ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) Earnings History

ServiceNow, Inc. - Q1 2026 EarningsBeat

Filed at: Apr 22, 2026, 4:49 PM EDT|Read from source

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ServiceNow delivered a strong first quarter, exceeding guidance across key metrics and raising its full-year outlook, driven by robust subscription revenue growth and AI-powered innovation. The company is strategically expanding its addressable market through key acquisitions and partnerships, positioning itself for continued accelerated growth.

POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS

  • •

    Subscription revenues grew 22% year-over-year to $3,671 million, and 19% in constant currency, beating the high end of guidance.

    positive
  • •

    Total revenues reached $3,770 million, also up 22% year-over-year (19% in constant currency).

    positive
  • •

    Current remaining performance obligations (cRPO) grew 22.5% year-over-year (21% in constant currency) to $12.64 billion.

    positive
  • •

    Remaining performance obligations (RPO) grew 25% year-over-year (23.5% in constant currency) to $27.7 billion.

    positive
  • •

    Now Assist customers spending over $1 million in annual contract value grew over 130% year-over-year.

    positive
  • •

    Free cash flow increased 44% year-over-year to $1,665 million.

    positive
  • •

    Non-GAAP operating margin improved to 32% from 31% in the prior year.

    positive

CONCERNS & RISKS

  • •

    GAAP operating margin decreased to 13.5% from 14.5% in the prior year, impacted by stock-based compensation, amortization of purchased intangibles, business combination costs, and severance costs.

    attention
  • •

    GAAP subscription gross margin decreased to 77.5% from 81.5% in the prior year, impacted by stock-based compensation and amortization of purchased intangibles.

    attention
  • •

    The acquisition of Armis is expected to create headwinds of approximately 75 basis points to FY 2026 operating margin and 200 basis points to Q2 2026 operating margin.

    attention
  • •

    The acquisition of Armis is expected to create headwinds of approximately 200 basis points to FY 2026 free cash flow margin.

    attention
  • •

    Q1 2026 subscription revenues growth saw an approximately 75 basis point headwind from delayed closings of several large on-premise deals in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict in the region.

    attention

FINANCIAL METRICS

Revenue
Quarterly
$3.77B
N/A
Net Income
Quarterly
$469.00M
+2.0%
Prior year: $460.00M
EPS (Diluted)
Quarterly
$0.45
+2.3%
Prior year: $0.44
Operating Income
Quarterly
$503.00M
N/A
EPS (Basic)
Quarterly
$0.45
+2.3%
Prior year: $0.44

MARGIN ANALYSIS

Gross Margin
Current Quarter
75.0%
Prior Year
79.0%
YoY Change
-400 bps
Operating Margin
Current Quarter
13.5%
Prior Year
14.5%
YoY Change
-100 bps
Net Margin
Current Quarter
12.4%
Prior Year
14.9%
YoY Change
-246 bps

Margin expansion indicates improving profitability and operational efficiency. Measured in basis points (bps): 100 bps = 1.0%.

MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE

FY2026

Subscription revenues
$15735000.0B—$15775000.0B
Mid-point: $15755000.0B
"22%-22.5% year-over-year growth (20.5%-21% in constant currency)"
Income from operations
"31.5% GAAP margin"
Free cash flow
"35% margin"

Q2 2026

Subscription revenues
$3815000.0B—$3820000.0B
Mid-point: $3817500.0B
"22.5% year-over-year growth (21%-21.5% in constant currency)"
Income from operations
"26.5% GAAP margin"

Forward-looking guidance is subject to change and does not constitute a guarantee. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

EARNINGS CALL —

Call date
2026-04-22
Tone
cautious
Hedge density
N/A
Deflection rate
12.5%
View transcript Source Accession: 0001373715-26-000054

CALL GUIDANCE — Q1 2026 2026

MetricValuePeriodSpecificityvs Prior
subscription_revenue15.735 billion to 15.775 billionFY2026tight_rangeLowered
operating_margin31.5%FY2026pointLowered
free_cash_flow_margin35%FY2026pointLowered
subscription_revenue3.815 billion to 3.820 billionQ2 2026tight_rangeNew
operating_margin26.5%Q2 2026pointNew
AI_commit1.5 billionFY2026pointNew

CAPITAL ALLOCATION — Q1 2026 2026

  • buybacknew

    $2 billion · Q1

  • authorizationreaffirm

    $4.2 billion · As of the end of the quarter

MACRO STANCE — Q1 2026 2026

  • supply_chainheadwindnew

Q&A SIGNALS — Q1 2026 2026

Hedge rate
N/A
Concerns retained
1
Forward commits
1

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

ServiceNow's first quarter performance beat the high end of our guidance once again.

— ServiceNow, Inc., Q1 2026 2026 Earnings Call

Customers trust our platform because we integrate with any model, cloud, interface, data, and system they choose to deploy.

— ServiceNow, Inc., Q1 2026 2026 Earnings Call

With this foundation, our AI growth is far exceeding even our own expectations, reinforcing our position as one of the fastest growing enterprise software companies ever.

— ServiceNow, Inc., Q1 2026 2026 Earnings Call

Commentary excerpts from earnings call transcripts provide management's perspective on performance, strategy, and outlook. Always review full transcripts for complete context.

OPERATIONAL METRICS

Now Assist customers spending over $1 million in ACV
N/A
+130.0% YoY
count
Customers with >$5 million in ACV
630
+22.0% YoY
Prior year: 516
count
Transactions over $5 million in net new ACV
16
+77.8% YoY
Prior year: 9
count
CRPO
12640.0M
+22.5% YoY
Prior year: 10318.3M
dollars
RPO
27700.0M
+25.0% YoY
Prior year: 22160.0M
dollars

Operational metrics provide insight into business drivers and customer engagement beyond traditional financial measures.

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