News Release

Spok Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

Strong Q4 Software Operations Bookings Drive More Than 13%Year-Over-Year Growth

Year-End Software Backlog Up Nearly 22% From Prior Year

Plano, Tx. (February 26, 2025) – Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), a global leader in healthcare communications, today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.3125 per share, payable on March 31, 2025, to stockholders of record on March 14, 2025.

Recent Highlights:

  • Software operations bookings totaled $7.1 million in the fourth quarter, up 2% from the fourth quarter of 2023, driving total 2024 software operations bookings of $34.1 million, up 13.2% from the prior year
  • Fourth quarter software operations bookings included 20 six and seven-figure customer contracts, up from the amount generated in the prior year quarter
  • Software backlog totaled $62.4 million at December 31, 2024, up nearly 22% from the prior year
  • Fourth quarter 2024 Wireless average revenue per unit (ARPU) was $16, up more than 4% on a year-over-year basis
  • Capital returned to stockholders in the fourth quarter of 2024 totaled $6.3 million and $26.4 million for the full year 2024
  • Cash and cash equivalents increased by an additional $1.3 million in the fourth quarter, resulting in a total cash and cash equivalents balance of $29.1 million at December 31, 2024
  • Research and development costs totaled $11.5 million in 2024, supporting Spok’s investment in the Company’s industry-leading solutions to fuel future growth

“I am proud of the very strong finish to 2024 that our team was able to deliver in the fourth quarter and their continued dedication to Spok’s mission to grow software revenue, generate cash flow and return capital to stockholders,” said Vincent D. Kelly, chief executive officer of Spok Holdings, Inc. “In 2024 we achieved numerous operational and financial milestones as a year-over-year increase in software revenue was coupled with essentially flat year-over-year operating expenses, despite continued growth in our investment in Spok’s products and services. In addition, we strengthened our sales, product and development teams while making tremendous progress executing our product roadmap and building a robust product pipeline, both in terms of size and quality. We exited last year with record Software backlog levels, which were up nearly 22% from 2023. Software operations bookings for the year totaled $34.1 million and were up more than 13% from an already strong level of bookings in 2023. Included in this performance were 82 six- and seven-figure customer contracts, which exceeded prior year levels by more than 22%. Additionally, software operations bookings included 40 multi-year engagements, up significantly from the prior year, and the fourth quarter average new contract size increased by more than 50% on a year-over-year basis. Lastly, we were able to generate this growth, while increasing customer satisfaction scores and retention.

“I believe Spok has done an excellent job of balancing the necessary investments required for our products and infrastructure in order to fuel future growth, while continuing to create stockholder value and return capital to our stockholders,” continued Kelly. “In 2024, we generated $15.0 million of net income and $29.2 million of adjusted EBITDA, which more than covered the $26.4 million we returned to our stockholders. However, at the same time, we invested more than $11.5 million in our products and services through our R&D efforts. We remain committed to this approach of balancing cash returned to our stockholders with investments in our product offering and believe our extensive experience operating our established and well-regarded communication solutions will create significant value going forward. In short, we believe it is important to make money and regularly return capital to our stockholders as we move forward.

“Based on our performance in 2024, and the numerous financial and operational milestones we achieved during the year, we are providing 2025 guidance estimates for revenue and adjusted EBITDA. This guidance reflects the team’s confidence in being able to outpace our last year’s performance. At the midpoint of the guidance range, we believe we are on track to again grow consolidated revenue in 2025, on a year-over-year basis, with continued growth in software revenue, partially offset with slight declines in wireless revenue. We also anticipate that the midpoint of our adjusted EBITDA guidance will be consistent with last year, with additional growth potential at the high-end of the guidance range. Of course, we will continue to update you on our outlook each quarter when we report our results,” concluded Kelly.

