KVH Industries (KVHI) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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DATE

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET

CALL PARTICIPANTS

• Chief Financial Officer - Anthony Pike
• Chief Executive Officer - Brent Bruun

TAKEAWAYS

• Total Revenue -- $33.7 million, representing a 27% increase from $26.6 million in the prior year quarter, driven by a $6.7 million increase in service sales.
• Service Revenue -- $29.7 million, rising 29% year over year and 6% sequentially, reflecting the expansion of the subscriber base.
• Airtime Revenue -- $27.8 million, growing 31% year over year primarily due to increased subscribers for Starlink and OneWeb services.
• Net Income -- $0.2 million, or $0.01 per share, compared to $0.9 million, or $0.05 per share, in the second quarter of 2025.
• Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA -- $3.0 million, an increase from $2.7 million in the same quarter last year.
• Product Revenue -- $4.0 million, up 12% year over year as increased Starlink and OneWeb product sales offset declines in VSAT and TracVision sales.
• Subscribing Vessels -- 10,700, an 11% sequential increase reflecting the addition of more than 1,000 net vessels during the second quarter.
• LEO Service Sales -- 55% of total airtime sales, compared to less than 32% in the second quarter of 2025, driven by the shift toward Starlink and OneWeb.
• Terminal Shipments -- 2,500 units, demonstrating continued demand though remaining below the record shipment level of 3,100 units in the first quarter of 2026.
• Land-based Starlink Sites -- 1,600 sites, an increase of approximately 500 sites during the second quarter.
• Operating Expenses -- $10.4 million, which included $200,000 in severance costs and increased professional fees and bad debt expense.
• Service Gross Margin -- 36%, up from 35% in the prior quarter, with airtime depreciation expense accounting for 7% of service revenue.
• Ending Cash Balance -- $57.7 million, down $1.4 million sequentially primarily due to $2.3 million in stock repurchases.
• Stock Repurchases -- $2.3 million during the second quarter, with the full $15 million authorization expected to be completed in Aug. 2026.
• Capital Expenditures -- $1.3 million, including $400,000 for an enterprise resource planning project and the fit-out of the new U.S. headquarters.
• Service Gross Profit -- $10.6 million, an increase of $800,000 compared to the first quarter of 2026.
• TracVision Product Sales -- Decreased by $500,000 year over year due to competition from low-cost alternatives with streaming capabilities.
• Starlink Product Sales -- Increased by $700,000 compared to the second quarter of 2025.
• OneWeb Product Sales -- Increased by $300,000 year over year as part of the transition to low earth orbit connectivity.
• VSAT Broadband Product Sales -- Decreased by $200,000 year over year as customers migrate to new satellite network technologies.

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RISKS

• CFO Pike stated that VSAT service sales saw a "substantial decrease," which was driven primarily by a decrease in VSAT subscribers.
• Management noted in the 8-K that "competition from low-cost alternatives to VSAT, which include streaming capabilities, has had a significant impact on sales of our TracVision products."

SUMMARY

Management of KVH Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KVHI) reported revenue growth driven by the transition to low earth orbit (LEO) connectivity services and an expanding recurring revenue base. The company highlighted the introduction of multi-network service plans that integrate Starlink, OneWeb, and VSAT capabilities to provide greater customer flexibility. Strategic initiatives included expanding managed IT services and growing the company's geographic footprint in Europe and Latin America. Additionally, the company launched its first retail location and progressed with beta trials for its Link streaming platform to enhance onboard entertainment services.

• CEO Bruun stated that LEO service sales driven by Starlink remains the "fastest growing segment" for the company as it navigates the industry shift.
• The company introduced new multi-network service plans allowing customers to subscribe to a block of data delivered across Starlink, OneWeb, or VSAT based on operational needs.
• Management opened a new retail location in Fort Lauderdale to serve both commercial and recreational maritime customers with hardware and connectivity solutions.
• CFO Pike noted that GEO bandwidth commitments predominantly end at the close of 2026, allowing the company to further balance costs with the declining VSAT revenue stream.
• CEO Bruun indicated that terminal shipments are expected to range from 2,000 to 3,000 units on a go-forward basis, though he cautioned that market dynamics shift constantly.
• The company expanded its global footprint by adding a regional sales leader in Latin America and increasing headcount in Athens, Greece, to support European market demand.
• Management reported that its managed IT service offering is converting early customer evaluations into ongoing commercial relationships, which is expected to support future recurring revenue growth.

