Latest News

ServiceNow Reports Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company making work, work better for people, today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2021, with subscription revenues of $1,330 million in Q2 2021, representing 31% year‑over‑year growth, 27% adjusted for constant currency.

As of June 30, 2021, current remaining performance obligations (“cRPO”), contract revenue that will be recognized as revenue in the next 12 months, was $4.7 billion, representing 34% year‑over‑year growth, 31% adjusted for constant currency. The company now has 1,201 total customers with more than $1 million in annual contract value, representing 25% year‑over‑year growth in customers.

“I’m so proud of our team’s performance, significantly exceeding the high end of our guidance across all metrics, which is reflected in our strong full‑year guidance raise,” said Bill McDermott, ServiceNow president and CEO. “Business leaders worldwide are facing ‘do or die’ moments in a forever changed world. They are leveraging the flexibility of the Now Platform to create innovative digital solutions needed to solve the biggest challenges of our time. In partnership with our customers, we workflow a better world.”

ServiceNow CFO Gina Mastantuono said, “Q2 was a tremendous quarter, showcasing the power of our business model and our ability to drive a balance of growth and profitability. The team demonstrated exceptional execution, and we saw strong demand across all regions and workflows. We are the platform for digital business, and we are well on our way to becoming a $15+ billion revenue company.”

During the quarter, ServiceNow hosted Knowledge 2021, where customers, partners, and developers from 141 countries came together to address how they are using digital workflows to grow their business, become more resilient, and reshape their industries. At Knowledge 21, ServiceNow released new solutions to power the manufacturing and healthcare and life sciences industries by helping customers increase their agility, resilience, and productivity. In Q2, the company also acquired next‑generation observability leader Lightstep to help customers accelerate digital transformation with insight‑driven, action‑oriented workflows. To support customers as they prepare for a hybrid workplace, ServiceNow recently announced an integration with Microsoft’s new Windows 365 solution to let users easily access Cloud PCs directly through Microsoft Teams. The company also launched enhancements to its Workplace Service Delivery solution to give customers consumer‑grade employee experiences and optimize real estate planning, enabling productivity and flexibility in the new world of work.

 

Second Quarter 2021 GAAP and Non‑GAAP Results:

The following table summarizes our financial results for the second quarter 2021:

Second Quarter 2021
GAAP Results
Second Quarter 2021 Non‑GAAP Results(1)
Amount
($ millions)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Amount
($ millions)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Adjusted
Amount
($ millions)(2)
Adjusted
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Subscription revenues $1,330 31% $1,285 27%
Professional services and other revenues $79 41% $76 36%
Total revenues $1,409 32% $1,362 27%
Subscription billings $1,328 30% $1,275 25%
Professional services and other billings $89 44% $86 39%
Total billings $1,417 31% $1,361 26%
Amount
($ billions)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Adjusted
Amount
($ billions)(2)
Adjusted
Year/Year
Growth (%)
cRPO $4.7 34% $4.6 31%
RPO $9.5 35% $9.3 32%
Amount
($ millions)
Margin (%) Amount
($ millions)
Margin (%)
Subscription gross profit $1,082 81% $1,129 85%
Professional services and other gross
profit (loss)
($2) (3%) $13 17%
Total gross profit $1,080 77% $1,142 81%
Income from operations $51 4% $353 25%
Net cash provided by operating activities $300 21%
Free cash flow $268 19%
Amount
($ millions)
Earnings per
Basic/Diluted
Share ($)
Amount
($ millions)
Earnings per
Basic/Diluted
Share ($)
Net income $59 $0.30/ $0.29 $287 $1.45/ $1.42

 

  1. We report non‑GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. See the section entitled “Statement Regarding Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Measures” for an explanation of non‑GAAP measures, and the table entitled “GAAP to Non‑GAAP Reconciliation” for a reconciliation of GAAP to non‑GAAP measures.
  2. Non‑GAAP adjusted subscription revenues, professional services and other revenues, total revenues and professional services and other billings, cRPO and RPO are adjusted for constant currency. Non‑GAAP adjusted subscription billings and total billings are adjusted for constant currency and constant billings duration. See the section entitled “Statement Regarding Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Measures” for an explanation of non‑GAAP measures, and the table entitled “GAAP to Non‑GAAP Reconciliation” for a reconciliation of GAAP to non‑GAAP measures.

Note: Numbers rounded for presentation purposes.

