JFrog (FROG -0.70%), a leader in DevOps and software supply chain solutions, released its third-quarter results on November 7. The company reported total revenues of $109.1 million, surpassing management's guidance range of $105 million to $106 million. While revenue growth was robust at 23% year over year, the company faced continued challenges in profitability, posting a GAAP operating loss of $29.9 million compared to a loss of $18.05 million in the prior-year period. Nevertheless, non-GAAP earnings per share came in at $0.15, above the guidance range of $0.09 to $0.11.
| Metric | Q3 2024 | Q3 2024 Management Guidance | Q3 2023 | % Change YOY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $109.1 million | $105 million to $106 million | $88.6 million | 23% |
| Cloud revenue | $42.4 million | N/A | $30.6 million | 38% |
| GAAP operating income | ($29.9 million) | N/A | ($18.1 million) | N/A |
| Non-GAAP EPS | $0.15 | $0.09 to $0.11 | $0.15 | 0% |
Source: Management guidance from the second-quarter report published Aug. 7.
JFrog's Business Overview
JFrog stands out in the technology sector through its universal Software Supply Chain Platform, which provides end-to-end management of software release processes. This integrated platform supports diverse environments, offering flexibility and scalability that address modern business needs for continuous software delivery.
In recent years, JFrog has focused on expanding its platform's capabilities in areas like security with JFrog Xray and JFrog Advanced Security. Integration with third-party technologies remains a key attribute, enhancing its appeal across varied IT environments. As JFrog has scaled, challenges around profitability and operational efficiency have taken center stage, influencing its strategic priorities.
Financial and Product Developments in Q3 2024
During Q3 2024, JFrog continued to expand its market presence through innovative solutions and cloud revenue growth, which constituted 39% of its total revenue. This surge highlights a strategic focus on enterprise migrations to cloud solutions. Despite exceeding revenue expectations, on the profitability front, results got worse as its GAAP operating loss of $29.9 million widened from the $18.05 million loss recorded in Q3 2023. Operating margins stayed in negative territory, signaling ongoing cost pressures possibly related to scaling efforts and investments.
JFrog's non-GAAP gross margin slightly decreased from 83.7% in 2023 to 82.8%. The company reported a non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.15, surpassing the guidance range of $0.09 to $0.11, showing that while challenges remain, cost control efforts positively impacted bottom-line performance.
On the product front, JFrog announced platform enhancements during the quarter such as the launch of JFrog Runtime Security and MLOps capabilities. Additionally, it gained traction with enterprise customers as the number of clients providing annual recurring revenues exceeding $1 million climbed from 30 to 46 year over year. This reflects JFrog's robust value proposition in the DevOps space.
Notably, the company's net dollar retention rate stood at 117%, emphasizing its ability to maintain and grow its existing customer base -- a vital metric for subscription-based businesses. However, it reported a 0.9 percentage point decline in its non-GAAP gross margin year over year to 82.8%.
JFrog posted a free cash flow of $26.7 million, supported by an operating cash flow of $27.6 million. The company's balance sheet remained strong, with cash, cash equivalents, and investments totaling $467.8 million, positioning JFrog well to make strategic investments and weather potential market disruptions.
Outlook and Strategic Considerations
For the fourth quarter, JFrog management anticipates stable revenue growth to a range of $113.5 million to $114.5 million, and non-GAAP operating income of $14 million to $15 million. This outlook is based on its ongoing plans for platform expansion, even as macroeconomic pressures are expected to continue impacting customer procurement dynamics.
Strategically, JFrog aims to leverage partnerships with companies such as Nvidia (NVDA -5.90%) to bolster its offerings in secure machine learning models -- a key growth avenue. It boosted its full-year revenue expectations to a range of $425.9 million to $426.9 million (up from $422 million to $424 million previously), paired with non-GAAP net income per diluted share guidance of $0.59 to $0.61 (up from $0.54 to $0.56 previously). This reflects management's confidence in JFrog's strategic positioning in the dynamic software supply chain sector, maintaining a focus on platform evolution and enterprise engagement.