INDUSTRY GLOSSARY

• LEO (Low Earth Orbit): A satellite system orbiting at altitudes between 160 to 2,000 kilometers, providing lower latency than traditional satellites.
• VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal): A two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna smaller than 3.8 meters.
• Adjusted EBITDA: A non-GAAP financial metric that excludes certain expenses like interest, taxes, depreciation, and stock-based compensation to measure core operating performance.
• ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): A measure used to track the average revenue generated per subscriber or vessel.
• ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): Software used by companies to manage core business processes such as accounting and procurement.
• Starlink: A high-speed, low-latency satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX.
• OneWeb: A global communications network powered by a constellation of low earth orbit satellites.
• AgilePlans: KVH's connectivity as a service subscription model for maritime communications.

Full Conference Call Transcript

Operator: Good day and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Q2 2026 KVH Industries, Inc. Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Anthony Pike, Chief Financial Officer. Please go ahead.

Anthony Pike: Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today for KVH Industries' second quarter results, which are included in the earnings release we published earlier this morning. Joining me on the call is the company's Chief Executive Officer, Brent Bruun. A copy of the earnings release was filed with the SEC under Form 8-K this morning, and a copy of the release, along with a recording of today's call, will be available on our website at ir.kvh.com. This conference call contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these statements.

Words such as expect, may, intend, anticipate, will and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements which include projections, plans, initiatives and other future events. We undertake no obligation to update these statements, and you should review the cautionary statements in our most recently filed Form 10-K under the heading Risk Factors. We will also discuss adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, and our press release defines this term and reconciles it to GAAP net income or loss. Brent?

Brent Bruun: Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. Over the last two quarterly calls, I have spoken about the momentum behind our transition to LEO-based connectivity. I'm pleased to say the momentum has continued through the second quarter, and our results demonstrate that we are executing well against our strategy. We are seeing strong demand for our solutions, continued growth in our recurring revenue base, and encouraging progress across several of our strategic initiatives. Total revenue for the second quarter was $33.7 million, an increase of $1.4 million, or 4%, sequentially from the first quarter, and up 27% from a year ago. Service revenue reached $29.7 million, increasing 6% sequentially and 29% year over year.

This growth reflects the continued expansion of our subscriber base and reinforces the strength of a recurring revenue model. During the quarter, we shipped approximately 2,500 communication terminals. While below the record shipment level we achieved in the first quarter, this represents another quarter of strong demand and continues to support future subscriber growth. We ended the quarter with approximately 10,700 subscribing vessels, adding more than 1,000 net vessels during the quarter. That trend reflects the value customers see in our approach. Growth in LEO service sales driven by Starlink remains our fastest growing segment. Not every company in our space has navigated the shift successfully. We have, and the results show it.

One of the most significant developments this quarter was the introduction of our new multi-network service plans. These plans give customers flexibility to subscribe to a block of data delivered across Starlink, OneWeb, or VSAT, depending on their needs. This is a key milestone in simplifying connectivity for our customers while giving them greater flexibility to take advantage of multiple satellite networks. Our Link content platform continues to expand. The new Link streaming service is now undergoing beta trials, and we expect to launch it very soon. This next phase expands the value of the platform by delivering streamed entertainment content that further enhances crew welfare and the onboard experience.

Turning to our managed IT service offering, we're making progress converting early customer evaluations into ongoing commercial relationships. And we expect to see this reflected in our recurring revenue stream over the coming months. While still early, we're encouraged by the direction of these conversions, and we look to expand our role beyond connectivity and deliver broader technology solutions for our customers. In parallel, our land-based Starlink initiative continues to expand. We ended the quarter with approximately 1,600 sites, an increase of approximately 500 during the quarter. It's further evidence of the demand of our managed connectivity solutions beyond the maritime market and broadens our recurring revenue business model. Geographic expansion remains a priority.

