- Current cloud backlog of €15.4 billion, up 25% and up 29% at constant currencies
- Cloud revenue up 25% and up 27% at constant currencies
- Cloud ERP Suite revenue up 34% and up 36% at constant currencies
- Total revenue up 9% and up 10% at constant currencies
- IFRS cloud gross profit up 26%, non-IFRS cloud gross profit up 27% and up 28% at constant currencies
- IFRS operating profit up 29%, non-IFRS operating profit up 27% and up 28% at constant currencies
- SAP raises its 2024 outlook for cloud and software revenue, operating profit and free cash flow
WALLDORF,
Q3 was another strong quarter for SAP, and we are confidently raising our 2024 financial outlook. Cloud revenue growth developed remarkably well in the quarter, especially for our Cloud ERP Suite. Even more importantly, we are making strong progress on Business AI with groundbreaking innovations such as SAP Knowledge Graph. A significant part of our cloud deals in Q3 included AI use cases.
We are very pleased with our third quarter performance. The 2024 transformation program has already started to yield efficiency improvements. This allowed us to deliver a strong operating profit and free cash flow, while retaining our topline momentum.
We're now focused on carrying that momentum into Q4 to safeguard the achievement of our 2025 ambition amidst a highly volatile environment.
Financial Performance
Group results at a glance – Third quarter 2024
|
|
IFRS |
|
Non-IFRS1 |
|||||
|
€ million, unless otherwise stated |
Q3 2024 |
Q3 2023 |
∆ in % |
|
Q3 2024 |
Q3 2023 |
∆ in % |
∆ in % |
|
SaaS/PaaS |
4,234 |
3,291 |
29 |
|
4,234 |
3,291 |
29 |
30 |
|
Thereof Cloud ERP Suite2 |
3,636 |
2,711 |
34 |
|
3,636 |
2,711 |
34 |
36 |
|
Thereof Extension Suite3 |
597 |
581 |
3 |
|
597 |
581 |
3 |
4 |
|
IaaS4 |
117 |
180 |
–35 |
|
117 |
180 |
–35 |
–34 |
|
Cloud revenue |
4,351 |
3,472 |
25 |
|
4,351 |
3,472 |
25 |
27 |
|
Cloud and software revenue |
7,429 |
6,679 |
11 |
|
7,429 |
6,679 |
11 |
12 |
|
Total revenue |
8,470 |
7,744 |
9 |
|
8,470 |
7,744 |
9 |
10 |
|
Share of more predictable revenue (in %) |
84 |
82 |
2pp |
|
84 |
82 |
2pp |
|
|
Cloud gross profit |
3,184 |
2,525 |
26 |
|
3,209 |
2,535 |
27 |
28 |
|
Gross profit |
6,212 |
5,637 |
10 |
|
6,236 |
5,651 |
10 |
11 |
|
Operating profit (loss) |
2,214 |
1,723 |
29 |
|
2,244 |
1,767 |
27 |
28 |
|
Profit (loss) after tax from continuing operations |
1,441 |
1,272 |
13 |
|
1,437 |
1,352 |
6 |
|
|
Profit (loss) after tax5 |
1,441 |
1,272 |
13 |
|
1,437 |
1,352 |
6 |
|
|
Earnings per share - Basic (in €) from continuing operations |
1.25 |
1.09 |
15 |
|
1.23 |
1.16 |
6 |
|
|
Earnings per share - Basic (in €)5 |
1.25 |
1.09 |
15 |
|
1.23 |
1.16 |
6 |
|
|
Net cash flows from operating activities from continuing operations |
1,475 |
1,124 |
31 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Free cash flow |
|
|
|
|
1,248 |
865 |
44 |
|
|
1 For a breakdown of the individual adjustments see table "Non-IFRS Operating Expense Adjustments by Functional Areas" in this Quarterly Statement. |
|
2 Cloud ERP Suite references the portfolio of strategic Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions that are tightly integrated with our core ERP solutions and are |
|
3 Extension Suite references SAP's remaining SaaS and PaaS solutions that supplement and extend the functional coverage of the Cloud ERP Suite. |
|
4 Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): The major portion of IaaS comes from SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. |
|
5 From continuing and discontinued operations. |
Group results at a glance – Nine months ended
|
|
IFRS |
|
Non-IFRS1 |
|||||
|
€ million, unless otherwise stated |
Q1–Q3 2024 |
Q1–Q3 2023 |
∆ in % |
|
Q1–Q3 2024 |
Q1–Q3 2023 |
∆ in % |
∆ in % |
|
SaaS/PaaS |
12,016 |
9,401 |
28 |
|
12,016 |
9,401 |
28 |
29 |
|
Thereof Cloud ERP Suite revenue2 |
10,217 |
7,695 |
33 |
|
10,217 |
7,695 |
33 |
34 |
|
Thereof Extension Suite revenue3 |
1,799 |
1,706 |
5 |
|
1,799 |
