Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") is intended to help the reader understand the results of operations and financial condition of Progress Software Corporation. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K). This section generally discusses the results of our operations for the year ended November 30, 2023 compared to the year ended November 30, 2022. For a discussion of the year ended November 30, 2022 compared to the year ended November 30, 2021, please refer to Part II, Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2022.
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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements below about anticipated results and our products and markets are forward-looking statements that are based on our current plans and assumptions. Important information about the bases for these plans and assumptions and factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from these statements is contained below and in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Use of Constant Currency
Revenue from our international operations has historically represented a substantial portion of our total revenue. As a result, our revenue results have been impacted, and we expect will continue to be impacted, by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For example, if the local currencies of our foreign subsidiaries strengthen, our consolidated results stated in U.S. dollars are positively impacted.
As exchange rates are an important factor in understanding period to period comparisons, we believe the presentation of revenue growth rates on a constant currency basis enhances the understanding of our revenue results and evaluation of our performance in comparison to prior periods. The constant currency information presented is calculated by translating current period results using prior period weighted average foreign currency exchange rates. These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP.
Overview
Progress Software Corporation ("Progress," the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") provides enterprise software products for the development, deployment and management of high-impact business applications.
The key tenets of our strategic plan and operating model are as follows:
Be a Trusted Provider of Products to Develop, Deploy and Manage High Impact Applications . A key element of our strategy is centered on the goal of building and maintaining leading products and tools enterprises need to build, deploy, and manage modern, strategic business applications. We offer our products and tools to both new customers and partners, as well as our existing partner and customer ecosystems.
Focus on Customer and Partner Retention to Drive Recurring Revenue and Profitability . Our organizational philosophy and operating principles focus primarily on customer and partner retention and success, and a streamlined operating approach to drive predictable and stable recurring revenue and high levels of profitability.
Follow a Total Growth Strategy through Accretive M&A. We are pursuing a total growth strategy driven by accretive acquisitions of businesses within the infrastructure software space, with products that appeal to both IT organizations and individual developers. In April 2019, we acquired Ipswitch, Inc.; in October 2020, we acquired Chef Software, Inc.; in November 2021, we acquired Kemp Technologies; and in February 2023, we acquired MarkLogic.
Employ a Multi-Faceted Capital Allocation Strategy . Our capital allocation policy emphasizes accretive M&A, which allows us to expand our business and drive significant stockholder returns. We also utilize dividends and share repurchases to return capital to stockholders. We currently intend to continue to repurchase our shares in sufficient quantities to offset dilution from our equity plans and to continue to return a portion of our annual cash flows from operations to stockholders in the form of dividends.
We expect to continue to pursue acquisitions meeting our financial criteria that are designed to expand our business and drive significant stockholder returns. As a result, our expected uses of cash could change, our cash position could be reduced, and we may incur additional debt obligations to the extent we complete additional acquisitions. However, we currently believe that existing cash balances, together with funds generated from operations and amounts available under our Credit Facility, will be sufficient to finance our operations and meet our foreseeable cash requirements, including quarterly cash dividends and stock repurchases to Progress stockholders, as applicable, through at least the next twelve months.
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Results of Operations
Fiscal Year 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022
Revenue
Fiscal Year Ended Percentage Change
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 As Reported Constant
Currency
Revenue $ 694,439 $ 602,013 15 % 15 %
The increase in revenue in fiscal year 2023 was driven by the acquisition of MarkLogic, which closed during the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, as well as increases in our OpenEdge, Kemp LoadMaster, Sitefinity, Ipswitch, DevTools, Corticon, and Chef product offerings. Changes in prices from fiscal year 2022 to 2023 did not have a significant impact on our revenue.
Software License Revenue
Fiscal Year Ended Percentage Change
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 As Reported Constant
Currency
License $ 220,789 $ 188,336 17 % 17 %
As a percentage of total revenue 32 % 31 %
Software license revenue increased in fiscal year 2023 primarily due to the acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as increases in license sales in Kemp LoadMaster and OpenEdge.
Maintenance and Services Revenue
Fiscal Year Ended Percentage Change
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 As Reported Constant
Currency
Maintenance $ 401,501 $ 362,335 11 % 10 %
As a percentage of total revenue 58 % 60 %
Professional services $ 72,149 $ 51,342 41 % 40 %
As a percentage of total revenue 10 % 9 %
Total maintenance and services revenue $ 473,650 $ 413,677 14 % 14 %
As a percentage of total revenue 68 % 69 %
Maintenance revenue increased in fiscal year 2023 primarily due to the acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as an increase in maintenance revenue from our OpenEdge, Chef, and DevTools product offerings. The increase in maintenance revenue was partially offset by a decrease in Kemp LoadMaster maintenance revenue. Professional services revenue increased primarily due to our acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as an increase in professional services revenue from our Sitefinity product offerings. The increase in professional services revenue was partially offset by a decrease in professional services revenue of Chef.