Financial Highlights:

 

For the three months
ended December 31,

 

For the year
ended December 31,

(Dollars in thousands)

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

 

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paging revenue

$           17,750 

 

$           18,220 

 

(2.6) %

 

$         70,958 

 

$         73,135 

 

(3.0) %

Product and other revenue

                  620 

 

                  871 

 

(28.8) %

 

             2,565 

 

             2,833 

 

(9.5) %

Total wireless revenue

$           18,370 

 

$           19,091 

 

(3.8) %

 

$         73,523 

 

$         75,968 

 

(3.2) %

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

License

               1,283 

 

                  998 

 

28.6  %

 

             7,648 

 

             8,721 

 

(12.3) %

Professional services – projects

$             3,503 

 

$             3,340 

 

4.9  %

 

$         14,616 

 

$         13,305 

 

9.9  %

Professional services – managed services

               1,226 

 

                  445 

 

175.5  %

 

             3,259 

 

             1,389 

 

134.6  %

Hardware

                  269 

 

                  587 

 

(54.2) %

 

             1,382 

 

             2,675 

 

(48.3) %

Maintenance

               9,241 

 

               9,492 

 

(2.6) %

 

           37,225 

 

           36,967 

 

0.7  %

Total software revenue

$           15,522 

 

$           14,862 

 

4.4  %

 

$         64,130 

 

$         63,057 

 

1.7  %

Total revenue

$           33,892 

 

$           33,953 

 

(0.2) %

 

$       137,653 

 

$       139,025 

 

(1.0) %

 

 

   

(Dollars in thousands)

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

 

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

GAAP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses

$          29,254 

 

$          29,871 

 

(2.1) %

 

$       118,688 

 

$       117,797 

 

0.8  %

Net income

$             3,644 

 

$             3,365 

 

8.3  %

 

$          14,965 

 

$          15,666 

 

(4.5) %

Cash and cash equivalents (as of period end)

$          29,145 

 

$          31,989 

 

(8.9) %

 

$          29,145 

 

$          31,989 

 

(8.9) %

Capital returned to stockholders

$             6,336 

 

$             6,238 

 

1.6  %

 

$          26,381 

 

$          25,642 

 

2.9  %

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted operating expenses

$          28,313 

 

$          28,765 

 

(1.6) %

 

$       113,436 

 

$       112,728 

 

0.6  %

Adjusted EBITDA

$             7,055 

 

$             6,509 

 

8.4  %

 

$          29,173 

 

$          30,342 

 

(3.9) %

            
            
            
            

 

 

For the three months
ended December 31,

 

For the year
ended December 31,

(Dollars in thousands, excluding units in service and ARPU)

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

 

2024

 

2023

 

Change (%)

Key Statistics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless units in service (000’s)

                  720 

 

                  765 

 

(5.9) %

 

                 720 

 

                 765 

 

(5.9) %

Wireless average revenue per unit (ARPU)

$               8.16 

 

$               7.84 

 

4.1  %

 

$              7.97 

 

$              7.71 

 

3.4  %

Software operations bookings(1)

$             7,124 

 

$             4,112 

 

73.2  %

 

$         34,083 

 

$         30,113 

 

13.2  %

Software backlog (as of period end)(2)

$          62,439 

 

$          51,315 

 

21.7  %

 

$         62,439 

 

$         51,315 

 

21.7  %

(1) Software operations bookings includes net new (i.e., new customers or incremental add-on sales to existing customers) sales of license, professional services, equipment, and first-year maintenance.

(2) Software backlog excludes $5.6 million and $4.9 million of contractual obligations that are deemed cancellable by the customer without significant penalty as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Financial Outlook:

Regarding financial guidance, the Company expects the following for the full year 2025:

(Unaudited and in millions)

 

Current Guidance

Full Year 2025

 

 

From

 

To

Revenue

 

 

 

 

Wireless

 

$                             69.0 

 

$                             72.0 

Software

 

$                             65.0 

 

$                             70.0 

Total Revenue

 

$                           134.0 

 

$                           142.0 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$                             27.5 

 

$                             32.5 


2024 Fourth Quarter Call:

Management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these financial results on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The presentation is open to all interested parties and may include forward-looking information.