1,706 |
5 |
6 |
|
IaaS4 |
417 |
564 |
–26 |
|
417 |
564 |
–26 |
–25 |
|
Cloud revenue |
12,433 |
9,965 |
25 |
|
12,433 |
9,965 |
25 |
26 |
|
Cloud and software revenue |
21,563 |
19,542 |
10 |
|
21,563 |
19,542 |
10 |
11 |
|
Total revenue |
24,798 |
22,739 |
9 |
|
24,798 |
22,739 |
9 |
10 |
|
Share of more predictable revenue (in %) |
84 |
82 |
2pp |
|
84 |
82 |
2pp |
|
|
Cloud gross profit |
9,052 |
7,121 |
27 |
|
9,101 |
7,152 |
27 |
28 |
|
Gross profit |
17,990 |
16,330 |
10 |
|
18,039 |
16,388 |
10 |
11 |
|
Operating profit (loss) |
2,648 |
3,897 |
–32 |
|
5,717 |
4,546 |
26 |
27 |
|
Profit (loss) after tax from continuing operations |
1,534 |
2,399 |
–36 |
|
3,660 |
3,019 |
21 |
|
|
Profit (loss) after tax5 |
1,534 |
4,763 |
–68 |
|
3,660 |
4,801 |
–24 |
|
|
Earnings per share - Basic (in €) from continuing operations |
1.31 |
2.07 |
–37 |
|
3.13 |
2.59 |
21 |
|
|
Earnings per share - Basic (in €)5 |
1.31 |
4.21 |
–69 |
|
3.13 |
4.39 |
–29 |
|
|
Net cash flows from operating activities from continuing operations |
5,772 |
4,284 |
35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Free cash flow |
|
|
|
|
5,031 |
3,423 |
47 |
|
|
1 For a breakdown of the individual adjustments see table "Non-IFRS Operating Expense Adjustments by Functional Areas" in this Quarterly Statement. |
|
2 Cloud ERP Suite references the portfolio of strategic Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions that are tightly integrated with our core ERP solutions and are |
|
3 Extension Suite references SAP's remaining SaaS and PaaS solutions that supplement and extend the functional coverage of the Cloud ERP Suite. |
|
4 Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): The major portion of IaaS comes from SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. |
|
5 From continuing and discontinued operations. |
Financial Highlights1
Third Quarter 2024
In the third quarter, SAP's strong business momentum continued. Current cloud backlog grew by 25% to €15.38 billion and was up 29% at constant currencies. The acquisition of
Software licenses revenue decreased by 15% to €0.28 billion and was down 14% at constant currencies. Cloud and software revenue was up 11% to €7.43 billion and up 12% at constant currencies. Services revenue was down 2% to €1.04 billion and down 2% at constant currencies. Total revenue was up 9% to €8.47 billion and up 10% at constant currencies.
The share of more predictable revenue increased by 2 percentage points to 84% in the third quarter.
IFRS cloud gross profit was up 26% to €3.18 billion. Non-IFRS cloud gross profit was up 27% to €3.21 billion and was up 28% at constant currencies.
IFRS operating profit in the third quarter was up 29% to €2.21 billion. Non-IFRS operating profit was up 27% to €2.24 billion and was up 28% at constant currencies. Operating profit growth was mainly driven by strong revenue growth as well as disciplined execution of the 2024 transformation program.
IFRS earnings per share (basic) increased 15% to €1.25. Non-IFRS earnings per share (basic) increased 6% to €1.23. IFRS effective tax rate was 33.0% (Q3/2023: 27.8%) and non-IFRS effective tax rate was 33.4% (Q3/2023: 27.1%). Both year-over-year increases mainly resulted from a temporary inability to offset withholding taxes in
Free cash flow in the third quarter increased by 44% to €1.25 billion. While around €0.3 billion was paid out for restructuring, the positive development was primarily attributable to increased profitability and lower tax payments. For the first nine months, free cash flow was up 47% to €5.03 billion.
Share Repurchase Program
In
2024 Transformation Program: Focus on scalability of operations and key strategic growth areas
In 2024, SAP is further increasing its focus on key strategic growth areas, in particular business AI. It is transforming its operational setup to capture organizational synergies and AI-driven efficiencies, and to prepare the company for highly scalable future revenue growth.
