Latest news with #Outcomes
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ITRI Q1 Earnings Call: Margin Expansion and Software Growth Offset Revenue Miss
Resource management provider Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) missed Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales flat year on year at $607.2 million. On the other hand, the company expects next quarter's revenue to be around $610 million, close to analysts' estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $1.52 per share was 15.3% above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy ITRI? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $607.2 million vs analyst estimates of $614.1 million (flat year on year, 1.1% miss) Adjusted EPS: $1.52 vs analyst estimates of $1.32 (15.3% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $87.93 million vs analyst estimates of $83.5 million (14.5% margin, 5.3% beat) Revenue Guidance for Q2 CY2025 is $610 million at the midpoint, roughly in line with what analysts were expecting Adjusted EPS guidance for Q2 CY2025 is $1.35 at the midpoint, above analyst estimates of $1.29 Operating Margin: 12.6%, up from 10.4% in the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow Margin: 11.1%, up from 5.7% in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $5.19 billion Itron's first quarter performance was shaped by favorable shifts in product mix and continued operational execution, as highlighted by CEO Tom Deitrich. The company saw expansion of gross margins and operating efficiency, particularly due to disciplined manufacturing and customer demand for its grid edge intelligence platform. CFO Joan Hooper pointed to record margins in Device Solutions and improved recurring revenue in Outcomes as supporting factors for margin growth, despite revenue coming in flat compared to the prior year. Looking ahead, management noted that expected tariff impacts and a stable demand environment are key themes for the remainder of the year. Deitrich acknowledged the fluid tariff landscape, estimating a $15 million EBITDA effect for 2025, but emphasized that mitigation strategies and ongoing supply chain adjustments should help maintain margin strength. Hooper added that recurring software revenue and disciplined capital allocation remain top priorities as Itron navigates macroeconomic and trade uncertainties. First quarter performance was driven by a favorable product mix, margin expansion, and continued demand for advanced grid intelligence solutions. Management emphasized operational discipline, recurring software growth, and resilience to evolving trade policies. Margin Expansion Through Product Mix: Gross margin reached a quarterly record, supported by a shift toward higher-margin products in Device Solutions and Outcomes. Portfolio pruning and a move away from legacy electric offerings contributed to improved profitability. Software and Recurring Revenue Growth: Outcomes segment revenue grew 14% year-over-year, with management highlighting four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. Recurring software licenses made up approximately 70% of Outcomes revenue, with an ultimate goal of reaching 80%. Grid Edge Platform Adoption: Customer adoption of Itron's distributed intelligence and grid edge platforms continued, with 14.4 million endpoints shipped and another 10 million-plus in backlog. Key utility projects—including those with FirstEnergy and Public Service Company of New Mexico—drove demand for solutions that enhance outage detection and infrastructure agility. Tariff and Supply Chain Management: The company's regional supply strategy, including significant manufacturing in the U.S. and USMCA-compliant sourcing from Mexico, is helping to mitigate tariff impacts. Management estimates a $15 million net EBITDA impact from current tariffs for 2025, with most of the cost expected in the second half of the year. Constructive Regulatory Environment: Management described a supportive regulatory backdrop for utility software purchases, with the majority of states enabling rate-base inclusion for software and performance-based rates, facilitating ongoing Outcomes segment growth. Management's outlook for the next quarter and the remainder of the year centers on navigating tariff headwinds, sustaining margin improvements, and driving recurring software revenue growth, while acknowledging macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainties. Tariff Impact Mitigation: Itron is focused on offsetting anticipated tariff impacts through regional manufacturing, sourcing flexibility, and selective pricing adjustments, aiming to minimize disruption to margins and profitability. Recurring Revenue Expansion: Strategic emphasis remains on growing the Outcomes software segment, with management targeting a higher proportion of recurring revenue and ongoing margin expansion through product mix and operational leverage. Stable Utility Demand: The company sees steady customer demand for infrastructure modernization and grid intelligence solutions, although management noted that broader macroeconomic shifts could affect order timing or project execution later in the year. Noah Kaye (Oppenheimer): Asked if tariff headwinds would alter full-year guidance; management said it is too early to update, but current mitigation keeps guidance on track. Ben Kallo (R.W. Baird): Questioned regulatory progress on utilities capitalizing software; Tom Deitrich pointed to positive trends and mechanisms in most states enabling inclusion in rate bases. Jeff Osborne (TD Cowen): Inquired about the timing of tariff cost impacts and CapEx implications; management expects most tariff costs in the year's second half and no material change to capital expenditures. Joe Osha (Guggenheim): Sought clarity on margin sustainability in Outcomes after strong results; Joan Hooper said margins will fluctuate with software mix but expects year-over-year margin growth. Chip Moore (ROTH Capital Partners): Asked about capital allocation priorities; Joan Hooper indicated acquisitions to expand software capabilities are the top focus, with active exploration of potential deals. In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will closely monitor (1) the pace of recurring revenue growth in the Outcomes segment, (2) the effectiveness of tariff mitigation strategies as new trade measures are implemented, and (3) ongoing customer adoption of Itron's grid edge and distributed intelligence solutions. We will also watch for updates on potential software-focused acquisitions, which could accelerate recurring revenue and margin expansion. Itron currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 20.7×. Should you double down or take your chips? Find out in our free research report. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