Revenue by Region
Fiscal Year Ended Percentage Change
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 As Reported Constant
Currency
North America $ 411,670 $ 341,154 21 % 21 %
As a percentage of total revenue 59 % 57 %
EMEA $ 222,862 $ 207,707 7 % 6 %
As a percentage of total revenue 32 % 35 %
Latin America $ 21,112 $ 18,053 17 % 14 %
As a percentage of total revenue 3 % 3 %
Asia Pacific $ 38,795 $ 35,099 11 % 12 %
As a percentage of total revenue 6 % 5 %
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Total revenue generated in North America increased $70.5 million, and total revenue generated outside North America increased $21.9 million, in fiscal year 2023. The increases in North America and EMEA were primarily due to the acquisition of MarkLogic and increases in license revenue from OpenEdge and Kemp LoadMaster. Revenue from Latin America increased due to an increase in OpenEdge license and maintenance revenue. Revenue from Asia Pacific increased due to the acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as increases in our Chef product offerings.
Total revenue generated in markets outside North America represented 41% of total revenue in fiscal year 2023 compared to 43% of total revenue in the same period last year. If exchange rates had remained constant in fiscal year 2023 as compared to the exchange rates in effect in fiscal year 2022, total revenue generated in markets outside North America would have been 41% of total revenue.
Cost of Software Licenses
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 Change
Cost of software licenses $ 11,153 $ 10,243 $ 910 9 %
As a percentage of software license revenue 5 % 5 %
As a percentage of total revenue 2 % 2 %
Cost of software licenses consists primarily of costs of inventories, royalties, electronic software distribution, duplication, and packaging. Cost of software licenses as a percentage of software license revenue varies from period to period depending upon the relative product mix.
Cost of Maintenance and Services
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 Change
Cost of maintenance and services $ 85,255 $ 62,177 $ 23,078 37 %
As a percentage of maintenance and services revenue 18 % 15 %
As a percentage of total revenue 12 % 10 %
Components of cost of maintenance and services:
Personnel Related Costs $ 63,471 $ 44,049 $ 19,422 44 %
Contractors and Outside Services 13,969 12,286 1,683 14 %
Hosting and Other 7,815 5,842 1,973 34 %
Total cost of maintenance and services $ 85,255 $ 62,177 $ 23,078 37 %
Cost of maintenance and services consists primarily of costs of providing customer support, consulting, and education. Cost of maintenance and services increased primarily due to higher personnel related costs, contractors and outside services costs, and hosting related costs resulting from the acquisition of MarkLogic.
Amortization of Acquired Intangibles
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Amortization of acquired intangibles $ 30,169 $ 22,076 37 %
As a percentage of total revenue 4 % 4 %
Amortization of acquired intangibles included in costs of revenue primarily represents the amortization of the value assigned to technology-related intangible assets obtained in business combinations. The year over year increase was due to the addition of MarkLogic acquired intangibles.
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Gross Profit
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Gross profit $ 567,862 $ 507,517 12 %
As a percentage of total revenue 82 % 84 %
Our gross profit increased primarily due to the increase in revenue, partially offset by the increases of costs of licenses, costs of maintenance and services, and the amortization of intangibles, each as described above. As a percentage of total revenue, gross profit decreased due to higher costs of maintenance and services, as described above.
Sales and Marketing
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 Change
Sales and marketing $ 156,076 $ 140,760 $ 15,316 11 %
As a percentage of total revenue 22 % 23 %
Components of sales and marketing:
Personnel related costs $ 134,820 $ 119,350 $ 15,470 13 %
Contractors and outside services 3,890 3,156 734 23 %
Marketing programs and other 17,366 18,254 (888) (5) %
Total sales and marketing $ 156,076 $ 140,760 $ 15,316 11 %
Sales and marketing expenses increased in fiscal year 2023 primarily due to increased personnel related costs associated with our acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as increases in contractors and outside services costs, partially offset by a decrease in marketing programs.
Product Development
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 Change
Product development $ 132,401 $ 114,568 $ 17,833 16 %
As a percentage of total revenue 19 % 19 %
Components of product development costs:
Personnel related costs $ 126,680 $ 111,009 $ 15,671 14 %
Contractors and outside services 4,743 2,699 2,044 76 %
Other product development costs 978 860 118 14 %
Total product developments costs $ 132,401 $ 114,568 $ 17,833 16 %
Product development expenses increased in fiscal year 2023 primarily due to increased personnel related costs associated with our acquisition of MarkLogic and increased contractors and outside services costs.
