AppLovin Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results

AppLovin Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ: APP) (“AppLovin”), a leading marketing platform, today announced financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024 and posted a letter to its shareholders and a financial update on its Investor Relations website located at https://investors.applovin.com.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Highlights:

 

Quarter Ended

 

Year Ended

 

(In thousands, except percentages)

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

 

2024

2023

% Change

2024

2023

% Change

Advertising Revenue1

$

999,487

$

576,489

73

%

$

3,224,058

$

1,841,762

75

%

Apps Revenue

 

373,292

 

376,772

(1

)%

 

1,485,190

 

1,441,325

3

%

Total Revenue

 

1,372,779

 

953,261

44

%

 

4,709,248

 

3,283,087

43

%

Advertising Adjusted EBITDA

 

776,699

 

420,008

85

%

 

2,442,597

 

1,275,705

91

%

Apps Adjusted EBITDA

 

71,325

 

56,147

27

%

 

277,008

 

226,953

22

%

Adjusted EBITDA

$

848,024

$

476,155

78

%

$

2,719,605

$

1,502,658

81

%

Net Income

$

599,204

$

172,233

248

%

$

1,579,776

$

356,711

343

%

Additional Financial Highlights:

  • Net cash from operating activities was $701 million and $2.1 billion, and Free Cash Flow was $695 million and $2.1 billion for the fourth quarter and full year 2024, respectively.

  • During the fourth quarter and full year 2024, we retired and withheld 1.6 million and 25.7 million of our Class A common stock, for a total cost of $0.5 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively2. At the end of 4Q 2024, we had 340 million shares of our Class A and Class B common stock outstanding.

First Quarter 2025 Financial Guidance Summary3

(In millions, except percentages)

1Q25

 

Low

High

Advertising Revenue

$

1,030

 

$

1,050

 

Apps Revenue

 

325

 

 

335

 

Total Revenue

 

1,355

 

 

1,385

 

Advertising Adjusted EBITDA

 

805

 

 

825

 

Apps Adjusted EBITDA

 

50

 

 

60

 

Total Adjusted EBITDA

$

855

 

$

885

 

Total Adjusted EBITDA Margin

 

63

%

 

64

%

Webcast and Conference Calls

AppLovin will host a webinar today at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET, during which management will discuss the Company’s fourth quarter and full year 2024 results and provide commentary on its business performance. A question-and-answer session will follow the prepared remarks.

The webinar may be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website or via webinar registration. A replay of the webinar will also be available under the Events & Presentations section of our Investor Relations website.

About AppLovin

AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “going to,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, priorities, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include our expected financial results and guidance, and growth prospects. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties, including changes in our plans or assumptions, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include our inability to forecast our business effectively, the macroeconomic environment, fluctuations in our results of operations, our ability to execute on our operational and financial priorities, our ability to scale our Advertising to support new users, the competitive advertising and mobile app ecosystems, and our inability to adapt to emerging technologies and business models. The forward-looking statements contained in this letter are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2024. Additional information will also be set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The forward-looking statements in this letter are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Metrics

To supplement our financial information presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), this shareholder letter includes certain financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and Free Cash Flow. A reconciliation of each such non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure can be found below.

We define Adjusted EBITDA for a particular period as net income (loss) before interest expense and loss on settlement of debt, other income, net (excluding certain recurring items), provision for (benefit from) income taxes, amortization, depreciation and write-offs and as further adjusted for non-operating foreign exchange (gains) losses, stock-based compensation expense, acquisition-related expense, restructuring costs, loss on disposal of long-lived assets, as well as certain other items that we believe are not reflective of our core operating performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue for the same period.

We define Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment and principal payments on finance leases. We subtract both purchases of property and equipment and payment of finance leases in our calculation of Free Cash Flow because we believe these items represent our ongoing requirements for property and equipment to support our business, regardless of whether we utilize a finance lease to obtain such property or equipment.