Campaign ME
22-04-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Moving beyond vanity metrics and maximising marketing ROI
Panel 1 explored the challenge in distinguishing between vanity metrics and those that genuinely reflect marketing ROI and performance. In a landscape flooded with metrics, dashboards, and data, marketers must learn to identify what truly matters. Campaign Middle East hosted its second event of 2025, Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Talent and Technology 2025, at The Metropolitan Hotel, Dubai Media City, on 11 April. Organised by Motivate Media Group in partnership with EternityX, Fusion5 and Seedtag, the session brought together client-side marketers, agency experts, and adtech leaders to tackle the pressing issue of marketing measurement in a tech-driven world (photo gallery). The first panel discussion was moderated by Natale Panella, Head of Digital at Fusion5; the panel included: Alka Winter , Vice President ‑ Destination Marketing and Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) Vice President ‑ Destination Marketing and Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Tina Chikhani Nader, Head of Digital Marketing, Media and Ecommerce, Unilever Head of Digital Marketing, Media and Ecommerce, Sourav Dey, Vice President of Growth for Wego Vice President of Growth for Matt Nelson, Senior Director – Marketing Performance, Miral Destinations Starting things off, Panella asked the question, How can we leverage data analytics to provide personalised campaigns? Personalisation through data Unilever's Nader started the conversation by stressing the need to embrace data to stay relevant. 'If we don't understand through data where our consumers are, what they are doing, and what they are going through, it would be very difficult for brands to resonate with audiences,' said Nader. She referenced Dove's Detox Your Feed campaign, which used social listening and platform data to target users with messages to unfollow harmful accounts, achieving deep personalisation through tech collaboration. Nader emphasised that this level of personalisation was only possible through collaboration with platforms and available tech tools, showcasing how data analytics can be used to improve campaign reach and effectiveness. Continuing the conversation, RAKTDA's Winte discussed AI's role in travel marketing, from audience segmentation to targeting and retargeting. She explained how important data tools, such as Outcomes, which uses AI to continuously optimise campaigns, guarantees prices of biddable media and tracks search behaviour, which is crucial information within the tourism industry. 'In the tourism sector… this helps map the journey from inspiration to booking and what the gap is between searches and booking,' said Winter. She also raised concerns around outdated attribution models like last-click, pushing for more nuanced approaches. Beyond vanity metrics and maximising marketing ROI Wego's Dey talks about how important it is for departments to identify their own KPIs. He explained that performance KPIs differ by team, and while ROI remains central, deeper metrics often reveal the real story. 'In performance marketing, ROI is our primary KPI,' he said. 'But when campaigns don't show immediate profitability, we dig deeper.' He explained that metrics like search session rate or click session rate often reveal whether marketing is driving quality traffic. 'If those are above 90 per cent, the issue might not be with us – it could be product, content, or commercial.' For Dey, the key is clear: 'Different teams need to focus on the metrics that actually matter to them.' Nader agreed, urging marketers to align metrics with campaign goals. She added, 'We need to define what we're trying to do and what we're looking for. We know everyone loves to talk about engagements, but there are times we need to talk about click-throughs and then dive deeper into metrics that matter. Based on the objectives of each campaign, we need to go beyond vanity metrics to assess the success in ways that matter.' Which leads the panel to the next question: How can brands build a framework that balances vanity metrics with performance and business metrics while actively attributing every action across the marketing journey? Building smarter frameworks Miral's Matt Nelson comments, 'Ultimately, going beyond vanity metrics means that measuring success is not going to be about a single number on a page anymore. It's about a set of indicators that constantly guide what we're doing. It's not about one measurement framework but about different ones working together. It's going to be more of a weather report than a report card.' Winter added that traditional funnel models no longer apply due to fragmented consumer journeys, prompting Panella to ask how brands can keep pace with changing behaviours. Nader observed that while regional platforms offer real-time media metrics, real-time content measurement remains underdeveloped. She praised a system she encountered in the US that offered instant feedback across the entire funnel, allowing immediate optimisation without approvals. 