Reports 23 Percent Increase In ARR To $20.4 Million & 43 Net New Platform Deployments, Positive Net Income & Record Adjusted EBITDA & Cashflow
HENDERSON, Nev., May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS), the leading AI-powered research workflow platform, reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31, 2025.
Fiscal Third Quarter 2025 Summary
- Total revenue of $12.7 million, compared to $12.1 million in the prior-year quarter.
- Platform revenue up 22% to $4.8 million. Platform revenue accounted for 38% of total revenue as compared to 33% in the prior-year quarter.
- Annual Recurring Revenue ("ARR") up 23% to $20.4 million, which includes approximately $13.5 million of B2B recurring revenue and $6.9 million of B2C recurring revenue. Net B2B ARR growth in the quarter was $736,000, a Company record for quarterly B2B growth.
- Gross profit up 14% from the prior-year quarter. Total gross margin improved 430 basis points to 49.5%.
- Net income of $216,000 or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net income of $76,000 or nil per diluted share in the prior-year quarter.
- Adjusted EBITDA of $1.4 million compared to $961,000 in the prior-year quarter. On a trailing twelve-months ("TTM") basis, the Company has now generated Adjusted EBITDA of $5.1 million, which represents a 10.4% margin.
- Cash flow from operations of approximately $2.9 million in the quarter, which was a Company quarterly record, compared to $2.0 million in the prior-year quarter.
"This quarter represents a number of significant milestone achievements for our Company. We are pleased to report ARR above $20 million for the first time in our history. Revenue from our AI-based B2B offerings has grown over 180% in the last year, and we continue to experience strong growth in our B2C offerings and core Article Galaxy platform. These results are due in part to our revamped sales strategy, which better demonstrates to potential customers the improved efficiency and cost savings offered by our products within the research process workflow," said Roy W. Olivier, President and CEO of Research Solutions. "As we experience strong organic growth in ARR sales, we continue to outperform when it comes to generating operating cash flow and Adjusted EBITDA, which positions us to reinvest in our business or make acquisitions that broaden our product capabilities and enhance our cross-selling opportunities."
Fiscal Third Quarter 2025 Results
Total revenue was $12.7 million, a 4.5% increase from $12.1 million in the year-ago quarter as platform revenue growth more than offset a decline in transaction revenue from the prior period.
Platform subscription revenue increased 22% to $4.8 million compared to $4.0 million in the year-ago quarter. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the total number of paid Platform deployments and B2C subscribers, as well as upsells to existing customers. The quarter ended with annual recurring revenue of $20.4 million, up 23% year-over-year (see the Company's definition of annual recurring revenue below).
Transaction revenue was $7.8 million, compared to $8.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The decrease was primarily due to lower paid order volume in the period. The transaction customer count for the quarter was 1,380, compared to 1,426 customers in the prior-year quarter (see the Company's definition of active customer accounts and transactions below).
Total gross margin improved 430 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 49.5%. The increase was primarily driven by a continued revenue mix shift to the higher-margin Platforms business as well as increased margins in that business and the transaction business.
Total operating expenses were $5.7 million, compared to $5.4 million in the third quarter of 2024. The increases were related to additional costs in Sales and Marketing, offset by some reductions in General and Administrative expenses.
Net income for the third quarter was $216,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net income of $76,000, or nil per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.4 million, compared to $961,000 in the year-ago quarter (see definition and further discussion about the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP term, below).
Conference Call
Research Solutions President and CEO Roy W. Olivier and CFO Bill Nurthen will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.
Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
Dial-in number: 1-203-518-9843
Conference ID: RESEARCH
The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay until June 8, 2025 by dialing 1-412-317-6671 and using the replay ID 11158769, and via the investor relations section of the company's website at http://researchsolutions.investorroom.com/.
Fiscal Third Quarter Financial & Operational Summary Tables vs. Prior-Year Quarter
Active Customer Accounts, Transactions & Annual Recurring Revenue
The Company defines active customer accounts as the sum of the total quantity of customers per month for each month in the period divided by the respective number of months in the period. The quantity of customers per month is defined as customers with at least one transaction during the month.
A transaction is an order for a unit of copyrighted content fulfilled or managed in the Platform.
The Company defines annual recurring revenue ("ARR") as the value of contracted Platform subscription recurring revenue normalized to a one-year period. For B2C ARR, this includes the annualized value of monthly subscriptions, meaning their monthly value multiplied by twelve.
Use Of Non-GAAP Measure – Adjusted EBITDA
Research Solutions' management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various financial metrics. In addition to the Company's GAAP results, management also considers the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure provides useful information about the Company's operating results.
The tables below provide a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), plus interest expense, other income (expense) including any change in fair value of contingent earnout liability, foreign currency transaction loss, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, and other potential adjustments that may arise. Set forth below is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss):
About Research Solutions
Research Solutions (NASDAQ: RSSS) is a vertical SaaS and AI company that simplifies research workflow for academic institutions, life science companies, and research organizations worldwide. As one of the only publisher-independent marketplaces for scientific, technical, and medical (STM) content, the company uniquely combines AI-powered tools—including an intelligent research assistant and full-text search capabilities—with seamless access to both open access and paywalled research. The platform enables organizations to discover, access, manage, and analyze scientific literature more efficiently, accelerating the pace of scientific discovery.
For more information about Research Solutions, visit: www.researchsolutions.com | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may contain "forward-looking statements" regarding future events and our future results. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the markets in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects", "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "endeavors," "strives," "may," or variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, estimate or verify. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include those factors described in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as such may be amended or supplemented by subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, or other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding enhanced product offerings, additional customers, and the Company's prospects for growth. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements. For more information, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Research Solutions, Inc.