During the quarter, we strengthened our presence in Latin America by adding a dedicated regional sales leader and expanded our team in Athens, Greece, further enhancing our ability to support customers across Europe and surrounding markets. We also broadened our market reach by opening our first retail location in Fort Lauderdale. Alongside Starlink, the location offers a broad portfolio of communications equipment, including handheld devices and other connectivity solutions. It gives us a new channel to serve both commercial and recreational maritime customers while expanding our presence in an important maritime hub.

So what did we do in the second quarter? continued revenue growth, approximately 10,700 subscribing vessels, the successful introduction of multi-network service plans, Link streaming entered beta trials, our first cybersecurity pilot engagements, solid growth in our land-based Starlink initiative, continued investment in our global footprint, and the opening of our first retail location. The transformation of KVH continues to gain momentum. We remain focused on disciplined execution, delivering innovative solutions for our customers, expanding our recurring revenue base and building long-term value as the communications market continues to transition to LEO-enabled connectivity. Thank you. And with that, I'll turn it over to Anthony.

Anthony Pike: Thank you, Brent. So with respect to our second quarter financial results, service gross profit was $10.6 million, which is an increase of $0.8 million from the first quarter. Service gross margin was 36%, which was up slightly from 35% in the prior quarter. Airtime depreciation expense, which is a non-cash charge, represented 7% of service revenue in both the second and first quarters, which impacted these gross margins. As Brent mentioned, total subscribing vessels at the end of Q2 were approximately 10,700, which is up 11% from the prior quarter. The Q2 operating expenses totaled $10.4 million compared to operating expenses of $9.7 million in the prior quarter.

This increase was in line with expectations and included $0.2 million in severance costs related to individuals who left the business at the end of the second quarter. Our adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $3.0 million, and capital expenditure for the quarter was $1.3 million. Of the $1.3 million in capital expenditures during the quarter, we would note the following items as either temporary in nature or non-cash: $0.4 million related to our ongoing ERP project and the fit-out of our new US headquarters, which is now complete. The ERP project will be completed by the end of the year.

And $0.2 million related to non-cash expenditure on VSAT antennas using our Agile rental program, where the inventory has already been purchased in prior periods. This adjusted EBITDA and capital expenditure compares to $2.8 million and $2.6 million in the first quarter of 2026, respectively. Our ending cash balance of $57.7 million was down approximately $1.4 million from the beginning of the quarter. This was primarily driven by $2.3 million in stock repurchases. Giving effect to repurchases made subsequent to quarter end, we expect to conclude our full $15 million authorization within the current month. As a result, the program will then be complete. So overall, we are pleased with the second quarter's performance.

As Brent stated, service revenue continues to grow and was up 6% compared to the first quarter of 2026 and 29% from the same quarter last year. We had another strong quarter for connectivity antenna shipments with over 2,500 units shipped, and subscribing connectivity vessels were up 11% quarter on quarter compared to a 7% increase in the first quarter. On a year-to-date basis, subscribing connectivity vessels have grown by 18%. We hope to build on this strong momentum in the second half of the year and remain very positive about the future.

This concludes our prepared remarks, and I will now turn the call over to the operator to open the line for the Q&A portion of this morning's call. Operator?

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from the line of Caleb Henry of Quilty Space. Your line is now open.

Caleb Henry: First one is just on terminal shipments, the 2,500 I think versus 3,100 in the first quarter. Can you talk a little bit about what is driving the ups and downs there and what you see for the next couple quarters?

Brent Bruun: Caleb, as I indicated last quarter, the 3,100 was really a high watermark, we felt. Potentially, we'll match that or beat that at some point, but we realized at the time that, that was a bit higher than what we expected. I think in the realm where we see now, which is about 2,500, we should be able to do somewhere in the 2,000 to 3,000 range on a go-forward basis, but that's hard to say as market dynamics are shifting constantly.

Caleb Henry: Okay, thank you. And then I noticed in the earnings statement, it seemed like a little bit more discussion of OneWeb. I'm curious if you're seeing any customer patterns between who chooses Starlink, who chooses OneWeb, and then also who chooses VSAT, if there's any segmentation there or things that are noteworthy.

