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Confluent, Inc. (CFLT)
:CFLT
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Confluent (CFLT) AI Stock Analysis

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CFLT

Confluent

(NASDAQ:CFLT)

Rating:57Neutral
Price Target:
$18.50
▼(-0.27% Downside)
Confluent's overall stock score is primarily influenced by its strong financial performance in terms of revenue growth and cash flow improvements, despite ongoing profitability challenges. Technical analysis indicates a bearish trend, which weighs down the score. Valuation concerns due to negative earnings further impact the overall assessment. The earnings call provided positive insights into revenue growth and strategic initiatives, but these were not included in the final score calculation due to weight redistribution.
Positive Factors
Investment Initiatives
Confluent announced a $200 million investment to expand its global partner ecosystem in advance of greater AI development.
Revenue Growth
CRPO grew 21% with total RPO up 31%, both accelerating vs. recent trends.
Strategic Initiatives
Management detailed several strategic initiatives and focus areas to reinvigorate growth, which show promising initial data.
Negative Factors
Cloud Business Challenges
Q2 results fell short despite a more upbeat cloud consumption backdrop, as continued cloud optimization from its top 20 customers weighed on outlook.
Customer Retention
The large AI native customer who pivoted back to Platform raises questions around CFLT’s ability to retain large customers, amidst rising competition/open-source alternatives.
Revenue Retention
The net revenue retention rate of 114% dropped from the recent 117% level, with potentially more pressure in the second half.

Confluent (CFLT) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Confluent Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionConfluent, Inc. operates a data streaming platform in the United States and internationally. It offers Confluent Cloud, a managed cloud-native service for connecting and processing data; and Confluent Platform, an enterprise-grade self-managed software that connects and processes data in real-time with the foundational platform for data in motion. It also provides Kafka Connect that enables to build connectors to integrate Apache Kafka with other apps and data systems; ksqlDB, a database for stream processing applications; and stream governance, a solution that is designed for the intricacies of streaming data, which allows teams to expand usage of real-time data without bypassing requirements for risk management and regulatory compliance. In addition, it also offers training and professional services. The company was formerly known as Infinitem, Inc. and changed its name to Confluent, Inc. in September 2014. Confluent, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
How the Company Makes MoneyConfluent generates revenue primarily through a subscription-based business model. Its key revenue streams include subscriptions to Confluent Cloud and the Confluent Platform. Confluent Cloud offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on the volume of data processed, while the Confluent Platform typically involves annual subscription fees based on the number of nodes or usage levels. Additionally, the company earns revenue from professional services, including training and consulting, which help organizations implement and optimize their data streaming solutions. Significant partnerships with major cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure, further enhance its market presence and contribute to its earnings by integrating Confluent's services within these platforms, thus expanding its customer base.

Confluent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Cloud Revenue
Cloud Revenue
Indicates the income generated from cloud services, highlighting the company's success in attracting and retaining customers in the cloud market, and its ability to scale and innovate in a competitive landscape.
Chart InsightsConfluent's Cloud Revenue has shown robust growth, increasing significantly over recent quarters. However, the latest earnings call reveals potential headwinds, including a shift by a major AI customer towards self-management and ongoing customer optimization efforts, which may temper future growth. Despite these challenges, strategic partnerships and strong Flink ARR growth are positive indicators. Investors should monitor how these factors balance out, particularly as management remains focused on driving efficiencies and strategic growth in both cloud and on-premise offerings.
Data provided by:Main Street Data

Confluent Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jul 30, 2025
(Q2-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Oct 29, 2025
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call reported strong growth in subscription and cloud revenues, significant operating margin improvement, and promising growth in Flink ARR and AI use cases. However, challenges were noted in consumption growth, particularly from larger customers, and a reduction in cloud usage by an AI-native customer, impacting future growth forecasts.
Q2-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Strong Subscription and Cloud Revenue Growth
Confluent achieved a 21% growth in subscription revenue and a 28% growth in Confluent Cloud revenue for Q2 2025.
Notable Increase in Operating Margin
The non-GAAP operating margin increased by approximately 6 percentage points, reaching 6%.
Flink ARR Growth
Flink ARR grew approximately 3x over the past 2 quarters, approaching $10 million.
Partner Ecosystem Expansion
Expanded partnerships with major companies like Infosys, contributing to over 20% of business being partner-sourced.
New AI Use Cases
AI production workloads are expected to grow 10x across a few hundred customers, showcasing Confluent's relevance in the AI space.
Negative Updates
Consumption Growth Challenges
Larger customers continued optimization efforts, leading to consumption growth notably below prior years.
AI-Native Customer Shift
An AI-native customer significantly reduced Confluent Cloud usage, impacting Q4 revenue growth by low single digits.
Decline in $20k-$100k Customer Growth
Growth in the $20k-$100k ARR customer segment was weaker compared to other segments.
Gross Revenue Retention
Gross revenue retention was marginally below 90%, indicating some level of churn or reduced spending.
Company Guidance
During the Confluent Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call, the company provided financial guidance for the fiscal third quarter and full year 2025. Confluent projected subscription revenue for Q3 to be between $281 million and $282 million, indicating a growth of approximately 17%. The non-GAAP operating margin for Q3 was expected to be around 7%, with non-GAAP net income per diluted share forecasted to be between $0.09 and $0.10. For the full fiscal year 2025, Confluent raised its subscription revenue guidance to a range of $1.105 billion to $1.11 billion, representing roughly 20% growth. They also anticipated a non-GAAP operating margin of approximately 6% and non-GAAP net income per diluted share to be around $0.36, with an adjusted free cash flow margin of about 6%. The company highlighted several growth drivers, including a 21% increase in subscription revenue, a 28% rise in Confluent Cloud revenue, and a non-GAAP operating margin improvement of 6 percentage points. Additionally, they noted significant traction in DSP monetization, with Flink ARR growing threefold over the past two quarters, and a 31% increase in RPO growth, reflecting stronger customer commitments.