We believe that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as they are similar to measures reported by our public competitors and are regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors, and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are key measures we use to assess our financial performance and are also used for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are helpful to investors, analysts, and other interested parties because they can assist in providing a more consistent and comparable overview of our operations across our historical financial periods. We use Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin in conjunction with GAAP measures as part of our overall assessment of our performance, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and quarterly forecasts, to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies, and to communicate with our board of directors concerning our financial performance. We use Free Cash Flow in addition to GAAP measures to help manage our business and prepare budgets and annual planning, and we believe Free Cash Flow provides useful supplemental information to help investors understand underlying trends in our business and our liquidity.

These measures have certain limitations in that they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our consolidated statement of operations that are necessary to run our business. Our definitions may differ from the definitions used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. In addition, other companies may not publish these or similar metrics. Thus, our non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as substitutes for, or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

AppLovin Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

 

 

December 31,

2024

December 31,

2023

Assets

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

741,411

 

$

502,152

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

1,414,246

 

 

953,810

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

156,533

 

 

160,201

 

Total current assets

 

2,312,190

 

 

1,616,163

 

Property and equipment, net

 

160,530

 

 

173,331

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

38,069

 

 

48,210

 

Goodwill

 

1,803,426

 

 

1,842,850

 

Intangible assets, net

 

896,677

 

 

1,292,635

 

Other assets

 

658,367

 

 

385,998

 

Total assets

$

5,869,259

 

$

5,359,187

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

Accounts payable

$

563,427

 

$

371,702

 

Accrued and other current liabilities

 

409,392

 

 

265,256

 

Short-term debt

 

 

 

215,000

 

Deferred revenue

 

69,839

 

 

78,559

 

Operating lease liabilities, current

 

14,814

 

 

13,605

 

Total current liabilities

 

1,057,472

 

 

944,122

 

Long-term debt

 

3,508,983

 

 

2,905,906

 

Operating lease liabilities, non-current

 

32,608

 

 

42,905

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

180,378

 

 

209,925

 

Total liabilities

 

4,779,441

 

 

4,102,858

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.00003 par value—100,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023

 

 

 

 

Class A, Class B, and Class C Common stock, $0.00003 par value—1,850,000,000 (Class A 1,500,000,000, Class B 200,000,000, Class C 150,000,000) shares authorized, 340,041,739 (Class A 309,353,198, Class B 30,688,541, Class C nil) and 339,886,712 (Class A 268,774,090, Class B 71,112,622, Class C nil) shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively

 

11

 

 

11

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

593,699

 

 

2,134,581

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(103,096

)

 

(65,274

)

Retained earnings (Accumulated deficit)

 

599,204

 

 

(812,989

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

1,089,818

 

 

1,256,329

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

5,869,259

 

$

5,359,187

 

 

AppLovin Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

 

Quarter Ended December 31,

Year Ended December 31,

 

2024

2023

2024

2023

Revenue

$

1,372,779

 

$

953,261

 

$

4,709,248

 

$

3,283,087

 

Costs and expenses:

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue

 

320,452

 

 

273,607

 

 

1,166,806

 

 

1,059,191

 

Sales and marketing

 

214,662

 

 

222,963

 

 

849,209

 

 

830,718

 

Research and development

 

169,480

 

 

150,823

 

 

638,689

 

 

592,386

 

General and administrative

 

60,205

 

 

36,354

 

 

181,085

 

 

152,585

 

Total costs and expenses

 

764,799

 

 

683,747

 

 

2,835,789

 

 

2,634,880

 

Income from operations

 

607,980

 

 

269,514

 

 

1,873,459

 

 

648,207

 

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

Interest expense and loss on settlement of debt

 

(94,199

)

 

(71,584

)

 

(318,260

)

 

(275,665

)

Other income (expense), net

 

1,343

 

 

(19,034

)

 

20,806

 

 

8,028

 

Total other expense, net

 

(92,856

)

 

(90,618

)

 

(297,454

)

 

(267,637

)

Income before income taxes

 

515,124

 

