Strong Financial Performance
First quarter revenue, EBITDA, EPS, and free cash flow were all ahead of expectations. First quarter revenue was $1.5 billion, up 4% year-over-year (6% FX neutral). Free cash flow was $288 million, up 73% compared to Q1 2024.
Growth in Key Segments
Research remains the largest and most profitable segment with contract value growing 7%. Global business sales (GBS) contract value increased 11%. Consulting revenue grew 5%, and consulting backlog increased 16%.
Conference and Consulting Success
Conference revenue grew 12% on the same conference basis FX neutral. Consulting revenue was up 5% FX neutral and contract optimization revenue grew robustly by 38% FX neutral.
Strong Cash Position and Shareholder Returns
Gartner has a strong balance sheet with about $2.1 billion of cash. They repurchased $163 million of stock in the quarter. The company plans to continue aggressive share repurchases.