Financial Outlook

Our guidance includes GAAP and non‑GAAP financial measures.

The following table summarizes our guidance for the third quarter 2021:

Third Quarter 2021
GAAP Guidance
Third Quarter 2021 Non‑GAAP Guidance(1)
Amount
($ millions)(2)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Amount
($ millions)(2)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Subscription revenues $1,400 ‑ $1,405 28% ‑29%
Note: Includes foreign currency benefit of $15 million
Subscription billings $1,320 ‑ $1,325 22% ‑ 23%
Note: Includes foreign currency benefit of $14 million
Includes negative impact of billings duration of $7 million
cRPO 30%
Margin (%)
Income from operations 23.0%
Amount
(millions)
Weighted‑average shares used to compute diluted net income per share 202

 

  1. We report non‑GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. See the section entitled “Statement Regarding Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Measures” for an explanation of non‑GAAP measures, and the table entitled “Reconciliation of Non‑GAAP Financial Guidance” for a reconciliation of GAAP to non‑GAAP measures.
  2. Guidance for GAAP subscription revenues and non‑GAAP subscription billings is based on foreign exchange rates as of June 30, 2021 for entities reporting in currencies other than U.S. Dollars.

 

The following table summarizes our guidance for the full‑year 2021:

Full‑Year 2021
GAAP Guidance
Full‑Year 2021 Non‑GAAP Guidance(1)
Amount
($ millions)(2)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Amount
($ millions)(2)
Year/Year
Growth (%)
Subscription revenues $5,530 ‑ $5,540 29%
Note: Includes foreign currency benefit of $101 million
Subscription billings $6,315 ‑ $6,325 27%
Note: Includes foreign currency benefit of $104 million
Includes positive impact of billings duration of $6 million
Margin (%)
Subscription gross profit 85%
Income from operations 24.5%
Free cash flow 31.0%
Amount
(millions)
Weighted‑average shares used to compute diluted net income per share 202

 

  1. We report non‑GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. See the section entitled “Statement Regarding Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Measures” for an explanation of non‑GAAP measures, and the table entitled “Reconciliation of Non‑GAAP Financial Guidance” for a reconciliation of GAAP to non‑GAAP measures.
  2. GAAP subscription revenues and non‑GAAP subscription billings for the future quarters included in our full‑year 2021 guidance are based on foreign exchange rates as of June 30, 2021 for entities reporting in currencies other than U.S. Dollars.

Conference Call Details

The conference call will begin at 2 p.m. Pacific Time (21:00 GMT) on July 28, 2021. Interested parties may listen to the call by dialing (833) 513‑0567 (Passcode: 5090338), or if outside North America, by dialing (236) 714‑2186 (Passcode: 5090338). Individuals may access the live teleconference from this webcast.

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3196497/03FA90BAD600EF511EBFF97AB725E07C

An audio replay of the conference call and webcast will be available two hours after its completion and will be accessible for 30 days. To hear the replay, interested parties may go to the investor relations section of the ServiceNow website or dial (800) 585‑8367 (Passcode: 5090338), or if outside North America, by dialing (416) 621‑4642 (Passcode: 5090338).

Investor Presentation Details

An investor presentation providing additional information, including forward‑looking guidance, and analysis can be found at http://investors.servicenow.com.

 

Statement Regarding Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Measures

We report the following non‑GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

