ScanSource Posts 9% Revenue Gain in Q4

Key Points

• ScanSource delivered GAAP revenue of $812.9 million in Q4 FY2025, beating the $779.7 million GAAP consensus estimate and rising 8.9% year over year.

• Non-GAAP earnings per share rose 27.5% to $1.02, outpacing the analyst estimate of $0.915.

• Recurring revenue jumped 30.0% to $36.5 million, increasing its share of total gross profit to 31.6%.

• These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires ›

ScanSource (NASDAQ:SCSC), a hybrid distributor connecting technology products and cloud services for thousands of customers, reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings on August 21, 2025. For the three-month period, it posted revenue of $812.9 million, surpassing GAAP expectations of $779.7 million and up 8.9% year over year. Non-GAAP earnings per share reached $1.02, notably higher than the consensus of $0.915 and up sharply from $0.80 in the prior year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 13.0% to $38.6 million (non-GAAP). These results capped a strong finish to the fiscal year and matched the company’s most recent full-year guidance. This marked a strong rebound from softer performance earlier in the year, although some areas, like free cash flow (non-GAAP), fell well below the prior year as anticipated. Overall, the quarter showed notable progress in recurring revenue and North America sales, contributing to improved profitability.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q3 2025 earnings report.

Business Overview and Strategic Focus

ScanSource acts as a bridge between technology suppliers and business customers. It distributes a mix of physical hardware -- like point-of-sale systems, networking gear, and payment terminals -- alongside cloud-based software and connectivity solutions. The company serves around 25,000 customers and partners with about 500 suppliers, including large names such as Cisco and Zebra.

The company’s recent focus has been to boost its mix of recurring revenue, which includes software subscriptions, connectivity, and advisory services. This shift is designed to strengthen its business model against shifts in how organizations buy and consume technology. Success depends on its ability to grow recurring revenue, attract and retain leading suppliers, and maintain a robust financial profile that supports investment and acquisition opportunities.

Quarterly Results and Operational Highlights

ScanSource achieved a significant revenue rebound in Q4 FY2025, fueled by strong sales in North America and a larger number of high-value deals. Specialty Technology Solutions -- the segment that includes hardware, payments, and wireless equipment -- posted 9.2% year-over-year sales growth (GAAP). North America led the improvement, with net sales up 11.0% on a non-GAAP basis. These gains offset ongoing weakness in international markets, including Brazil, which reported an 11.7% drop in non-GAAP net sales due to persistent economic and market-specific challenges. Management attributed much of the revenue increase to broader demand in North America and a return of large enterprise deals.

Recurring revenue, a key marker for the company’s strategic transition, increased 30.0% to $36.5 million. Recurring business made up 31.6% of total gross profit, up from 28.5% a year earlier. This revenue stream includes subscription-based software, managed cloud services, and connectivity solutions. The mix shift reflects growing customer adoption of cloud-based and subscription offerings, supported in part by recent acquisitions. However, organic growth in this segment was more modest once acquisitions were excluded (non-GAAP).

The Intelisys & Advisory segment -- which delivers cloud, connectivity, and Software as a Service (SaaS) products -- saw net sales rise 1.3% year-over-year. When excluding new acquisitions, sales in this segment increased 4.3% year over year in Q3 FY2025. The overall improvement in profitability was apparent in the increase in gross profit (GAAP), which rose 8.0% year over year and pushed adjusted EBITDA margin up to 4.75% from 4.58% in the prior year quarter. Net income (GAAP) and diluted earnings per share (GAAP) both increased strongly. Shares of the company earned $0.88 per share on a GAAP basis, up from $0.64 last year.

Gross margin (GAAP) declined slightly, dipping to 12.9% from 13.0% in the prior year period. Despite this, the full-year gross profit margin (GAAP) rose to 13.4%, thanks to a higher proportion of recurring revenue and the positive impact of vendor incentives. Free cash flow dropped sharply to $5.1 million for the quarter, compared to $53.5 million in the same period last year.

Segment Performance and Market Context

The Specialty Technology Solutions segment, covering hardware products and payment terminals, drove the majority of the gains, with quarterly sales increasing 9.2% (GAAP). In the prior quarter, the company had flagged softness in some legacy hardware categories and international markets, but the latest quarter saw North American demand lead the recovery. Brazil now represents less than 10% of total sales and continues to underperform.

The Intelisys & Advisory segment houses the company's cloud and SaaS businesses, as well as advisory services to help customers navigate IT complexity. Revenue here showed limited growth, increasing 1.3% to $24.2 million. This reflects the consolidation of a recent acquisition, with organic growth still building.

On the supplier side, the company continues to rely on key technology partners. Cisco and Zebra each accounted for more than 10% of net sales in FY2024, a concentration that can add risk but also supports access to in-demand products. The breadth of relationships, spanning about 500 suppliers, enables ScanSource to offer comprehensive solutions that combine hardware with software and managed services.

Financial metrics underscored the company’s healthy balance sheet and operational flexibility. End-of-year cash and equivalents stood at $126.2 million, with total debt of $136.1 million. ScanSource generated $104.1 million in free cash flow (non-GAAP) and completed $106.5 million in share repurchases. The return on invested capital -- a measure of the company’s ability to generate profit from its investments -- improved to 13.6% this year from 12.4% before. Healthy cash generation and constrained leverage provide headroom for future acquisitions and investment as strategic priorities evolve.

Outlook and What to Watch Next

Looking ahead to fiscal 2026, Management projects FY2026 revenue in the $3.1 billion to $3.3 billion range. Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) is forecast to rise to a range of $150 million to $160 million, up from $144.7 million in FY2025. Free cash flow (non-GAAP) is expected to exceed $80 million, which accounts for potentially higher investment or working capital needs as the business grows.

Management emphasized its intent to pursue a dual strategy of growth: combining organic investment in integrated, cloud, and subscription products with targeted acquisitions. The company made meaningful share repurchases and allocated new capital towards recent acquisition-driven expansion. Investors should monitor the sustainability of North American sales growth, the evolving mix and profitability of recurring revenue, and ongoing trends in free cash flow and capital deployment as fiscal 2026 progresses.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

Where to invest $1,000 right now

When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,052%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500.

They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025

Motley Fool Markets Team is a Foolish AI, based on a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) and proprietary Motley Fool systems. The Motley Fool takes ultimate responsibility for the content of these articles. Motley Fool Markets Team cannot own stocks and so it has no positions in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.