To this end, as announced in January, SAP is executing a company-wide restructuring program which is anticipated to conclude in early 2025. The restructuring is intended to ensure that SAP's skillset and resources continue to meet future business needs and is currently expected to affect 9,000 to 10,000 positions, a majority of which will be covered by voluntary leave programs and internal re-skilling measures. Reflecting re-investments into strategic growth areas and the acquisition of
While restructuring expenses recorded in the first nine months of 2024 total €2.8 billion, the overall expenses associated with the program are estimated to be approximately €3 billion.
Restructuring payouts in the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 amounted to €0.3 billion and €0.8 billion respectively. Overall payouts associated with the program are currently expected at approximately €3 billion, of which a mid-triple-digit million amount is expected to occur in 2025.
Business Highlights
In the third quarter, customers around the globe continued to choose "RISE with SAP" to drive their end-to-end business transformations. These customers included: B3, CAF - the
Clorox,
Key customer wins across SAP's solution portfolio included: AAK, Aramark, Bosideng, BY-HEALTH, Continental Automotive Technologies,
In the third quarter, SAP's cloud revenue performance was particularly strong in APJ and EMEA and robust in the
On
On
On
Financial Outlook 2024
SAP's financial outlook 2024 is based on SAP's updated non-IFRS definition of profit measures which, beginning in 2024, include share-based compensation expenses and exclude gains and losses from equity securities, net. For more details, please refer to the Reporting Framework section on our Investor Relations website: https://www.sap.com/investors/en/reports/reporting-framework.html.
For 2024, SAP is updating its cloud and software revenue, operating profit and free cash flow outlook and now expects:
- €29.5 – 29.8 billion cloud and software revenue at constant currencies (2023: €26.92 billion), up 10% to 11% at constant currencies, raising the midpoint by €400 million. The previous range was €29.0 – 29.5 billion at constant currencies.
- €7.8 – 8.0 billion non-IFRS operating profit at constant currencies (2023: €6.51 billion), up 20% to 23% at constant currencies, raising the midpoint by €150 million. The previous range was €7.6 – 7.9 billion at constant currencies.
- €3.5 – 4.0 billion free cash flow (2023: €5.09 billion). The previous outlook was approximately €3.5 billion.
SAP continues to expect:
- €17.0 – 17.3 billion cloud revenue at constant currencies (2023: €13.66 billion), up 24% to 27% at constant currencies.
- An effective tax rate (non-IFRS) of approximately 32% (2023: 30.3%)2.
While SAP's 2024 financial outlook is at constant currencies, actual currency reported figures are expected to be impacted by currency exchange rate fluctuations as the company progresses through the year, as reflected in the table below.
Currency Impact Assuming
|
In percentage points |
Q4 2024 |
FY 2024 |
|
Cloud revenue growth |
–3.0pp |
–1.0pp |
|
Cloud and software revenue growth |
–2.0pp |
–1.0pp |
|
Operating profit growth (non-IFRS) |
–2.0pp |
–2.0pp |
Non-Financial Outlook 2024
In 2024, SAP continues to expect:
- The Employee Engagement Index to be in a range of 70% to 74%.
- A Customer Net Promoter Score of 9 to 13.
- To steadily decrease carbon emissions across the relevant value chain, in line with our target of achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030.
- To steadily increase the number of women in executive roles in line with our end of year 2027 target to achieve 25%.
Additional Information
This press release and all information therein is preliminary and unaudited. Due to rounding, numbers may not add up precisely. The full Q3 2024 Quarterly Statement can be downloaded from: https://www.sap.com/investors/sap-2024-q3-statement.
SAP Performance Measures
For more information about our key growth metrics and performance measures, their calculation, their usefulness, and their limitations, please refer to the following document on our Investor Relations website: https://www.sap.com/investors/performance-measures
Webcast
SAP senior management will host a financial analyst conference call on
About SAP
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE: SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
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For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: |
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Global Customer Center: |
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This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the
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SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of
1The Q3 2024 results were also impacted by other effects. For details, please refer to the disclosures on page 25 of this document.
2 The effective tax rate (non-IFRS) is a non-IFRS financial measure and is presented for supplemental informational purposes only. We do not provide an outlook for the effective tax rate (IFRS) due to the uncertainty and potential variability of gains and losses associated with equity securities, which are reconciling items between the two effective tax rates (non-IFRS and IFRS). These items cannot be provided without unreasonable efforts but could have a significant impact on our future effective tax rate (IFRS).
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