General and Administrative
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 Change
General and administrative $ 83,157 $ 77,876 $ 5,281 7 %
As a percentage of total revenue 12 % 13 %
Components of general and administrative:
Personnel Related Costs $ 65,858 $ 61,330 $ 4,528 7 %
Contractors and Outside Services 12,888 9,763 3,125 32 %
Other general and administrative costs 4,411 6,783 (2,372) (35) %
Total cost of general and administrative $ 83,157 $ 77,876 $ 5,281 7 %
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General and administrative expenses include the costs of our finance, human resources, legal, information systems and administrative departments. General and administrative expenses increased in fiscal year 2023 primarily due to higher personnel related costs associated with our acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as increases in contractors and outside services, partially offset by a decrease in other general and administrative costs.
Amortization of Intangibles
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Amortization of intangibles $ 66,430 $ 46,868 42 %
As a percentage of total revenue 10 % 8 %
Amortization of intangibles included in operating expenses primarily represents the amortization of value assigned to intangible assets obtained in business combinations other than assets identified as purchased technology. Amortization of acquired intangibles increased in fiscal year 2023 due to the addition of MarkLogic acquired intangibles, as discussed above.
Restructuring Expenses
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Restructuring expenses $ 8,407 $ 879 856 %
As a percentage of total revenue 1 % — %
Restructuring expenses recorded in fiscal year 2023 primarily relate to the restructuring activities that occurred in fiscal years 2023 and 2020. See Note 15: Restructuring to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional details, including types of expenses incurred and the timing of future expenses and cash payments.
Acquisition-Related Expenses
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Acquisition-related expenses $ 4,704 $ 4,603 2 %
As a percentage of total revenue 1 % 1 %
Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred and include those costs incurred as a result of a business combination. These costs primarily consist of professional services fees, including third-party legal and valuation-related fees, as well as retention fees. Acquisition-related expenses in fiscal year 2023 were primarily related to the acquisition of MarkLogic, as well as our pursuit of other acquisition opportunities. Acquisition-related expenses in fiscal year 2022 were primarily related to our pursuit of other acquisition opportunities.
Cyber Incident and Vulnerability Response Expenses, Net
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Cyber incident and vulnerability responses expenses, net $ 6,164 $ 602 *
As a percentage of total revenue 1 % — %
*Not meaningful
Expenses include costs to investigate and remediate the November 2022 Cyber Incident and MOVEit Vulnerability, as well as legal and other professional services related thereto. Expenses related to such cyber matters are provided net of insurance recoveries, although the timing of recognizing insurance recoveries may differ from the timing of recognizing the associated expenses. Costs associated with the enhancement of our cybersecurity program are not included within this adjustment. We incurred expenses of $1.5 million, net of approximately $3.7 million of insurance recoveries, and $4.7 million, net of insurance recoveries of $2.5 million, during fiscal year 2023 related to the MOVEit Vulnerability and the November 2022 Cyber Incident, respectively. During fiscal year 2022, we incurred expenses of $0.6 million related to the November 2022 Cyber Incident. See Note 19: Cyber Related Matters for further discussion.
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Gain on Sale of Assets Held for Sale
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Gain on sale of assets held for sale $ — $ (10,770) *
As a percentage of total revenue — % 2 %
*Not meaningful
In the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, we sold corporate land and building assets previously reported as assets held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet. As the sale price less cost to sell was greater than the carrying value of these assets we recognized a net gain on the sale of approximately $10.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.
Income from Operations
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Income from operations $ 110,523 $ 132,131 (16) %
As a percentage of total revenue 16 % 22 %
Income from operations decreased year over year due to an increase in costs of revenue and operating expenses, offset by an increase in revenue, as shown above.
Other (Expense) Income
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Interest expense $ (30,780) $ (15,790) 95 %
Interest income and other, net 2,538 1,414 79 %
Foreign currency loss, net (2,624) (500) 425 %
Total other expense, net $ (30,866) $ (14,876) 107 %
As a percentage of total revenue (4) % (2) %
Total other expense, net, increased in fiscal year 2023 due to increased interest expense on our term loan, due to higher interest costs, and the interest costs associated with drawing on our revolving line of credit to acquire MarkLogic. Refer to Note 8: Debt, for further details on the impact of the amendment. Interest income and other, net, was higher in fiscal year 2023, resulting from higher interest rates worldwide. Foreign currency loss increased year over year due to rate volatility and timing of intercompany and hedge settlement activities.
Provision for Income Taxes
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Provision for income taxes $ 9,460 $ 22,186 (57) %
As a percentage of income before income taxes 12 % 19 %
Our effective income tax rate was 12% and 19% for fiscal years 2023 and 2022 respectively. The primary reason for the decrease in the effective rate was due to more favorable tax benefits related to stock-based compensation during 2023 compared to 2022.