Brent Bruun: Yes, in regards to who chooses what, Starlink is definitely the dominating force as far as connectivity. Customers are still looking for redundancy of network. In particular cases, customers are looking for an alternative to Starlink, which would then be OneWeb. Many of our vessels have 2 or more communication solutions on board. We have customers that actually have all 3 on board, Starlink, OneWeb, and VSAT. We're still shipping VSATs, primarily in tandem with either a OneWeb or Starlink, and in some cases, a OneWeb will be paired with a Starlink as well. So I don't know, Anthony, do you have any more color to add there?

Anthony Pike: No, I think you covered it. Thanks, Brent.

Caleb Henry: Okay. And for the GEO VSAT terminals or for vehicles that have decided to discontinue using that service, do those VSATs tend to stay on the vessel or are they typically going silent -- sorry, are they being removed?

Brent Bruun: Well, if they own it, I'm not sure what they're doing with it, if you're leaving it on board. If it's in Agile, our rental program, they're required to de-install it and ship it back to us.

Caleb Henry: Okay. And then last question from me. As far as GEO capacity that has been already procured, can you give us a sense of the timeline for where that rolls off and if it has any material impact on gross margins going forward?

Brent Bruun: Well, the GEO capacity, we're in constant contact with SES. Previously, our arrangement was with -- our contract obligations were with Intelsat. We still have thousands of VSAT terminals in the market. So I wouldn't necessarily say there's an immediate roll-off of VSAT capacity. And we're just working with the provider to keep the service going as long as customers have a demand for it.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Chris Quilty of Quilty Space. Your line is now open.

Christopher Quilty: Just a follow-up on that last question. I didn't hear a change in the gross margin outlook. So presumably, the balancing of VSAT service revenues, which I think you noted this time was down substantially in the quarter. So that sounds like, you know, more than in the past, but you've been able to balance the cost with the revenue.

Brent Bruun: Yes. We have been able to balance costs with revenue. As we enter 2027, we'll be able to further balance that cost, if you will. And we don't really anticipate any exposure in regard to VSAT obligations in regard to being mismatched with the revenue stream. Anthony...

Anthony Pike: I'm sorry, the only thing I would add, Chris, is that from our 10-K, you can see that predominantly our commitment on the GEO bandwidth comes to an end at the end of this year. We have a small commitment for next year. And then, you know, on top of that, we've included in the press release, or if not it'd be in the 8-K later, that 55% of our revenue on the airtime now is driven from LEO. So obviously, if LEO becomes a bigger and bigger portion of that overall revenue, then it kind of de-risks a little bit in terms of the impact on the overall margin as a result of the compressed GEO margins.

So you know, as Brent says, we feel fairly comfortable going forward.

Christopher Quilty: Great. And CommBox, did you give the number of units shipped or how is that trending?

Brent Bruun: Well, it's trending up. I'll defer to Anthony as far as unit shipments, and I don't believe we did disclose it.

Anthony Pike: No, we haven't. But we've had pretty much 6, 7 quarters now, consistent number of shipments in the region of sort of 200 to 300 a quarter.

Christopher Quilty: Got you. And how do we think about, I mean, you talked about managed services associated with that. I mean, how large of a revenue bundle would you generate from a vessel? Like, is this a material contributor or is it most of the profit on the hardware sale?

Brent Bruun: Yes. It's definitely the most, the profit would be on the recurring revenue. As far as the size of the opportunity, it really depends on the end customer and what their requirements are, but we would anticipate as we further roll out our IT managed services and using the CommBox Edge as the backbone to increase our ARPUs. I wouldn't say significantly, but a nice uptick. I'd put it that way.

Christopher Quilty: Great. Final question. I guess several months ago, Starlink closed their reseller channel. Can you talk about what impact, if any, that's had on your business?

Brent Bruun: They closed their reseller channel for what they refer to as local priority, which is basically for brown water and land-based applications. They have not closed their reseller program for global priority, which is the bulk of our business with Starlink.

Christopher Quilty: Great. And I know there's been both new products and new pricing plans that Starlink has come out with. Have those impacted the business in any way?

Brent Bruun: Not at this point.

Christopher Quilty: Good luck going forward.

Brent Bruun: All right. Thank you, Chris.

Anthony Pike: Thanks, Chris.

Operator: Thank you. I am showing no further questions at this time. Thank you for your participation in today's conference. This does conclude the program. You may now disconnect.

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