The Sage Group Q1 Earnings Call Highlights

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) reported a “strong start to the year” in its fiscal first quarter trading update, with growth strengthening across key regions and management reiterating full-year guidance. Chief Executive Officer Steve Hare and newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Jacqui Cartin, who started on January 1, discussed revenue performance, cloud momentum, early artificial intelligence (AI) monetization, and competitive dynamics during the call.

Revenue growth strengthens across regions

Cartin said total group revenue increased 10% to GBP 674 million in the quarter, with broad-based contributions across geographies.

• North America: Revenue rose 13% to GBP 304 million, driven by Sage Intacct and supported by growth in Sage 200 and Sage 50.
• UK & Ireland (UKIA): Revenue increased 10% to GBP 194 million, reflecting “rapid scaling” of Sage Intacct and strong growth in Sage Accounting and Sage 50.
• Europe: Revenue grew 7% to GBP 176 million, with good growth across accounting, HR, and payroll solutions.

In Q&A, Cartin attributed the acceleration in North America to strong Sage Intacct performance across new and existing customers, supported by demand and “high-quality sales execution.” She said investments in go-to-market strategy, vertical strategy, and staffing were “starting to pay off.”

In UKIA, she highlighted traction in Intacct, particularly strength in new customer acquisition (NCA) motion during the quarter. She also pointed to cross-sell and upsell strength in Sage Accounting and Sage 50. In Europe, Cartin described growth as solid and consistent with fiscal 2025, calling out success in Sage 200 and Sage X3 and noting a “good performance” in Iberia.

Cloud mix and recurring revenue expand

Sage Business Cloud revenue grew 15% to GBP 574 million, which management said reflected continued strategic progress and investment in cloud and AI-powered solutions. Within that total, Cloud Native revenue increased 24% to GBP 253 million, supported by continued strength in new customer acquisition. The company also reported growth in its Cloud Connected portfolio, driven by both existing and new customers.

Recurring revenue increased 10% to GBP 675 million, which Cartin said reflected continued momentum in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Subscription revenue grew 12%, lifting subscription penetration to 84%. On an organic basis, total revenue increased to GBP 673 million, also up 10%.

ARR momentum continues; multi-year Intacct contracts not a Q1 driver

Asked whether ARR accelerated again in the first quarter, Cartin noted Sage does not formally report ARR in Q1, but said the company’s strong fourth-quarter exit momentum carried into the new fiscal year. She said sequential ARR growth for Q1 was around 2.5%, compared with around 2% at the same time last year.

UBS also asked about the impact of Sage Intacct’s move to multi-year deals in the U.S., which management introduced in the second half of fiscal 2025. Cartin said the change was intended to drive greater lifetime value through lower churn and improved cross-sell and upsell, while also aligning commercial terms with competitors. However, she added that in Q1 there was no impact on ARR and no material impact on total revenue growth, emphasizing that the quarter’s acceleration was driven by demand and sales execution rather than contract-length changes.

AI rollout: early monetization, broader enablement underway

Management addressed questions on AI monetization and rollout timing. Hare said it remains “very early days” and characterized most recent momentum as the underlying performance of the business rather than AI-driven upside. He noted Sage has seen “some early monetization” from bundling Sage Copilot into certain plans and using that to raise plan pricing, but said the company has not yet meaningfully monetized individual AI agents that are beginning to launch.

Cartin added context from fiscal 2025, stating that pricing contribution was around 5.5%, supported in particular by the rollout of AI and Copilot in the UK business. She said Sage rolled out Copilot and the Finance Intelligence Agent in the U.S. and UK Intacct businesses in Q1, alongside cross-sell, upsell, and strong NCA.

On rollout coverage, Hare said “all of the cloud native revenue is AI-enabled,” and Sage is progressively rolling AI capabilities across the cloud connected base, with broad completion expected by the end of the calendar year. He added that after embedding Copilot, Sage plans to expand the use of “individual agents” to carry out various tasks, starting in Cloud Native and then following quickly in Cloud Connected products.

Competition and customer adoption: trust and accuracy emphasized

Bank of America asked about risks from new AI-first entrants and from enterprises changing accounting workflows through AI. Hare argued AI may favor incumbents due to their install base and domain expertise, emphasizing the need for accuracy, compliance, and customer trust. He said customers are experimenting and adopting AI, with some reporting time savings of “5–10 hours a week” from automating repetitive tasks.

Cartin added that the company is not seeing churn impacts as it rolls out functionality and implements pricing changes, though she noted Sage does not report renewal rate by value at this point in the year.

On North American competition, Goldman Sachs asked about Intuit’s market moves. Hare said the U.S. landscape remains competitive, but Sage has not seen evidence of Intuit competing more aggressively for new customer acquisition where Sage Intacct goes to market. He said the proportion of “QuickBooks graduates” moving to Intacct remains consistent, reiterating that historically about a quarter of new customer acquisition for Intacct comes from Intuit. He also noted Sage sees newer competitors particularly in software/SaaS verticals, while Sage continues to focus on verticalization across areas such as construction, non-profit, healthcare, financial professional services, and hospitality. Hare also said Sage has launched X3 Cloud into the U.S. market to “double down” in manufacturing and distribution verticals.

Looking ahead, Cartin reiterated Sage’s full-year guidance, with organic total revenue growth expected to be 9% or above, while operating margins are expected to continue trending upward in fiscal 2026 and beyond. Management said it would provide a fuller update at the first-half results, with the next scheduled communication at interims in May.

About The Sage Group (LON:SGE)

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software product and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services.