• Both Revenue and EPS Exceed the High End of Q3 Guidance Range
  • Company Raises Revenue and EPS Guidance for Full Year 2023 and Provides Initial Outlook for 2024
  • New $300 Million Share Repurchase Program Announced

Hoboken, New Jersey, November 16, 2023 - NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023, as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

Third Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights

GAAP

Non-GAAP

Total revenue was $601.3 million and increased 8%

Total revenue was $601.3 million and increased 8%

Cloud revenue was $403.3 million and increased 22%

Cloud revenue was $403.3 million and increased 22%

Cloud gross margin was 65.1% compared to 64.1% last year

Cloud gross margin was 70.4% compared to 70.4% last year

Operating income was $113.6 million and increased 26%

Operating income was $183.9 million and increased 15%

Operating margin was 18.9% compared to 16.3% last year

Operating margin was 30.6% compared to 28.7% last year

Diluted EPS was $1.39 and increased 30%

Diluted EPS was $2.27 and increased 18%

Operating cash flow was $120.6 million and increased 28%

 

“We are pleased to report another strong quarter exceeding the high end of our guidance range on both total revenue and earnings per share for the third quarter,” said Barak Eilam, CEO of NICE. “Our record revenue was driven by another outstanding quarter with cloud revenue growth of 22%, which is the fastest growth rate in our industry on the largest cloud revenue base. Our robust top line result was paired with another quarter of industry-leading, unrivaled profitability demonstrated by further strong growth in operating income, operating margin and earnings per share. Our newly announced $300 million share buyback program reinforces our confidence in the strength of the underlying fundamentals of our business and our rock-solid financial profile.”

Mr. Eilam continued, “We are leading the CX market riding the strong forces of cloudification, platformization and AI. With record pipeline driven by digital and AI, we are well positioned to finish the year on a strong note and are pleased to provide our initial financial outlook on both top line and profitability beyond this year, reflecting the strength of our market leading position.”

GAAP Financial Highlights for the Third Quarter Ended September 30:

Revenues: Third quarter 2023 total revenues increased 8% to $601.3 million compared to $554.7 million for the third quarter of 2022.

Gross Profit:Third quarter 2023 gross profit was $410.4 million compared to $383.9 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 gross margin was 68.2% compared to 69.2% for the third quarter of 2022.

Operating Income:Third quarter 2023 operating income increased 26% to $113.6 million compared to $90.3 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 operating margin was 18.9% compared to 16.3% for the third quarter of 2022.

Net Income: Third quarter 2023 net income increased 30% to $92.4 million compared to $71.2 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 net income margin was 15.4% compared to 12.8% for the third quarter of 2022.

Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share: Fully diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2023 increased 30% to $1.39 compared to $1.07 in the third quarter of 2022.

Operating Cash Flow and Cash Balance: Third quarter 2023 operating cash flow was $120.6 million. In the third quarter of 2023, $89.5 million was used for share repurchases. As of September 30, 2023, total cash and cash equivalents, and short-term investments were $1,651.6 million. Our debt, net of a hedge instrument, was $544.3 million, resulting in net cash and investments of $1,107.3 million.

Non-GAAP Financial Highlights for the Third Quarter Ended September 30:

Revenues: Third quarter 2023 total revenues increased 8% to $601.3 million compared to $554.7 million for the third quarter of 2022.

Gross Profit: Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP gross profit increased to $434.4 million compared to $408.0 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP gross margin was 72.2% compared to 73.5% for the third quarter of 2022.

Operating Income: Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP operating income increased 15% to $183.9 million compared to $159.3 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP operating margin was 30.6% compared to 28.7% for the third quarter of 2022.

Net Income: Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP net income increased 18% to $150.6 million compared to $127.8 million for the third quarter of 2022. Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP net income margin totaled 25.0% compared to 23.0% for the third quarter of 2022.

Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share: Third quarter 2023 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share increased 18% to $2.27 compared to $1.92 for the third quarter of 2022.

