ReadyTech (ASX:RDY) Down 57%, Where’s the Operating Leverage?

ReadyTech Soft Half Keeps Pressure on the Stock

ReadyTech has had a rough 12 months.

The stock has fallen from a high of $3.30 to around $1.20, which puts it down roughly 57%. The latest interim result did little to help sentiment, with the company delivering a clear downgrade relative to what the market had been expecting.

Looking at ReadyTech’s result objectively, it was fairly average.

Revenue still grew, but only modestly, and that is the key issue. For a business that is meant to be valued like a SaaS company, investors are looking for stronger and more consistent operating leverage. Instead, even excluding the prior year’s impairment costs, the cost base remained broadly flat, and EBITDA has shown little real progression over the past two years.

That lack of earnings momentum is likely a big part of why the market has become more cautious. When you own a software business, you want to see revenue growth translate into improving profitability over time, and that has not really come through here.

That said, it was not all bad.

One positive was that recurring revenue remained high, which still speaks to the underlying quality and stickiness of the business model. The enterprise flagship products also performed well, showing that the core parts of the platform are still holding up. On the other hand, the more mature products continued to face churn, which remains a drag on overall growth.

What are the Best ASX Stocks to invest in right now?

Check our buy/sell tips

ReadyTech SaaS Multiple Without SaaS Leverage

ReadyTech reported H1 revenue of $61.0 million, up 5.6%, which is a positive outcome on the surface. But if the company wants the market to regain confidence in the earnings story, revenue needs to scale more meaningfully from here.

Investors need to see clearer evidence that the earnings base can grow alongside revenue. So far, over the past few years, the trend has looked more stagnant, and that has made it harder for the market to build conviction around the company’s ability to deliver scalable growth.

One encouraging sign is that recurring revenue made up 84% of total revenue. That is an attractive feature for investors because a high recurring revenue base provides stronger visibility and predictability. It suggests a large portion of sales is more stable and less dependent on one-off wins, which is an important quality in a software business.

The operating loss also declined significantly, but this needs to be viewed in context. A big reason for the improvement was that the prior corresponding period included a one-off impairment loss of around $20 million.

Outside of that, most of the operating expense lines were either flat or slightly higher. In other words, investors still have not really seen a clean improvement in operating leverage. The earnings base remains broadly flat, while revenue growth is still not strong enough to show that profitability can scale. In that context, the market’s multiple compression looks understandable.

That does not mean the business cannot improve from here. There is still a path to a turnaround if management can accelerate growth and show stronger earnings conversion over time. But at this stage, the market is still waiting for that proof.

Debt Is the Watchpoint as Growth Slows

When we look at the balance sheet, there are also a few areas that deserve attention. The company has around $12 million in cash, and trade receivables have grown to roughly $14 million, which is at least supportive from a working capital perspective.

However, the debt position remains fairly large at around $53 million. With a debt-to-equity ratio of 39%, the balance sheet is not in immediate distress, but it does present a more moderate risk profile. Overall, the balance sheet appears to be gradually weakening, not at an alarming rate, but enough to remain a watch point for investors.