REG - Trustpilot Group PLC - Trading update for the year ended 31 December 2023

TrustpilotAnnouncement

11/01/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 3198Z  Trustpilot Group PLC  11 January 2024

This announcement contains inside information which is disclosed in accordance
with the Market Abuse Regulations

 

Trustpilot Group PLC

11 January 2024

 

Trading update for the year ended 31 December 2023

 

FY23 ARR +c.18% YoY at constant currency, Adj. EBITDA above the top end of
market expectations

 

Trustpilot Group PLC ("Trustpilot"), a leading global review platform,
provides an update on trading for the financial year ended 31 December 2023
("FY23").

 

FY23 highlights

●    Revenue +c.17% bookings +c. 16% and ARR +c.18% YoY at constant
currency

●    Reported Adjusted EBITDA(1) ahead of the top end of the range of
market expectations(2)

●    Net dollar retention rate resilient YoY at 99% (FY22: 100%)

●    Our balance sheet remains strong, with our net cash balance
increasing to $91m, reflecting strong cash generation in the period

●    Separately announced share buy-back program of up to £20m (c.$25m)

 

 USD                FY23       FY22     (+/-) %  (+/-) % constant

                    expected   actual   actual   currency
 Total revenue      $176m      $149m    +c.18%   +c.17%
 ARR(3)             $197m      $162m    +c.22%   +c.18%
 Total bookings(4)  $195m      $165m    +c.18%   +c.16%

 

For FY23, Trustpilot expects to report Group revenue of $176m, +c.17% at
constant currency. We expect to report FY23 annual recurring revenue (ARR) of
$197m, compared to $162m in the prior year, representing c.18% constant
currency growth year-on-year. Total bookings increased to $195m, up c+.16%
year-on-year at constant currency, and the LTM net dollar retention rate was
99% (FY22: 100%).

 

We continued to manage our business to deliver additional operating leverage
in H2, further supported by solid top-line growth. Hence, we expect to report
Adjusted EBITDA above the top end of the range of market expectations. In
addition, we continue to deliver strong cash generation, and we closed the
year with $91m of cash and no debt (30 June 2023: $83m).

 

Share buyback programme

Separately, Trustpilot announced today a c.£20m share buyback (which would
amount to a buyback of up to approximately $25 million at prevailing exchange
rates). This reflects our disciplined capital allocation strategy to deliver
profitable growth and cash flow generation. Please see the separate RNS
announcement for further details.

 

Adrian Blair, CEO, commented:

"Building on a solid performance in the first half of the year, we achieved
further growth and margin improvement in the second half, with profitability
and positive free cash flow ahead of expectations for the year. In addition to
our focus on delivering sustainable operating leverage, we achieved robust
growth in new business and a resilient retention rate across all regions.
Following our commitment to return excess capital to shareholders, we
announced today a share buyback programme of up to £20m.

 

The strong performance in FY23 shows the strength of the Group. We remain
confident in our ability to sustain growth and improve margins over the long
term as we deepen the network effects in our model to capitalise on large and
growing market opportunities."

 

Notice of results

Trustpilot will report results for the financial year ended 31 December 2023
on Tuesday, 19 March 2024. On that day, an in-person analyst and investor
briefing will take place in London at 09:00, which will also be accessible via
webcast and conference call. For registration, please visit
https://investors.trustpilot.com.

 

(1) Adjusted EBITDA excludes share-based compensation, associated cash-settled
social security costs, and non-recurring transaction costs such as
restructuring costs. In addition, as previously announced, from FY23 onwards,
Adjusted EBITDA also excludes capitalised sales commissions under IFRS 15 -
this benefited FY23 Adjusted EBITDA by c.$4m and should be expected to
contribute a c.$3m benefit in FY24.

(2) On 31 December 2023, the company-compiled analyst consensus stood at mean
constant currency revenue and bookings growth of 15% and 14%, respectively,
and a mean Adj. EBITDA forecast of $12.4m, with the range of $11.1m - $14.1m.

(3) Annual Recurring Revenue = Monthly Recurring Revenue * 12 translated at
period closing spot rate.

(4) The annual contract value of contracts signed in a given period translated
at monthly average rates.

 

 

Enquiries

Trustpilot

Derek Brown, Head of Investor Relations

Adrian Blair, CEO

Hanno Damm, CFO

 

investor.relations@trustpilot.com

https://investors.trustpilot.com

 

Financial PR

Headland Consultancy

Stephen Malthouse

Charlie Pepper

+44 (0)73 1136 9861

 

 

 

About Trustpilot

Trustpilot was founded in 2007 with a vision to create an independent currency
of trust. A digital platform that brings businesses and consumers together to
foster trust and inspire collaboration. We are free to use, open to everybody
and built on transparency.

 

Trustpilot hosts reviews to help consumers shop with confidence and deliver
rich insights to help businesses improve the experience they offer. The more
consumers use our platform and share their opinions, the richer the insights
we offer businesses, and the more opportunities they have to earn consumers'
trust worldwide.

 

Trustpilot has around 900 employees and is headquartered in Copenhagen, with
operations in London,

Edinburgh, New York, Denver, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Milan.

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