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Net Income
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 % Change
Net income $ 70,197 $ 95,069 (26) %
As a percentage of total revenue 10 % 16 %
Select Performance Metrics:
Management evaluates our financial performance using a number of financial and operating metrics. These metrics are periodically reviewed and revised to reflect changes in our business.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
We are providing an ARR performance metric to help investors better understand and assess the performance of our business because our mix of revenue generated from recurring sources has increased in recent years. ARR represents the annualized contract value for all active and contractually binding term-based contracts at the end of a period. ARR includes maintenance, software upgrade rights, public cloud and on-premises subscription-based transactions and managed services. ARR mitigates fluctuations due to seasonality, contract term and the sales mix of subscriptions for term-based licenses and SaaS. ARR is not calculated in accordance with GAAP. ARR does not have any standardized meaning and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items. ARR is not a forecast and the active contracts at the end of a reporting period used in calculating ARR may or may not be extended or renewed by our customers.
We define ARR as the annual recurring revenue of term-based contracts from all customers at a point in time. We calculate ARR by taking monthly recurring revenue, or MRR, and multiplying it by 12. MRR for each month is calculated by aggregating, for all customers during that month, monthly revenue from committed contractual amounts, additional usage and monthly subscriptions. The calculation is done at constant currency using the current year budgeted exchange rates for all periods presented.
Our ARR was $574.0 million and $490.0 million as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which is an increase of 17.1% year-over-year. The growth in ARR was primarily driven by the acquisition of MarkLogic.
Net Retention Rate
We calculate net retention rate as of a period end by starting with the ARR from the cohort of all customers as of 12 months prior to such period end (“Prior Period ARR”). We then calculate the ARR from these same customers as of the current period end (“Current Period ARR”). Current Period ARR includes any expansion and is net of contraction or attrition over the last 12 months but excludes ARR from new customers in the current period. We then divide the total Current Period ARR by the total Prior Period ARR to arrive at the net retention rate. Net retention rate is not calculated in accordance with GAAP.
Our net retention rates have generally ranged between 100% and 102% for all periods presented. We believe net retention rates can be a helpful indicator of the durability of top line performance.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and Cash Equivalents
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022
Cash and cash equivalents $ 126,958 $ 256,277
The decrease in cash and cash equivalents of $129.3 million from the end of fiscal year 2022 was primarily due to cash outflows of $355.3 million for cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, repayment of the revolving line of credit of $85.0 million, repurchases of common stock of $34.0 million, dividend payments of $31.6 million, payments of debt obligations of $6.9 million, and purchases of property and equipment of $5.6 million. These cash outflows were offset by proceeds from the issuance of debt of $195.0 million to partially fund the acquisition of MarkLogic, cash inflows from operations of $173.9 million, $13.6 million in cash received from the issuance of common stock, and the effect of exchange rates on cash of $6.0 million. Except as described below, there are no limitations on our ability to access our cash and cash equivalents.
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Cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries were $61.1 million at November 30, 2023. Foreign cash includes unremitted foreign earnings, which are invested indefinitely outside of the U.S. As such, they are not deemed available to fund our domestic operations. If we were to repatriate these earnings, we may be subject to income tax withholding in certain tax jurisdictions and a portion of the repatriated earnings may be subject to U.S. income tax. However, we do not anticipate that the repatriation of earnings would have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Share Repurchases
In fiscal years 2023 and 2022, we repurchased and retired 0.6 million shares of our common stock for $34.0 million and 1.7 million shares of our common stock for $77.0 million, respectively. In fiscal year 2021, we repurchased and retired 0.8 million shares of our common stock for $35.0 million. On January 10, 2023, our Board of Directors increased our share repurchase authorization by $150.0 million, to an aggregate authorization of $228.0 million. As of November 30, 2023, there was $194.0 million remaining under the current share repurchase authorization. The timing and amount of any shares repurchased will be determined by management based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and the Board of Directors may choose to suspend, expand, or discontinue the repurchase program at any time.
Dividends
We began paying quarterly cash dividends of $0.125 per share of common stock to Progress stockholders in December 2016 and have paid quarterly dividends since that time. On September 20, 2023, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share of common stock that was paid on December 15, 2023 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 1, 2023. On January 9, 2024, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share of common stock that will be paid on March 15, 2024 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 1, 2024. We have paid aggregate cash dividends totaling $31.6 million, $31.1 million and $31.6 million for the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Future declarations of dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to the final determination of our Board of Directors.
Credit Facility
On January 25, 2022, we entered into the Credit Agreement providing for a $275.0 million secured term loan and a $300.0 million secured revolving Credit Facility. The Credit Agreement matures on the earlier of (i) January 25, 2027 and (ii) the date that is 181 days prior to the maturity date of our Notes (defined below) subject to certain conditions. The Credit Facility does not require amortization of principal. The term loan requires repayment of principal at the end of each fiscal quarter, beginning with the fiscal quarter ending February 28, 2022. The first eight payments were in the principal amount of $1.7 million each, the following four payments are in the principal amount of $3.4 million each, the following eight payments are in the principal amount of $5.2 million each and the last payment is of the remaining principal amount. Any amounts outstanding under the term loan thereafter would be due on the maturity date. The term loan may be prepaid before maturity in whole or in part at our option without penalty or premium.
