we have not provided for a U.S. income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes on undistributed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.