Snapshot
Itron, Inc. reported $582M of revenue in Q3 2025, up -5.5% year over year, with diluted EPS of $1.41 and an operating margin of 14.1%.
- Revenue
- $582M
- YoY growth
- +-5.5%
- Diluted EPS
- $1.41
- Operating margin
- 14.1%
What management said
- •Tom Deitrich, Itron's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Joan Hooper, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will review Itron's third quarter results and provide a general business update and outlook.
- •Before Tom begins, a reminder that our earnings release and financial presentation include non-GAAP financial information that we believe enhances the overall understanding of our current and future performance.
- •Reconciliations of differences between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures are available in our earnings release and on our Investor Relations website.
- •During the third quarter, Itron set new records for margins, profit, and free cash flow on revenue in line with expectations.
- •Financial highlights on slide four include revenue of $582 million, adjusted EBITDA of $97 million, non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.54, and free cash flow of $113 million.
- •On slide five, our third quarter bookings were $380 million, with a total backlog at the end of the quarter of $4.3 billion.
- •Turning to slide six, utilities are operating in an increasingly complex environment marked by accelerating load growth, rising costs, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and greater technical demands.
- •This is reflected in the ongoing expansion of distributed intelligence-enabled endpoints, which topped 16 million deployed by the end of the third quarter, with more than 10 million additional units in backlog.
- •Licensed DI applications grew 119% year over year to 20 million at quarter end.
- •Grid Edge Intelligence defines the future of agile, data-driven distribution infrastructure and continues to expand opportunities for our Outcomes segment, which grew 11% year over year, led by higher recurring revenue.
- •Although project conversion to backlog is taking longer, lumpy bookings are a familiar pattern and do not alter our long-term business trajectory.
- •Our opportunity pipeline has expanded by over 25% since the start of the year.
What went well
- •Itron set new company records in Q3 2025 for gross margin, profit, and free cash flow on revenue of $582 million that landed near the top of its guided range.
- •Gross margin reached 37.7%, a second consecutive quarterly record and 360 basis points higher than the prior year on favorable customer and product mix, while adjusted EBITDA of $97 million (16.7% of revenue) and non-GAAP operating income of $89 million (15.3%) were both all-time quarterly records.
- •Free cash flow of $113 million (19.5% of revenue) was a new company record, nearly doubling the $59 million generated a year earlier on improved working capital, lower tax payments, and higher operational earnings.
- •Grid edge momentum continued, with distributed intelligence-enabled endpoints topping 16 million deployed and more than 10 million additional units in backlog, and licensed DI applications growing 119% year over year to 20 million.
- •The Outcomes segment grew 11% year over year led by higher recurring revenue, its backlog was up 36% year over year and now exceeds 20% of total backlog, and the opportunity pipeline has expanded over 25% since the start of the year to record levels.
- •Management announced the $325 million all-cash acquisition of Urbint, a SaaS platform for emergency preparedness, damage prevention, and worker safety, expected to close in Q4.
What went wrong
- •Q3 bookings of $380 million were lower than expected and, combined with heightened uncertainty, led management to temper year-end booking expectations; achieving a one-to-one book-to-bill for 2025 remains possible but bookings are now anticipated to fall below that target.
- •Revenue declined year over year as Network Solutions fell 6% on timing of project deployments, Device Solutions fell 19% on constant currency from legacy electricity declines in EMEA and lower North America water volumes, and customers are extending some multi-year deployments (for example a three-year project spread over four years).
- •Non-GAAP EPS fell $0.30 year over year to $1.54, driven by a $0.51 negative tax swing because the prior year benefited from an unusually low rate tied to a favorable foreign tax audit resolution.
- •Federal funding actions introduced greater near-term market uncertainty for customers, though Itron reported no project cancellations, stoppages, or decline in customer interest.