Revolving loans may be borrowed, repaid, and reborrowed until January 25, 2027, at which time all amounts outstanding must be repaid. As of November 30, 2023, there was $110.0 million outstanding amounts under the revolving line of credit and $2.5 million of letters of credit.
The Credit Agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants, in each case subject to customary exceptions for a credit facility of this size and type. We are also required to maintain compliance with a consolidated interest charge coverage ratio and a consolidated total net leverage ratio. Additionally, the Credit Agreement includes customary events of default, that in event of, could result in the acceleration of the obligations under the Credit Agreement. We are in compliance with all financial covenants as of November 30, 2023. See Note 8: Debt for further discussion.
Convertible Senior Notes
In April 2021, we issued, in a private placement, Convertible Senior Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $325 million, due April 15, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. There are no required principal payments prior to the maturity of the Notes. In addition, the Company also granted the initial purchasers of the Notes an option to purchase up to an additional $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes, for settlement within a 13-day period beginning on, and including, April 13, 2021, of which $35 million of additional Notes were purchased for total proceeds of $360 million. The Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 1%, payable semi-annually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, beginning on October 15, 2021. See Note 8: Debt for further discussion.
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Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 November 30, 2021
Net income $ 70,197 $ 95,069 $ 78,420
Non-cash reconciling items included in net income 127,063 104,121 100,666
Changes in operating assets and liabilities (23,340) (7,030) (556)
Net cash flows from operating activities $ 173,920 $ 192,160 $ 178,530
The decrease in cash generated from operations in fiscal year 2023 as compared to fiscal year 2022 was primarily due to higher interest expense on debt and an increase in cash paid for income taxes, partially offset by higher billings and collections. The increase in non-cash reconciling items included in net income primarily relates to the increase in amortization of intangibles due to the recent acquisition of MarkLogic.
Our gross accounts receivable as of November 30, 2023 increased by $27.9 million from the end of fiscal year 2022. Days sales outstanding ("DSO") in accounts receivable remained flat at 62 days in fiscal year 2023 as compared to fiscal year 2022. In addition, our net deferred revenue as of November 30, 2023 increased by $12.6 million from the end of fiscal year 2022.
Cash Flows (used in) from Investing Activities
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 November 30, 2021
Net investment activity $ 438 $ 1,950 $ 5,950
Purchases of property and equipment (5,570) (6,090) (4,654)
Proceeds from sale of long-lived assets, net — 25,998 —
Other investing activities — 134 2,330
Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired (355,250) — (253,961)
Net cash flows from (used in) investing activities $ (360,382) $ 21,992 $ (250,335)
Net cash outflows and inflows of our net investment activity are generally a result of the timing of our purchases and maturities of securities, which are classified as cash equivalents, as well as the timing of acquisitions and divestitures. Cash used in investing activities was impacted by the acquisition of MarkLogic for a net cash amount of $355.3 million, and Kemp for a net cash amount of $254.0 million, in fiscal years 2023 and 2021, respectively. In fiscal year 2022 we received $26.0 million net proceeds from the sale of long-lived assets.
Cash Flows from (used in) Financing Activities
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands) November 30, 2023 November 30, 2022 November 30, 2021
Proceeds from stock-based compensation plans $ 25,956 $ 16,165 $ 15,033
Repurchases of common stock (33,962) (77,041) (35,000)
Dividend payment to stockholders (31,554) (31,063) (31,561)
Proceeds from issuance of convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs of $9.9 million — — 350,100
Purchase of capped calls — — (43,056)
Proceeds from the issuance of debt, net of payments of long term debt and debt issuance costs 103,125 (1,660) (118,217)
Other financing activities (12,377) (7,824) (5,186)
Net cash flows (used in) from financing activities $ 51,188 $ (101,423) $ 132,113
During fiscal year 2023, we received $26.0 million from the exercise of stock options and the issuance of shares under our employee stock purchase plan as compared to $16.2 million in fiscal year 2022, and $15.0 million in fiscal year 2021. Most significantly, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2021, we received $350.1 million in net proceeds from the issuance of convertible senior notes and paid $43.1 million to purchase capped calls in connection with the convertible note offering. We received proceeds from the issuance of
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debt of $195.0 million in fiscal year 2023 and $7.5 million in fiscal year 2022. The debt proceeds were offset by payments on our long-term debt of $91.9 million in fiscal year 2023 (including a $85.0 million repayment on the revolving line of credit), compared to $6.9 million in fiscal year 2022, and $117.3 million in fiscal year 2021 (including a $98.5 million repayment on the revolving line of credit). In addition, we repurchased $34.0 million of our common stock under our share repurchase plan in fiscal year 2023, compared to $77.0 million in fiscal year 2022, and $35.0 million in fiscal year 2021.