Full-Year 2023 Guidance:

Raising Full-Year 2023 Guidance:
The Company increased full-year 2023 Non-GAAP total revenues to an expected range of $2,359 million to $2,379 million, representing 9% growth at the midpoint compared to full-year 2022.

The Company increased full-year 2023 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share to an expected range of $8.58 to $8.78, representing 14% growth at the midpoint compared to full-year 2022.

2024 Outlook:

The Company is providing preliminary expectations beyond 2023 as follows:

  • Full-year 2024 cloud revenue growth of at least 18% year over year, exclusive of any contribution from the LiveVox acquisition, which is expected to close in the first half of 2024.
  • On a full year basis for 2024, LiveVox is expected to contribute approximately $142 million of revenue.
  • Including synergies from LiveVox, we expect 2024 EBITDA to be nearly $900 million and to exceed $1 billion in 2025.

Quarterly Results Conference Call

NICE management will host its earnings conference call today November 16, 2023, at 8:30 AM ET, 13:30 GMT, 15:30 Israel, to discuss the results and the company's outlook. To participate in the call, please dial into the following numbers: United States 1-877-407-4018 or +1-201-689-8471, United Kingdom 0-800-756-3429, Israel 1-809-406-247. The call will be webcast live on the Company’s website at https://www.nice.com/investor-relations/upcoming-event.

Explanation of Non-GAAP measures
Non-GAAP financial measures are included in this press release. Non-GAAP financial measures consist of GAAP financial measures adjusted to exclude share-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition related expenses, amortization of discount on debt and loss from extinguishment of debt and the tax effect of the Non-GAAP adjustments.

The Company believes that these Non-GAAP financial measures, used in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures, provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business. We believe Non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors as a measure of the ongoing performance of our business. Our management regularly uses our supplemental Non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and to make financial, strategic and operating decisions. These Non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. Our Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. These Non-GAAP financial measures may differ materially from the Non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliation between results on a GAAP and Non-GAAP basis is provided in a table immediately following the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company provides guidance only on a Non-GAAP basis. A reconciliation of guidance from a GAAP to Non-GAAP basis is not available due to the unpredictability and uncertainty associated with future events that would be reported in GAAP results and would require adjustments between GAAP and Non-GAAP financial measures, including the impact of future possible business acquisitions. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the guidance based on Non-GAAP financial measures to corresponding GAAP financial measures for future periods is not available without unreasonable effort.

About NICE
NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) is the worldwide leading provider of both cloud and on-premises enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE helps organizations of all sizes deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens. Over 2,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 8 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions. www.nice.com.

Investor Relations Contact
Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ir@nice.com, ET
Omri Arens, +972 3 763-0127, ir@nice.com, CET

Media Contact
Chris Irwin-Dudek, +1 (551) 256-5140, Chris.Irwin-Dudek@nice.com                                

Trademark Note: NICE and the NICE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE' marks, please see: http://www.nice.com/nice-trademarks

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the Company’s management regarding the future of the Company’s business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Examples of forward-looking statements include guidance regarding the Company’s revenue and earnings and the growth of our cloud, analytics and artificial intelligence business.

Forward looking statements are inherently subject to significant economic, competitive and other uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of management. The Company cautions that these statements are not guarantees of future performance, and investors should not place undue reliance on them. There are or will be important known and unknown factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.  These factors, include, but are not limited to, risks associated with changes in economic and business conditions, competition, successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy, success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business, difficulties in making additional acquisitions or effectively integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel, the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners, rapidly changing technology, cyber security attacks or other security breaches against the Company, privacy concerns and legislation impacting the Company’s business, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, the effects of additional tax liabilities resulting from our global operations, the effect of unexpected events or geo-political conditions, such as the impact of conflicts in the Middle East, that may disrupt our business and the global economy and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

You are encouraged to carefully review the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our latest Annual Report on Form 20-F and our other filings with the SEC for additional information regarding these and other factors and uncertainties that could affect our future performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.