Conference Call Details

Date/Time:

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET

Webcast:

https://www.webcast-eqs.com/register/spok_q4_2024_en/en

U.S. Toll-Free Dial In:

877-407-0890

International Dial In:

1-201-389-0918

To access the call, please dial in approximately ten minutes before the start of the call. For those unable to join the live call, an OnDemand version of the webcast will be available following the call under the URL link and on the investor relations website.

********

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted operating expenses and adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted operating expenses excludes depreciation and accretion expense, impairment of intangible assets and severance and restructuring costs. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income/(loss) before interest income/expense, income tax benefit/expense, depreciation and accretion expense, stock-based compensation expense, impairment of intangible assets and severance and restructuring. With respect to our expectations under “Financial Guidance” above, reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income is not available without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis due to the high variability, complexity and uncertainty with respect to certain items included in net income that are excluded from adjusted EBITDA, in particular, income tax benefit/expense, stock-based compensation expenses, impairment of intangible assets, severance and restructuring and other non-recurring expenses. These items can have unpredictable fluctuations based on unforeseen activity that is out of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted.

We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to Spok’s financial condition and results of operations. We use these non-GAAP measures for financial, operational, and budgetary decision-making purposes, to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, and to generate future operating plans. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures permit us to more thoroughly analyze key financial metrics used to make operational decisions and allow us to assess our core operating results. We believe that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing our financial measures with other software companies who present similar non-GAAP financial measures. We adjust for certain items because we do not regard these costs as reflective of normal costs related to the ongoing operation of the business in the ordinary course. In general, these items possess one or more of the following characteristics: non-cash expenses, factors outside of our control, items that are non-operational in nature, and unusual items not expected to occur in the normal course of business. We believe it is important to exclude these costs, given that they do not represent future operational costs under this strategic business plan. This allows us to assess the underlying performance of our core business under this new strategic business plan.

We do not consider these non-GAAP measures in isolation or as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The principle of these non-GAAP financial measures is that they exclude significant amounts that are required by GAAP to be recorded in the Company’s financial statements. In addition, they are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgment by management about which items are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. In order to compensate for these limitations, management presents non-GAAP financial measures in connection with GAAP results. We urge investors to review the reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures, which are included in this press release, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

Tables to Follow

SPOK HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited and in thousands except share, per share amounts and ARPU)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

For the year ended

 

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless

 

$          18,370    

 

$          19,091    

 

$          73,523    

 

$          75,968    

Software

 

            15,522    

 

            14,862    

 

            64,130    

 

            63,057    

Total revenue

 

            33,892    

 

            33,953    

 

          137,653    

 

          139,025    

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue (exclusive of items shown separately below)

 

              6,995   

 

              6,933   

 

            28,430    

 

            26,818    

Research and development

 

              2,590   

 

              2,642   

 

            11,548    

 

            10,549    

Technology operations

 

              5,743   

 

              6,399   

 

            24,306    

 

            25,843    

Selling and marketing

 

              4,269   

 

              4,028   

 

            15,851    

 

            16,350    

General and administrative

 

              8,716   

 

              8,763   

 

            33,301    

 

            33,168    

Depreciation and accretion

 

                938   

 

                728   

 

              4,148   

 

              4,496   

Severance and restructuring

 

                    3   

 

                378   

 

              1,104   

 

                573   

Total operating expenses

 

            29,254  

 

            29,871   

 

          118,688  

 

          117,797    

% of total revenue

 

86.3  %

 

88.0  %

 

86.2  %

 

84.7  %

Operating income

 

              4,638   

 

              4,082   

 

            18,965    

 

            21,228    

% of total revenue

 

13.7  %

 

12.0  %

 

13.8  %

 

15.3  %

Interest income

 

                245   

 

                233   

 

              1,153   

 

              1,099   

Other income (expense)

 

                    5   

 

                  43   

 

                 (86)   

 

                  (2)   

Income before income taxes

 

              4,888   

 

              4,358   

 

            20,032    

 

            22,325    

Provision for income taxes

 

            (1,244)   

 

               (993)   

 

            (5,067)   

 

            (6,659)   

Net income

 

$            3,644   

 

$            3,365   

 

$          14,965    

 

$          15,666    

Basic net income per common share

 

$              0.18   

 

$              0.17   

 

$              0.74   

 

$              0.79   

Diluted net income per common share

 

$              0.18   

 

$              0.17   

 

$              0.73   

 

$              0.77   

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

 

     20,276,596    

 

     19,987,640    

 

     20,241,073    

 

     19,953,747    

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

 

     20,577,508    

 

     20,367,248    

 

     20,565,287    

 

     20,343,912    

Cash dividends declared per common share

 

            0.3125    

 

            0.3125    

 

            1.2500    

 

            1.2500    

 

SPOK HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$                           29,145 

 

$                           31,989 

Accounts receivable, net

 

                            21,950 

 

                            23,314 

Prepaid expenses

 

                              9,362

 

                              7,885

Other current assets

 

                                 840

 

                                 704

Total current assets

 

                            61,297 

 

                            63,892 

Non-current assets:

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

                              5,952

 

                              7,321

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

                              8,249

 

                            10,526 

Goodwill

 

                            99,175 

 

                            99,175 

Deferred income tax assets, net

 

                            41,686 

 

                            46,260 

Other non-current assets

 

                                 744

 

                                 510

Total non-current assets

 

                           155,806 

 

                           163,792 

Total assets

 

$                         217,103 

 

$                         227,684 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$                             5,630

 

$                             5,969

Accrued compensation and benefits

 

                              7,363

 

                              7,284

Deferred revenue

 

                            28,366 

 

                            26,298 

Operating lease liabilities

 

                              2,904

 

                              4,184

Other current liabilities

 

                              4,511 

 

                              4,273

Total current liabilities

 

                            48,774 

 

                            48,008 

Non-current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Asset retirement obligations

 

                              5,945

 

                              7,191

Operating lease liabilities

 

                              5,869

 

                              6,902

Other non-current liabilities

 

                              1,769

 

                              1,812

Total non-current liabilities

 

                            13,583 

 

                            15,905 

Total liabilities

 

                            62,357 

 

                            63,913 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock

 

$                                  —

 

$                                  —

Common stock

 

                                     2

 

                                     2

Additional paid-in capital

 

                           105,736 

 

                           102,936 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

                             (1,784)

 

                             (1,764)

Retained earnings

 

                            50,792 

 

                            62,597 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

                           154,746 

 

                           163,771 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$                         217,103 

 

$                         227,684 

 

SPOK HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited and in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

Operating activities:

 

 

 

Net income

$                           14,965 

 

$                           15,666 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation and accretion

                              4,148

 

                              4,496

Deferred income tax expense

                              4,573

 

                              6,378

Stock-based compensation

                              4,956

 

                              4,063

Provisions for credit losses, service credits and other

                                 846

 

                                 950

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

                                 506

 

                              2,580

Prepaid expenses and other assets

                             (1,845)

 

                                (909)

Net operating lease liabilities

                                 (36)

 

                             (1,264)

Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other

                             (1,184)

 

                             (5,217)

Deferred revenue

                              1,993

 

                                (559)

Net cash provided by operating activities

                            28,922 

 

                            26,184 

Investing activities:

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

                             (3,209)

 

                             (3,417)

Net cash used in investing activities

                             (3,209)

 

                             (3,417)

Financing activities:

 

 

 

Cash distributions to stockholders

                           (26,381)

 

                           (25,642)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan

                                 272

 

                                 210

Purchase of common stock for tax withholding on vested equity awards

                             (2,428)

 

                             (1,245)

Net cash used in financing activities

                           (28,537)

 

                           (26,677)

Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents

                                 (20)

 

                                 145

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

                             (2,844)

 

                             (3,765)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

                            31,989 

 

                            35,754 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$                           29,145 

 

$                           31,989 

Supplemental disclosure:

 

 

 

Income taxes paid

$                               571

 

$                               179

 

SPOK HOLDINGS, INC.