Indemnification Obligations
We include standard intellectual property indemnification provisions in our licensing agreements in the ordinary course of business. Pursuant to our product license agreements, we will indemnify, hold harmless, and agree to reimburse the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, generally business partners or customers, in connection with certain patent, copyright or other intellectual property infringement claims by third parties with respect to our products. Other agreements with our customers provide indemnification for claims relating to property damage or personal injury resulting from the performance of services by us or our subcontractors. Historically, our costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims relating to such indemnity agreements have been insignificant. Accordingly, the estimated fair value of these indemnification provisions is immaterial. For indemnification claims related to the MOVEit Vulnerability. Please see Recent Developments: MOVEit Vulnerability below for further details.
Liquidity Outlook
Cash from operations in fiscal year 2024 could be affected by various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the effects of various risks detailed in Part I, Item 1A titled “Risk Factors” which may lead to disruption and volatility in capital markets and credit markets that could adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources. However, based on our current business plan, we believe that existing cash balances, together with funds generated from operations and amounts available under our Credit Facility, will be sufficient to finance our operations and meet our foreseeable cash requirements through at least the next twelve months. We do not contemplate a need for any foreign repatriation of the earnings which are deemed invested indefinitely outside of the U.S. Our foreseeable cash needs include capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt repayments, quarterly cash dividends, share repurchases, lease commitments, restructuring obligations and other long-term obligations.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. We make estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances.
These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We have identified the following critical accounting estimates that require the use of significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
Our contracts with customers typically include promises to license one or more products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately requires significant judgment. Significant judgment is also required to determine the stand-alone selling price ("SSP") of each distinct performance obligation. Our licenses are sold as perpetual or term licenses, and the arrangements typically contain various combinations of maintenance and services, which are generally accounted for as separate performance obligations. We use the residual approach to allocate the transaction price to our software license performance obligations because, due to the pricing of our licenses being highly variable, they do not have an observable SSP.
Maintenance revenue is recognized ratably over the contract period. The SSP of maintenance services is a percentage of the net selling price of the related software license. Professional services revenue is generally recognized as the services are delivered to the customer. The SSP of services is based upon observable prices in similar transactions using the hourly rates sold in stand-alone services transactions. Services are either sold on a time and materials basis or prepaid upfront. Revenue related to software-as-a-service ("SaaS") offerings is recognized ratably over the contract period. The SSP of SaaS performance obligations is determined based upon observable prices in stand-alone SaaS transactions.
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We also consider whether an arrangement has any discounts, material rights, or specified future upgrades that may represent additional performance obligations, although we do not have a history of offering these elements. We do not have any material revenue arrangements that include estimates for variable consideration.
Loss Contingencies and the MOVEit Vulnerability
The Company recognizes a liability for loss contingencies for which it is probable that a liability has been incurred at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the amount is reasonably estimable. The Company has not incurred any significant litigation costs or entered into large settlements in recent history.
As more fully discussed in Note 19: Cyber Related Matters to the consolidated financial statements, in May 2023, the Company discovered a zero-day vulnerability in its MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud software product offerings (the MOVEit Vulnerability). As of the date of this filing on Form 10-K, the Company has received formal letters from 31 customers and others that claim to have been impacted by the MOVEit Vulnerability, some of which have indicated that they intend to seek indemnification from the Company related to the MOVEit Vulnerability. Additionally, the MOVEit Vulnerability has resulted in informal government inquiries, three formal government investigations, and private litigation, which may result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, or other resolutions, the amount, scope and timing of which could be material, but which the Company is currently unable to predict.
There is complexity in applying this accounting framework for the potential losses arising from the MOVEit Vulnerability and in determining whether a loss is probable and estimable as these claims and proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties and unascertainable damages. Further, the outcome of these matters may not be known for prolonged periods of time. Because the proceedings remain in the early stages, alleged damages have not been specified, there is uncertainty as to the likelihood of a class or classes being certified or the ultimate size of any class if certified, and there are significant factual and legal issues to be resolved, we are currently unable to develop an estimate of the losses or range of losses incurred (if any). Therefore, we have not recorded a loss contingency liability for the MOVEit Vulnerability as of November 30, 2023. The Company could incur judgments or enter into settlements regarding the outcome of these claims and proceedings, which could have a material effect on the estimated amount of the liability in the period in which the effect becomes probable and reasonably estimable.
We have incurred expenses related to our efforts to investigate and remediate the MOVEit Vulnerability, as well as legal and other professional services related thereto. Expenses are recognized as the expenses are incurred and are provided net of expected insurance recoveries, although the timing of recognizing insurance recoveries may differ from the timing of recognizing the associated expenses. We incurred expenses of $1.5 million, net, related to the MOVEit Vulnerability for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.