'You see instantly if content is landing, if a channel isn't working, or if your investment is off at any point in the funnel,' she said. Nelson highlighted that while real-time and platform metrics are useful for immediate media performance, they quickly lose relevance—often within six weeks. In his team's structure, such metrics are reviewed internally no more than twice a year and are not shared beyond the marketing department. Instead, the focus is on aligning measurement with long-term business impact, understanding what matters now versus what will still matter months down the line. Dey supported this, highlighting the growing role of AI. 'Doing it manually would have required a large team… AI allows us to do more with less.' Adapting to shifting consumer behaviours Winter acknowledged the 'messy middle' in modern consumer journeys and stressed the need for content that speaks to different audience segments. AI, she said, helps deliver relevant messaging faster – though scaling remains a challenge. She said, 'With our media strategy team, we're constantly looking at that and looking at tools of optimisation using AI. What can we do from a creative standpoint? I love what you said about creating content at scale. It's so applicable because you have such various segments and audiences who need different things. Especially in tourism, it's not one product. It's an entire destination with multiple touchpoints. If you are somebody who enjoys hiking, you're from the Nordics, and I want you to come to us, I'll be sending you images of food from our restaurants. I'll send you hiking trails and things of that nature. It's constant analysis. I have to say, because of machine learning and AI, we're able to do it at speed. We're just not there yet to do it at scale.' She also touched on emerging AI platforms like Perplexity, which could transform travel booking by eliminating site redirections. By moving beyond static segmentation, marketers can uncover real-time insights like travel sentiment and awareness. By feeding that information into an AI model, it becomes possible to generate real-time, intuitive insights – such as travel frequency, sentiment about destinations, or awareness of specific places. While this kind of AI isn't widely used in tourism yet, the Winter expressed interest in leading its adoption. Nader added that targeting is moving from broad demographics to niche communities united by shared interests. She encouraged brands to speak the language of these groups to connect meaningfully, echoing Winter's earlier example of tailoring content to hikers from Nordic countries. 'By engaging with these communities in an authentic way – speaking their language and understanding their culture – brands can build stronger, more relevant connections. The key challenge now is finding ways for brands to integrate into these communities seamlessly, without appearing like traditional advertising,' says Nader. Winter concluded, 'We're constantly looking at ways to optimise using AI because we have so many different audiences… the content we create must speak to each of them.' Nader emphasised the importance of brands becoming part of communities by clearly defining their values, intentions, and target audience – not just demographically, but with a deeper understanding of how people live, think, and interact. It's about going beyond labels like '18 to 24 female' to understand daily behaviours, environments, and mindsets. Once a brand speaks the community's language and aligns with its culture, it can naturally embed itself and build meaningful connections. Read the full event wrap-up here.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Scientist.com Launches Clinical Labs Navigator™ to Expand Clinical Sourcing Capabilities
the leading R&D procurement orchestration platform for the life sciences, today announced the launch of Clinical Labs Navigator™, a groundbreaking new tool that redefines how clinical trial services are sourced, managed, and executed. Developed in response to growing demand for more modern, collaborative procurement tools, Clinical Labs Navigator enables life science organizations to seamlessly engage with CROs while eliminating the inefficiencies of legacy processes. The platform delivers a more connected and compliant workflow, supporting streamlined communication, full budget digitization, and greater transparency across the clinical research lifecycle. 'Clinical Labs Navigator was built to meet the increasing need for integrated, efficient, and compliant solutions in clinical trial execution,' said Matt McLoughlin, SVP of Compliance & Categories at 'We've created a tool that not only helps clients streamline the design of clinical trials, through enhanced internal and external collaboration, but increases transparency throughout the study design and contracting process.' The solution enhances platform workflows across several high-impact areas for both the sponsor and CRO: Budget Digitization: Improved budget tracking and rate card adherence Budget Management: Built-in cost modeling tools to improve and refine accuracy of budget estimates Increased compliance: Enhanced audit trails to increase efficiency and compliance Enhanced analytics: Improved reporting capabilities across various metrics With this release, expands its clinical-stage portfolio to offer solutions across the entire development pipeline including Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), Real-World Evidence/Data (RWE/RWD), Market Access, GMP manufacturing, and late-stage biomarker development. Clinical Labs Navigator is particularly suited for organizations seeking to consolidate sourcing efforts, reduce study delays, and increase visibility across their global clinical operations. The launch is a key milestone in broader mission to digitally transform the