 

178,896

 

 

1,576,005

 

 

380,570

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

(84,080

)

 

6,663

 

 

(3,771

)

 

23,859

 

Net income

 

599,204

 

 

172,233

 

 

1,579,776

 

 

356,711

 

Net income attributable to AppLovin

$

599,204

 

$

172,233

 

$

1,579,776

 

$

356,711

 

Less: Net income attributable to participating securities

 

150

 

 

714

 

 

2,717

 

 

1,769

 

Net income attributable to common stock—Basic

$

599,054

 

$

171,519

 

$

1,577,059

 

$

354,942

 

Net income attributable to common stock—Diluted

$

599,057

 

$

171,540

 

$

1,577,144

 

$

354,993

 

Net income per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

1.77

 

$

0.51

 

$

4.68

 

$

1.01

 

Diluted

$

1.73

 

$

0.49

 

$

4.53

 

$

0.98

 

Weighted average common shares used to compute net income per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

339,168,374

 

 

337,136,956

 

 

336,921,483

 

 

351,952,187

 

Diluted

 

346,423,848

 

 

347,492,545

 

 

347,807,555

 

 

362,589,246

 

 

AppLovin Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

Year Ended December 31,

 

2024

2023

Operating Activities

 

 

Net income

$

1,579,776

 

$

356,711

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to operating activities:

 

 

Amortization, depreciation and write-offs

 

448,680

 

 

489,008

 

Stock-based compensation, excluding cash-settled awards

 

369,367

 

 

363,107

 

Impairment of investments

 

 

 

27,953

 

Loss on settlement of debt

 

28,375

 

 

4,337

 

Change in operating right-of-use assets

 

12,689

 

 

17,842

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount

 

5,460

 

 

9,363

 

Loss on disposal of long-lived assets

 

1,646

 

 

 

Other

 

2,557

 

 

1,863

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(467,028

)

 

(261,279

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

4,056

 

 

(12,280

)

Other assets

 

(189,387

)

 

(121,688

)

Accounts payable

 

189,585

 

 

98,574

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

(14,106

)

 

(18,612

)

Accrued and other liabilities

 

133,974

 

 

92,754

 

Deferred revenue

 

(6,633

)

 

13,857

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

2,099,011

 

 

1,061,510

 

Investing Activities

 

 

Purchase of non-marketable equity securities

 

(76,983

)

 

(17,934

)

Acquisitions of businesses and intangible assets

 

(25,553

)

 

(63,899

)

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(4,776

)

 

(4,246

)

Proceeds from sale of assets and other

 

558

 

 

8,250

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(106,754

)

 

(77,829

)

Financing Activities

 

 

Principal repayments of debt

 

(4,225,223

)

 

(497,994

)

Payments of withholding taxes related to net share settlement

 

(1,143,525

)

 

(246,435

)

Repurchases of common stock

 

(981,297

)

 

(1,153,593

)

Payments of deferred acquisition costs

 

 

 

(33,903

)

Payments of licensed asset obligation

 

 

 

(27,110

)

Payments of debt issuance cost

 

(35,563

)

 

(4,655

)

Principal payments of finance leases

 

(20,875

)

 

(20,170

)

Proceeds from issuance of debt

 

4,614,841

 

 

395,281

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchase of ESPP shares

 

41,798

 

 

25,788

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(1,749,844

)

 

(1,562,791

)

Effect of foreign exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents

 

(3,154

)

 

778

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

239,259

 

 

(578,332

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

 

502,152

 

 

1,080,484

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

$

741,411

 

$

502,152

 

 

AppLovin Corporation

Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow

(in thousands)

 

The following table provides a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow for the periods presented:

 

 

Quarter Ended

Year Ended December 31,

 

4Q24

4Q23

2024

2023

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

701,003

 

 

343,988

 

 

2,099,011

 

 

1,061,510

 

Less:

 

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(490

)

 

(244

)

 

(4,776

)

 

(4,246

)