During the period when the MOVEit Vulnerability occurred, we maintained $15.0 million of cybersecurity insurance coverage, which is expected to reduce our exposure to expenses and liabilities arising from these events. As of November 30, 2023, we have recorded approximately $3.7 million in insurance recoveries, and we have $8.8 million of additional cybersecurity insurance coverage (which is subject to a $0.5 million retention per claim). We will pursue recoveries to the maximum extent available under our insurance policies.
Business Combinations
We allocate the purchase price of acquired companies to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values. The estimates used to value the net assets acquired are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired company. We generally value the identifiable intangible assets acquired using a discounted cash flow model. The significant estimates used in valuing certain of the intangible assets include, but are not limited to: future expected cash flows of the asset, discount rates to determine the present value of the future cash flows, attrition rates of customers, and expected technology life cycles. We also estimate the useful lives of the intangible assets based on the expected period over which we anticipate generating economic benefit from the asset.
Our estimates of fair value are based on assumptions believed to be reasonable at that time. If management made different estimates or judgments, material differences in the fair values of the net assets acquired may result.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 1: Nature of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
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Recent Developments: MOVEit Vulnerability
Description of Event
As disclosed via a Form 8-K filed on June 5, 2023, on the evening of May 28, 2023 (Eastern Time), our MOVEit technical support team received an initial customer support call indicating unusual activity within their MOVEit Transfer instance. An investigative team was mobilized and, on May 30, 2023, the investigative team discovered a zero-day vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer (including our cloud-hosted version of MOVEit Transfer known as MOVEit Cloud). The investigative team determined the zero-day vulnerability (the “MOVEit Vulnerability”) could provide for unauthorized escalated privileges and access to the customer’s underlying environment in both MOVEit Transfer (the on-premise version) and MOVEit Cloud (a cloud-hosted version of MOVEit Transfer that we deploy in both (i) a public cloud format, as well as, (ii) for a small group of customers, in customer-dedicated cloud instances that are hosted, separate and apart from the public instances of our MOVEit Cloud platform). We promptly took down MOVEit Cloud for further investigation and notified all then-known current and former MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud customers in order to apprise them of the MOVEit Vulnerability and alert them to immediate remedial actions. In parallel, our team developed a patch for all supported versions of MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud, which was released on May 31, 2023, and allowed for the restoration of MOVEit Cloud that same day.
MOVEit Transfer is a secure file-transfer software that is installed by customers on-premise and does not have any on-going telemetry after installation that allows us to track, among other things, a customer’s product usage, deployed version, file transfer activity (including any data that is transferred by or stored within the customer’s MOVEit Transfer instance), or whether the customer has applied any security patches or bug fixes to their MOVEit Transfer instance. However, a number of MOVEit Transfer customers and others have disclosed that malicious threat actors have exploited the MOVEit Vulnerability to obtain access to their environments and portions of their sensitive customer data.
Furthermore, we have not seen any evidence that sensitive customer data has been exfiltrated from the public MOVEit Cloud instances. For a small group of customers, we provide dedicated MOVEit Cloud instances that are hosted, for each such customer, separate and apart from the public instances of our MOVEit Cloud platform. Two of our dedicated MOVEit Cloud customers have reported that malicious threat actors have exploited the MOVEit Vulnerability to obtain access to their dedicated MOVEit Cloud environment. As of the date of the filing of this report on Form 10-K, one such customer has confirmed that no sensitive data was compromised and the other has reported that certain personally identifiable information was exfiltrated.
Since our disclosures regarding the MOVEit Vulnerability, various third-parties have been actively scrutinizing MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud, leading to the discovery and our prompt patching of additional vulnerabilities. We are currently not aware of any evidence that these additional vulnerabilities were exploited by malicious threat actors prior to creating patches to address them and making those patches available to our MOVEit Transfer customers and applying those patches to the MOVEit Cloud environments – both the public and dedicated cloud instances.
Progress has remained fully operational at all times before and after the discovery of the MOVEit Vulnerability and, as of the time of the filing of this report on Form 10-K, has not uncovered evidence of unauthorized activity in Progress' corporate environment or impact to products beyond MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud related to this attack. MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud represented less than 4% in aggregate of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.
Progress engaged outside cybersecurity experts and other incident response professionals to conduct a forensic investigation and assess the extent and scope of the MOVEit Vulnerability. The Company (i) has and is continuing to implement a series of additional security and related measures aimed at addressing the MOVEit Vulnerability and subsequently discovered vulnerabilities and further strengthening the overall security of our MOVEit applications, (ii) has engaged outside legal counsel to conduct a thorough independent investigation of the MOVEit Vulnerability, and (iii) has engaged with federal law enforcement and other federal agencies with respect to the MOVEit Vulnerability. As our fact-gathering investigation and litigation response continues, we will continue to assess the potential impact of the MOVEit Vulnerability on our business, operations, and financial results.