  • Adjusted revenues. We present revenues adjusted for constant currency to provide a framework for assessing how our business performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current period results for entities reporting in currencies other than U.S. Dollars (“USD”) are converted into USD at the average exchange rates in effect during the comparison period (for Q2 2020, the average exchange rates in effect for our major currencies were 1 USD to 1.10 Euros and 1 USD to 1.24 British Pound Sterling (“GBP”), rather than the actual average exchange rates in effect during the current period (for Q2 2021, the average exchange rates in effect for our major currencies were 1 USD to 1.20 Euros and 1 USD to 1.40 GBP). We believe the presentation of revenues adjusted for constant currency facilitates the comparison of revenues year‑over‑year.
  • Billings and Adjusted billings. We define subscription billings, professional services and other billings, and total billings as the applicable revenue plus the applicable change in deferred revenue, unbilled receivables and customer deposits as presented or derived from the statement of cash flows. We adjust billings for constant currency, as described above, and for constant duration by replacing the portion of multi‑year billings in excess of twelve months during the current period with the portion of multi‑year billings in excess of twelve months during the comparison period. We believe these adjustments facilitate greater comparability in our billings information year‑over‑year. We believe billings is one indicator of the performance of our business.
  • Adjusted remaining performance obligations and current remaining performance obligations. We present cRPO and remaining performance obligations (“RPO”) and related growth rates adjusted for constant currency, as described above, to provide a framework for assessing how our business performed. We believe the presentation of cRPO and RPO and related growth rates adjusted for constant currency facilitates the comparison of cRPO and RPO year‑over‑year, respectively.
  • Gross profit, Income from operations, Net income and Net income per share ‑ diluted. Our non‑GAAP presentation of gross profit, income from operations, and net income measures exclude certain non‑cash or non‑recurring items, including stock‑based compensation expense, amortization of debt discount and issuance costs related to our convertible senior notes, loss on early note conversions, amortization of purchased intangibles, legal settlements, business combination and other related costs, and the related income tax effect of these adjustments. The non‑GAAP weighted‑average shares used to compute our non‑GAAP net income per share ‑ diluted excludes the dilutive effect of the in‑the‑money portion of convertible senior notes as they are covered by our note hedges, and includes the dilutive effect of time‑based stock awards, the dilutive effect of warrants and the potentially dilutive effect of our stock awards with performance conditions not yet satisfied at forecasted attainment levels to the extent we believe it is probable that the performance condition will be met. We believe these adjustments provide useful supplemental information to investors and facilitates the analysis of our operating results and comparison of operating results across reporting periods.
  • Free cash flow. Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities plus cash paid for legal settlements, repayments of convertible senior notes attributable to debt discount and business combination and other related costs including compensation expense, reduced by purchases of property and equipment. Free cash flow margin is calculated as free cash flow as a percentage of total revenues. We believe information regarding free cash flow and free cash flow margin provides useful information to investors because it is an indicator of the strength and performance of our business operations.

 

Our presentation of non‑GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to carefully consider our results under GAAP, as well as our supplemental non‑GAAP information and the reconciliation between these presentations, to more fully understand our business. Please see the tables included at the end of this release for the reconciliation of GAAP and non‑GAAP results.

 

Use of Forward‑Looking Statements 

 

This release contains “forward‑looking statements” regarding our performance, including but not limited to statements in the section entitled “Financial Outlook.” Forward‑looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward‑looking statements. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward‑looking statements we make.

 

Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward‑looking statements include: (i) the continued impact and duration of COVID‑19 on our business, future financial performance and global economic conditions including the effectiveness, extent and duration of mitigation efforts such as “shelter in place”, availability of vaccinations and similar directives; (ii) our ability to compete successfully against existing and new competitors, (iii) our ability to comply with evolving privacy laws, data transfer restrictions, and other foreign and domestic standards related to data and the Internet, (iv) our ability to predict, prepare for and respond promptly to rapidly evolving technological, market and customer developments, (v) errors, interruptions, delays, or security breaches in or of our service or data centers, (vi) our ability to grow our business, including converting remaining performance obligations into revenue, adding and retaining customers, selling additional subscriptions to existing customers, selling to larger enterprises, government and regulated organizations with complex sales cycles and certification processes, and entering new geographies and markets, (vii) our ability to develop and gain customer acceptance of new and improved products and services, including those acquired through strategic transactions, and (viii) material changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar. Additionally, these forward‑looking statements involve risk, uncertainties and assumptions, including those related to the continued impacts of COVID‑19 on our business, future financial performance and global economic conditions. Many of these assumptions relate to matters that are beyond our control and changing rapidly, including, but not limited to, the timeframes for and severity of social distancing and other mitigation requirements, the timing of headwinds from COVID‑19, the continued impact of COVID‑19 on new or existing customers’ purchasing decisions and the length of our sales cycles, renewal timing or billings terms, particularly for customers in certain industries highly affected by COVID‑19. Significant variation from the assumptions underlying our forward‑looking statements could cause our actual results to vary, and the impact could be significant.

 

Further information on these and other factors that could affect our financial results are included in our Form 10‑K filed for the year ended December 31, 2020, our Form 10‑Q that will be filed for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

 

We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward‑looking statements, to review or confirm analysts’ expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current financial quarter.

 

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. Our cloud‑based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com.

 


© 2021 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

ServiceNow Q2 2021 complete financial tables (download PDF)