Guidance changes
| Metric | Period | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-year 2025 revenue | FY2025 | — | $2.35B-$2.36B (midpoint down 3% YoY, ~2% growth normalized for $125M of 2024 catch-up revenue) | set/narrowed |
| Full-year 2025 non-GAAP EPS | FY2025 | below current range | $6.84-$6.94 (midpoint up 23% YoY, 16% normalized for tax) | raised on favorable tax item |
| Full-year 2025 effective tax rate | FY2025 | — | ~12% | lowered |
| Q4 2025 revenue | Q4 2025 | — | $555M-$565M (midpoint down 9% YoY) | issued |
| Q4 2025 non-GAAP EPS | Q4 2025 | — | $2.15-$2.25 (assumes negative ~19% tax rate from a $39M discrete benefit; ~7% growth normalized) | issued |
| 2027 targets | FY2027 | prior targets | reaffirmed; revenue possibly toward low end of range, margin/FCF toward high end | reaffirmed |
Performance breakdown
| Metric | YoY change | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | down (to $582M, near top of guided range) | Planned portfolio changes and timing of large project deployments |
| Gross margin | +360 bps to 37.7% (record) | Favorable customer and product mix |
| Adjusted EBITDA | +10% to $97M (record) | Higher gross profit fall-through |
| Free cash flow | +92% to $113M (record) | Improved working capital, lower tax payments, higher operational earnings |
| Non-GAAP EPS | -$0.30 to $1.54 | Higher tax expense (-$0.51) outweighing +$0.22 pre-tax operating improvement; prior-year tax was unusually low |
| Device Solutions revenue | -19% constant currency to $104M | Expected decline in legacy electricity products in EMEA and lower North America water volumes |
| Network Solutions revenue | -6% to $394M | Timing of project deployments |
| Outcomes revenue | +10% constant currency to $84M | Continued growth of recurring revenue |
| Licensed DI applications | +119% to 20M | Continued expansion of distributed intelligence adoption |
Earnings call themes & trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking lumpiness / project push-outs | — | Some hardware-oriented projects pushed to the right amid complex utility operating environment; management frames lumpiness as a familiar pattern that does not alter long-term trajectory | emerging headwind, framed as transient |
| Grid edge / distributed intelligence | — | 16M+ DI endpoints deployed, 10M+ in backlog, DI apps up 119%; described as the future of agile data-driven distribution | expanding |
| Recurring / Outcomes software mix | — | Recurring revenue bookings goal for the year already passed in Q3; Outcomes backlog up 36% YoY and over 20% of total backlog | growing |
| Margin expansion | skepticism two years ago on gross-margin targets | Record gross, EBITDA, operating margins; doubts on margin targets now erased | improving |
| M&A / inorganic growth | — | Urbint acquisition announced; balance sheet strength supports continued inorganic pursuit | active |
| 2027 targets | prior framework | On track; some metrics already achieved or ahead; revenue possibly low end, other metrics high end | reaffirmed |
Q&A summary
Where is the lower Q4 revenue versus the prior implied guide concentrated, and how should gross margin trend?
The biggest weakness is in Networks from deployments pushing to the right; Q4 gross margin should look close to Q3. The tax benefit is a $39M discrete item worth about $0.84 per share.
What is delaying conversion of the growing pipeline into bookings?
Demand is clearly coming with the pipeline up 25% YTD and win rates at or above historical levels; delays are on hardware-oriented projects due to the complex regulatory and operating environment, with customers buying piece-by-piece rather than all at once. Recurring-revenue bookings already passed the year's goal and Outcomes backlog is up 36% YoY.
Is the 6% Networks decline from new rollouts or customers elongating existing deployments?
It reflects software/services growing double digits, the lapping of prior-year catch-up revenue, completion of a major deployment that rolled off, and some customers spreading projects (e.g., three years to four), with no loss of backlog or revenue.
What tax rate should be assumed for 2026, and is Outcomes about $800M of backlog over what duration?
It is too early for 2026 but ~25% is the typical placeholder top end. Outcomes is well over 20% of the $4.3B backlog and up 36% YoY; backlog is generally three to four years in length, though recurring contracts can be nearly evergreen.
Could the 2027 targets be revisited in six months, leaning more into margin than sales?
No revisiting is anticipated; revenue could land toward the lower end and margin/free cash flow toward the higher end, all within the range. Lumpy bookings are normal and not a concern.
How did the Urbint deal come about and what are the synergies?
Urbint is a SaaS business serving utilities with heavy customer overlap, covering emergency preparedness/response, damage prevention, and worker safety; Itron sees cross-pollination of its operational data and the ability to take Urbint's capabilities to its ~8,000 global customers.