way research is conducted. By leveraging AI-enabled tools and deeply embedded compliance frameworks, the platform empowers researchers and procurement professionals to make smarter, faster decisions—ultimately accelerating the development of life-changing therapies. To learn more about Clinical Labs Navigator™ and explore our full suite of clinical sourcing solutions, visit is the leading AI-enabled digital research platform for the life science industry. The platform simplifies drug discovery and development by streamlining procurement, accelerating innovation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and connecting researchers with a global network of pre-qualified suppliers. powers private marketplaces for the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, over 100 biotech firms, and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Learn more at [email protected] SOURCE: Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 04/08/2025 07:55 AM/DISC: 04/08/2025 07:55 AM
Associated Press
01-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
InteliChart Ranked #1 Patient Engagement Platform by Black Book Research for Third Consecutive Year
Nationwide, independent survey results reaffirm company's impact on improving communication, engagement, and operational efficiency CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- InteliChart, an award-winning provider of patient engagement solutions, has once again been named the #1-rated End-to-End Patient Engagement Platform by Black Book Market Research—marking the company's third consecutive year at the top. This recognition highlights InteliChart's role in delivering a frictionless, scalable experience for both patients and providers. As healthcare organizations navigate increasing demands and evolving expectations, the award underscores the platform's ability to streamline engagement workflows, simplify digital communication, and support meaningful interactions across the care continuum. Black Book's 2025 report is based on a nationwide, six-month survey of 2,518 verified users—including clinical, administrative, and IT professionals—as well as feedback from over 1,000 healthcare consumers. This year, Black Book introduced an updated set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to better reflect the industry's shift toward interoperability, automation, and patient-centered care. The new framework replaces outdated metrics with more relevant assessments focused on usability, scalability, and communication outcomes. 'Being recognized as the top-rated patient engagement platform for the third year in a row is a tremendous honor,' said Gary Hamilton, CEO of InteliChart. 'What makes this year especially meaningful is the shift in how excellence is measured—Black Book's updated framework now reflects what matters most in healthcare today, including direct input from patients. We've long prioritized user experience, seamless workflow integration, and real-time communication, so it's incredibly rewarding to see those values validated in this year's results.' InteliChart earned the top ranking in 14 of the 18 KPI categories measured in this year's survey, including: User-Friendliness, Customization Capabilities, Integration Efficiency, Communication Effectiveness, Patient Activation Levels, Staff Adoption Rate, Data Security and Compliance, Scalability, Feedback Mechanisms, Cost-Effectiveness, Operational Efficiency, Accessibility and Inclusivity, Analytics and Reporting Capabilities, and Future-Proofing and Innovation. In the remaining four categories, InteliChart maintained a top-three position—demonstrating consistent excellence across the board. InteliChart's Healthy Outcomes platform drives patient engagement across every phase of the care journey, with solutions for self-scheduling, digital intake, secure messaging, automated outreach, virtual care, and population health—all built on a single, integrated architecture. These capabilities work together to streamline operations, empower patients, and deliver measurable results for healthcare organizations. 'As we look ahead, we're committed to staying at the forefront of innovation,' Hamilton added. 'Healthcare isn't slowing down—and neither are we. We're continuously evolving our platform to meet the needs of providers and the expectations of today's healthcare consumers.' Healthcare organizations looking to modernize their engagement strategies can learn more about InteliChart's award-winning solutions by visiting the InteliChart website. About InteliChart InteliChart delivers the award-winning Healthy Outcomes patient-engagement platform. This platform is tailored to help healthcare providers meet the digital health expectations of patients and achieve optimal health outcomes. Their comprehensive suite of patient engagement solutions includes the Patient Portal, Family Portal, Patient Intake, Patient Notify, Patient Survey, Patient Schedule, Patient Activate, and Patient eHealth. Renowned HER vendors, hospitals, health systems, and medical practices have chosen InteliChart as their preferred patient engagement platform. These collective endorsements represent over 80 million patient records. InteliChart maintains API integration with more than 40 HER systems, enabling seamless access to the entire suite of Healthy Outcomes solutions. For more detailed information about InteliChart and the Healthy Outcomes platform, visit About Black Book Black Book Market Research LLC provides vendor-neutral archival solutions and healthcare IT users, media, investors, analysts, quality-minded vendors, and prospective software and services buyers with comprehensive comparison data of the industry's top respected and competitively performing solutions vendors. The largest user opinion poll of its kind in healthcare IT, Black Book™ collects over 1,000,000 viewpoints on information technology and outsourced services vendor performance annually.
