Docusign (DOCU -2.89%) is a pioneer of e-signature technology and parlayed its success into an entire portfolio of digital document software to help businesses manage every stage of the contract lifecycle. The company is fresh off the launch of a brand-new platform with artificial intelligence (AI) at its core. It's been a resounding success so far, bringing new customers to the company and encouraging existing customers to spend more money.
Thanks, in part, to this success, Docusign stock has soared 87% this year. However, the stock still trades 66% below its all-time high, which was set during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Here's why I think the recovery will continue in 2025.
Introducing Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM)
Docusign launched the Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) platform earlier this year. It's designed to solve the "agreement trap," which refers to the $2 trillion in economic value businesses lose every year by having poor contract management procedures (according to Deloitte). IAM uses AI to put some of that money back into the pockets of its customers.
IAM introduced several new software products. Docusign Navigator is a digital repository where businesses can store all their agreements. Using AI, it extracts important data from each contract so employees can instantly find it using the search function, rather than opening each individual document. Plus, it can notify management when agreements are about to expire, so key dates are never missed.
Then there's Docusign AI, which helps businesses manage the whole agreement lifecycle. Using AI, it can generate text content for the drafting stage, extract key points to provide useful summaries for key stakeholders to read, and even conduct risk assessments to identify problematic clauses.
IAM is tied together by Docusign Maestro. In the past, businesses would have to hire developers to build custom workflows for their agreement processes, but Maestro is a no-code tool that allows them to drag-and-drop features like I.D. verification and e-signature capabilities straight into each contract. Docusign says one customer -- a private wealth management firm -- has slashed its client onboarding time by 70%, thanks to Maestro, and it anticipates even further improvements ahead.
IAM is experiencing rapid adoption so far. During Docusign's fiscal 2025 third quarter (ended Oct. 31), it closed 10 times more IAM deals than it did during the second quarter three months earlier. Plus, businesses are taking the platform live more quickly than they did with Docusign's flagship e-signature platform and are gradually increasing their usage. Those are early signs of just how valuable IAM really is.
Image source: Getty Images.
Modest revenue growth, but soaring profits
Docusign generated $755 million in total revenue during Q3, which was comfortably above the high end of management's forecast ($747 million). It was also an 8% increase from the year-ago period. While that's a relatively modest growth rate, it was the fastest pace of any quarter in fiscal 2025 so far.
The result was driven by a strong increase in new sign-ups. Docusign had 1.6 million total paying customers at the end of Q3, which was an 11% jump from the year-ago period.
The result also prompted management to marginally increase its revenue guidance for the fiscal 2025 full year. The company now expects to deliver $2.96 billion (at the midpoint of the guidance range), compared to $2.94 billion previously.
Docusign could be growing its revenue more quickly but is carefully managing costs to drive profitability, instead. It allocated $539 million to operating expenses during Q3, which was flat, compared to the year-ago period. That allowed more money to flow to the bottom line, driving the company's net income to $62.4 million, up by a whopping 60% year over year.
On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes one-off and non-cash expenses like stock-based compensation, Docusign's net income jumped 15% to $188.5 million.
Docusign stock looks like a good value, despite its recent surge
Docusign's increase in revenue guidance, its big jump in GAAP profitability, and its tenfold increase in IAM sales were three key reasons its stock soared by more than 27% the day after it reported its Q3 results. Following its 75% surge this year, Docusign stock now trades at $104.22, as of this writing. That's still a long way from its record high of around $310, but its current valuation suggests it might still have room to climb.
The company's stock trades at a price-to-sales ratio (P/S) of 7.7, which is a steep discount to its average of 12.9 going back to when the company went public in 2018:
DOCU PS Ratio data by YCharts.
Docusign stock would have to soar by another 67% just for its P/S ratio to reach its average of 12.9, and that's assuming it doesn't grow its revenue at all from here (which is unlikely). The company values its addressable market at $50 billion, so it has barely scratched the surface of that opportunity, based on its current revenue.
The S&P 500 is in a raging bull market right now, so it's very hard to find good value, especially in the tech sector. But Docusign is one stock it's probably not too late to buy, particularly for long-term investors.
