Free Cash Flow and Full-Year FCF Guidance
Adjusted free cash flow was negative $145 million in 1Q (seasonal), but management reiterated full-year adjusted FCF guidance of $630M–$650M and noted that receivables causing the quarter's negative FCF were collected in early March.
Capital Return and Balance Sheet Actions
Returned ~$65 million to shareholders in the quarter (including $42M share repurchases at ~$40/sh and $23M dividend); issued $600M of 3-year senior notes (6.50%) to refinance near-term debt, leaving liquidity near $1.4B and an undrawn $1.1B revolver.
Cost Actions and Leverage Reduction Plan
Taking cost actions expected to yield ~ $40 million of annualized savings (on top of growth investments) and targeting net leverage below 2.6x adjusted EBITDA by the end of fiscal 2026.
Vertical Strengths
Banking & financial services revenue grew 13% YoY; retail, travel & e-commerce grew 6% YoY; media & communications grew 3% YoY — demonstrating broad-based pockets of strength and sustainable pipeline momentum in BFSI and e-commerce/travel.
Revenue Growth
Reported revenue of approximately $2.5 billion in 1QFY26, up ~5% on a reported basis and +1.9% on a constant currency basis; Q2 revenue guide of $2.46B–$2.485B implying ~1%–2% constant currency growth.
Strong Technology & AI Momentum
Wins with technology were up more than 61% year-over-year in the quarter; signed annual contract value for solutions (including AI) more than doubled quarter-over-quarter; closed ~60 enterprise iX suite deals in the quarter including the largest iX Hero contracts to date with 2 Fortune 50 companies.
SaaS/Subscription Progress (Hero & iX)
iX Hero ARR was $60M at end of Q4 and management targets being at or above $100M ARR by the end of the fiscal year; iX Hello priced on consumption while Hero is subscription-based, showing pathway to accretive margins as scale is reached.
Profitability In Line with Guidance
Non-GAAP operating income of $295 million (midpoint of prior guidance), adjusted EBITDA of $348 million (13.9% margin), and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $2.61 — all in line with guidance ranges.