Confluent Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Confluent demonstrates strong revenue growth and a solid gross margin, indicating healthy market demand and efficient cost management. However, negative profitability margins and continued net losses highlight a need for operational efficiency improvements. The balance sheet is sound, with controlled leverage and a strong asset base. Cash flow improvements are notable, although full profitability remains a challenge.
Income Statement
65
Positive
Confluent shows a robust revenue growth trajectory, with TTM revenue increasing by approximately 10.5% compared to the previous year. Gross profit margin remains solid at around 74.2%. However, the net profit margin is negative due to substantial net losses, indicating ongoing challenges in achieving profitability. EBIT and EBITDA margins are also negative, reflecting high operational costs.
Balance Sheet
70
Positive
The company maintains a healthy balance sheet with a debt-to-equity ratio of approximately 1.04, indicating moderate leverage. The equity ratio is around 37.8%, pointing to a stable financial structure. Return on equity remains negative due to net losses, but overall, the financial position is stable with ample assets to cover liabilities.
Cash Flow
60
Neutral
Operating cash flow has turned positive in the TTM period, reflecting improvements in cash generation. Free cash flow has also improved significantly, growing from the previous period. However, the free cash flow to net income ratio is low due to continued net losses, suggesting that profitability is still a concern despite cash flow improvements.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue1.06B963.64M776.95M585.94M387.86M236.58M
Gross Profit790.27M706.17M547.28M383.53M250.57M161.10M
EBITDA-371.18M-397.06M-430.01M-455.05M-335.99M-231.61M
Net Income-311.72M-345.06M-442.75M-452.55M-342.80M-229.83M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets2.82B2.69B2.46B2.34B2.34B526.12M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments1.94B1.91B1.90B1.93B2.02B288.55M
Total Debt1.11B1.11B1.11B1.12B1.12B50.93M
Total Liabilities1.75B1.73B1.65B1.58B1.49B832.37M
Stockholders Equity1.06B961.23M810.41M769.48M850.28M-306.25M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow27.47M9.49M-124.34M-171.79M-114.00M-86.71M
Operating Cash Flow42.19M33.46M-103.66M-157.33M-105.06M-82.06M
Investing Cash Flow-132.17M-74.98M-84.85M-865.80M-400.58M-176.86M
Financing Cash Flow73.57M79.81M102.37M82.24M1.84B276.76M

Confluent Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price18.55
Price Trends
50DMA
21.61
Negative
100DMA
22.07
Negative
200DMA
25.45
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.54
Negative
RSI
44.44
Neutral
STOCH
61.06
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CFLT, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 18.55 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 17.87, below the 50-day MA of 21.61, and below the 200-day MA of 25.45, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.54 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 44.44 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 61.06 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CFLT.

Confluent Risk Analysis

Confluent disclosed 74 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Confluent reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Confluent Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
73
Outperform
$25.90B-3.65%21.90%67.81%
70
Neutral
$72.50B-11.04%27.32%-11.94%
67
Neutral
$2.04B-1.92%-7.25%51.12%
65
Neutral
$103.77B721.64-8.99%23.46%-270.07%
64
Neutral
$15.79B105.912.61%12.68%
61
Neutral
$35.51B8.11-10.49%1.89%8.55%-8.72%
57
Neutral
$6.40B-32.18%23.02%21.01%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CFLT
Confluent
18.55
-1.72
-8.49%
OKTA
Okta
89.74
15.03
20.12%
MDB
MongoDB
322.05
32.17
11.10%
CRWD
CrowdStrike Holdings
412.46
156.03
60.85%
NET
Cloudflare
209.98
131.58
167.83%
EVCM
EverCommerce
11.32
0.97
9.37%

Confluent Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Confluent Holds 2025 Annual Stockholders Meeting
Neutral
Jun 13, 2025

On June 11, 2025, Confluent, Inc. conducted its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, where holders of Class A and Class B common stock participated in voting on three proposals. The stockholders elected Class I directors to serve until 2028, ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for 2025, and approved the compensation of named executive officers on a non-binding advisory basis.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Aug 29, 2025