Expenses Incurred and Amounts Accrued
For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, we incurred $1.5 million of costs related to the MOVEit Vulnerability. Costs are provided net of received and expected insurance recoveries of approximately $3.7 million, which was recognized during the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2023. The timing of recognizing insurance recoveries may differ from the timing of recognizing the associated expenses.
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Future Costs
We expect to incur investigation, legal and professional services expenses associated with the MOVEit Vulnerability in future periods. We will recognize these expenses as services are received, net of received and expected insurance recoveries. Our financial liability arising from any of the foregoing will depend on many factors, including limitations contained within our customer contracts, the amount of private litigation, and the number and extent of formal government investigations into the matter, therefore it is not possible at this time to estimate the quantitative impact of any such liability with any reasonable degree of certainty.
Insurance Coverage
During the period when the November 2022 Cyber Incident and the MOVEit Vulnerability occurred, we maintained $ 15.0 million of cybersecurity insurance coverage, which is expected to reduce our exposure to expenses and liabilities arising from these events. As of November 30, 2023, we have recorded approximately $ 6.2 million in insurance recoveries, of which, $ 2.5 million was related to the November 2022 Cyber Incident and $ 3.7 million was related to the MOVEit Vulnerability, providing us with $ 8.8 million of additional cybersecurity insurance coverage (which is subject to a $ 0.5 million retention per claim). We will pursue recoveries to the maximum extent available under our insurance policies.
Future Capital Investments
In addition, we may accelerate or make additional investments in our information technology systems, but we are unable to estimate such investments because the nature and scope has not yet been determined. We currently do not expect such amounts to be material to any fiscal period.
Effect on Sales and Customer Loyalty
The MOVEit Vulnerability may adversely affect our future performance and financial results. Customer confidence in Progress may also be impacted by the MOVEit Vulnerability. Through our response speed and transparent communications, we are committed to, and actively engaged in, activities to restore any loss in customer confidence. However, we currently cannot predict the length or extent of any ongoing impact to sales.
Litigation and Governmental Investigations
As of the date of the filing of this report on Form 10-K, (i) we have received formal letters from 31 customers and others that claim to have been impacted by the MOVEit Vulnerability, some of which have indicated that they intend to seek indemnification from us related to the MOVEit Vulnerability, (ii) we have received a letter from an insurer providing notice of a subrogation claim (where the insurer is seeking recovery for all expenses incurred in connection with the MOVEit Vulnerability), which has resulted in the filing of a lawsuit in the District of Massachusetts, and (iii) we are party to approximately 118 class action lawsuits filed by individuals who claim to have been impacted by exfiltration of data from the environments of our MOVEit Transfer customers, which the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred to the District of Massachusetts for coordinated and consolidated proceedings.
We have also been cooperating with several inquiries from domestic and foreign data privacy regulators; inquiries from several state attorneys general; as well as formal investigations from: (i) a U.S. federal law enforcement agency (as of the date of the filing of this report, the law enforcement investigation that we are cooperating with is not an enforcement action or formal governmental investigation of which we have been told that we are a target), (ii) the SEC (as further described hereafter), and (iii) the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (as further described hereafter). On October 2, 2023, Progress received a subpoena from the SEC seeking various documents and information relating to the MOVEit Vulnerability. As described in the cover letter accompanying the subpoena, at this stage, the SEC investigation is a fact-finding inquiry, the investigation does not mean that Progress or anyone else has violated federal securities laws, and the investigation does not mean that the SEC has a negative opinion of any person, entity, or security. Progress intends to cooperate fully with the SEC in its investigation.
On December 21, 2023, Progress received a preservation notice from the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC"), but has not otherwise received a request for information nor is Progress aware of any formal FTC investigation.
On January 18, 2024, Progress received a subpoena from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia seeking various documents and information relating to the MOVEit Vulnerability. At this stage, the investigation is a fact-finding inquiry, and the investigation does not mean that Progress or anyone else has violated applicable laws. Progress intends to cooperate fully with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia in its investigation.
Such claims and investigations may have an adverse effect on how we operate our business and our results of operations, and in the future, we may be subject to additional governmental or regulatory investigations, as well as additional litigation or indemnification
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claims. While a loss from these matters is possible, we cannot reasonably estimate a range of possible losses at this time, particularly while the foregoing matters are pending and our fact-gathering investigation into the matter is ongoing. Furthermore, with respect to the litigation, the proceedings remain in the early stages, alleged damages have not been specified, there is uncertainty as to the likelihood of a class or classes being certified or the ultimate size of any class if certified, and there are significant factual and legal issues to be resolved. Also, each of the governmental inquiries and investigations mentioned above could result in adverse judgements, settlements, fines, penalties, or other resolutions, the amount, scope and timing of which could be material, but which we are currently unable to predict. As such, we have not recorded a loss contingency liability for litigation, claims and governmental investigations. See Note 19: Cyber Related Matters to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements.