Rapid7 Inc (RPD) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong ARR Growth Amidst Competitive Challenges

GuruFocus.com
14 Feb

Release Date: February 12, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Rapid7 Inc (NASDAQ:RPD) ended 2024 with $840 million in ARR, growing 4% over the prior year, in line with their outlook.
  • Revenue and operating income exceeded guided ranges, with over $150 million in free cash flow generated for the year.
  • The detection and response business delivered double-digit growth, ending the year with over $400 million in ARR.
  • The company made substantial progress in scaling its partner ecosystem, booking 80-90% of new ARR through the channel.
  • Rapid7 Inc (NASDAQ:RPD) achieved significant milestones in cloud security adoption with the release of Exposure Command, driving over 20% year-over-year growth in risk and exposure management pipeline generation.

Negative Points

  • Rapid7 Inc (NASDAQ:RPD) acknowledged that recent growth has not kept pace with broader security demand.
  • The vulnerability management landscape is facing intense competition and cloud migration, leading to secular pressure and increased churn.
  • The company experienced challenges in managing the transition from traditional vulnerability management to integrated security operations.
  • There is uncertainty and disruption with certain state, local, educational, and healthcare customers affecting ARR growth expectations.
  • The managed service component of the business comes with lower gross margins due to its labor-intensive nature.

Q & A Highlights

  • Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with RPD.

Q: Can you clarify the growth expectations for the Detection and Response (DNR) business and how it compares to the Vulnerability Management (VM) segment? A: Corey Thomas, CEO: The DNR business, particularly Managed Detection and Response (MDR), is growing in the mid-teens and represents a significant portion of our ARR. The remainder includes cloud VM and legacy products. We are confident in the growth potential of the DNR segment and are investing in it. The integrated exposure management market is also expected to be a growth driver, although we are cautious about overestimating its immediate impact.

Q: How do you view the margins for the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) business compared to the rest of the company? A: Tim Adams, CFO: Product gross margins are expected to remain stable in the mid-seventies. The managed service aspect of MDR has a lower gross margin due to its labor-intensive nature, but we are working on efficiencies through AI and our innovation center in India. Overall, we anticipate maintaining stable product gross margins.

Q: What is Rapid7's value proposition in the competitive cloud security market, and how sustainable is your success? A: Corey Thomas, CEO: Our focus is on reducing complexity for customers by providing integrated exposure management across various environments, including cloud and on-prem. We aim to offer a comprehensive view of the attack surface, manage risk, and ensure compliance. This approach targets a broader market beyond the initial cloud adopters, making it a sustainable strategy.

Q: How are you addressing the decline in the Vulnerability Management (VM) market, and what is the outlook for this segment? A: Corey Thomas, CEO: The traditional on-prem VM market is not experiencing significant growth, but we see opportunities in managing risk in a fragmented regulatory environment. We are focusing on exposure management, which is gaining traction. While we expect incremental positive impact this year, the more substantial benefits will likely materialize next year.

Q: Can you elaborate on the competitive environment and pricing pressures Rapid7 faces? A: Corey Thomas, CEO: The traditional VM market has been competitive, but our exposure command is gaining momentum with better-than-expected conversion rates. We see a robust upsell opportunity within our install base, particularly in the DNR and exposure management segments. While the market remains competitive, we are well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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