UNITS IN SERVICE, MARKET SEGMENTS,

AND AVERAGE REVENUE PER UNIT (ARPU)

(Unaudited and in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

 

12/31/2024

 

9/30/2024

 

6/30/2024

 

3/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

 

9/30/2023

 

6/30/2023

 

3/31/2023

Account size ending units in service (000’s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 to 100 units

 

           40   

 

           41   

 

           42   

 

           43   

 

           44   

 

           46   

 

           48   

 

           48   

101 to 1,000 units

 

         120   

 

         125   

 

         128   

 

         135   

 

         142   

 

         143   

 

         144   

 

         149   

>1,000 units

 

         560   

 

         564   

 

         577   

 

         575   

 

         579   

 

         596   

 

         614   

 

         614   

Total

 

         720   

 

         730   

 

         747   

 

         753   

 

         765   

 

         785   

 

         806   

 

         811   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market segment as a percent of total ending units in service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthcare

 

85.6  %

 

85.7  %

 

85.8  %

 

86.1  %

 

85.9  %

 

86.0  %

 

86.1  %

 

85.7  %

Government

 

4.0 %

 

4.1 %

 

4.4 %

 

4.1 %

 

4.2 %

 

4.2 %

 

4.2 %

 

4.3 %

Large enterprise

 

3.9 %

 

4.0 %

 

4.0 %

 

3.9 %

 

4.1 %

 

4.1 %

 

4.0 %

 

4.1 %

Other(1)

 

6.5 %

 

6.2 %

 

5.8 %

 

5.9 %

 

5.8 %

 

5.7 %

 

5.7 %

 

5.9 %

Total

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

100.0  %

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Account size ARPU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 to 100 units

 

$    13.08   

 

$    12.70   

 

$    12.51   

 

$    12.66   

 

$    12.57   

 

$    12.02   

 

$    11.91    

 

$    12.03   

101 to 1,000 units

 

        9.60   

 

        9.19   

 

        9.06   

 

        9.14   

 

        9.16   

 

        8.75   

 

        8.56   

 

        8.75   

>1,000 units

 

        7.50   

 

        7.33   

 

        7.21   

 

        7.23   

 

        7.15   

 

        6.97   

 

        6.94   

 

        6.95   

Total

 

$      8.16   

 

$      7.95   

 

$      7.84   

 

$      7.89   

 

$      7.84   

 

$      7.59   

 

$      7.53   

 

$      7.59   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Other includes hospitality, resort and indirect units

 

RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED OPERATING EXPENSES

(Unaudited and in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

For the year ended

 

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

Operating expenses

 

$                  29,254 

 

$                29,871 

 

$              118,688 

 

$               117,797 

Add back:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and accretion

 

                       (938)

 

                       (728)

 

                    (4,148)

 

                    (4,496)

Severance and restructuring

 

                          (3)

 

                       (378)

 

                    (1,104)

 

                       (573)

Adjusted operating expenses

 

$                  28,313 

 

$                 28,765 

 

$              113,436 

 

$               112,728 

 

RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED EBITDA

(Unaudited and in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

For the year ended

 

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

 

12/31/2024

 

12/31/2023

Net income

 

$                    3,644

 

$                    3,365

 

$                  14,965 

 

$                  15,666 

Add back:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provision for income taxes

 

                      1,244

 

                        993

 

                      5,067

 

                      6,659

Other income (expense)

 

                          (5)

 

                         (43)

 

                          86

 

                            2

Interest income

 

                       (245)

 

                       (233)

 

                    (1,153)

 

                    (1,099)

Depreciation and accretion

 

                        938

 

                        728

 

                      4,148

 

                      4,496

EBITDA

 

$                    5,576

 

$                    4,810

 

$                  23,113 

 

$                  25,724 

Adjustments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation

 

                      1,476

 

                      1,321

 

                      4,956

 

                      4,045

Severance and restructuring

 

                            3

 

                        378

 

                      1,104

 

                        573

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$                    7,055

 

$                    6,509

 

$                  29,173 

 

$                  30,342