Principal payments on finance leases

 

(5,351

)

 

(3,979

)

 

(20,875

)

 

(20,170

)

Free Cash Flow

$

695,162

 

$

339,765

 

$

2,073,360

 

$

1,037,094

 

Net cash used in investing activities

$

(367

)

$

(6,804

)

$

(106,754

)

$

(77,829

)

Net cash used in financing activities

$

(523,157

)

$

(170,524

)

$

(1,749,844

)

$

(1,562,791

)

 

AppLovin Corporation

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA

(in thousands, except percentages)

 

The following table provides our Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin and a reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

 

 

Quarter Ended

Year Ended December 31,

 

4Q24

4Q23

2024

2023

Revenue

$

1,372,779

 

$

953,261

 

$

4,709,248

 

$

3,283,087

 

Net income

$

599,204

 

$

172,233

 

$

1,579,776

 

$

356,711

 

Net Margin

 

44

%

 

18

%

 

34

%

 

11

%

Interest expense and loss on settlement of debt

 

94,199

 

 

71,584

 

 

318,260

 

 

275,665

 

Other income (expense), net

 

(8,302

)

 

18,528

 

 

(25,440

)

 

(7,831

)

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

(84,080

)

 

6,663

 

 

(3,771

)

 

23,859

 

Amortization, depreciation and write-offs

 

127,837

 

 

119,111

 

 

448,680

 

 

489,008

 

Loss on disposal of long-lived assets

 

 

 

 

 

1,646

 

 

 

Non-operating foreign exchange loss (gain)

 

1,450

 

 

(65

)

 

291

 

 

(1,224

)

Stock-based compensation

 

100,921

 

 

88,049

 

 

376,455

 

 

363,107

 

Acquisition-related expense

 

5

 

 

52

 

 

885

 

 

1,047

 

Restructuring costs

 

16,790

 

 

 

 

22,823

 

 

2,316

 

Total adjustments

 

248,820

 

 

303,922

 

 

1,139,829

 

 

1,145,947

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

848,024

 

$

476,155

 

$

2,719,605

 

$

1,502,658

 

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

 

62

%

 

50

%

 

58

%

 

46

%

 

AppLovin Corporation

Reconciliation of Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Income Before Taxes

(in thousands, except percentages)

 

The following table provides selected financial data for our reportable segments for the periods indicated:

 

 

Quarter Ended

Year Ended December 31,

 

4Q24

4Q23

2024

2023

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

Advertising

$

999,487

 

$

576,489

 

$

3,224,058

 

$

1,841,762

 

Apps

 

373,292

 

 

376,772

 

 

1,485,190

 

 

1,441,325

 

Total Revenue

$

1,372,779

 

$

953,261

 

$

4,709,248

 

$

3,283,087

 

 

 

 

 

 

Segment Adjusted EBITDA:

 

 

 

 

Advertising

$

776,699

 

$

420,008

 

$

2,442,597

 

$

1,275,705

 

Apps

 

71,325

 

 

56,147

 

 

277,008

 

 

226,953

 

Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA

$

848,024

 

$

476,155

 

$

2,719,605

 

$

1,502,658

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense and loss on settlement of debt

 

(94,199

)

 

(71,584

)

 

(318,260

)

 

(275,665

)

Other income (expense), net

 

8,302

 

 

(18,528

)

 

25,440

 

 

7,831

 

Amortization, depreciation and write-offs

 

(127,837

)

 

(119,111

)

 

(448,680

)

 

(489,008

)

Loss on disposal of long-lived assets

 

 

 

 

 

(1,646

)

 

 

Non-operating foreign exchange gain (loss)

 

(1,450

)

 

65

 

 

(291

)

 

1,224

 

Stock-based compensation

 

(100,921

)

 

(88,049

)

 

(376,455

)

 

(363,107

)

Acquisition-related expense

 

(5

)

 

(52

)

 

(885

)

 

(1,047

)

Restructuring costs

 

(16,790

)

 

 

 

(22,823

)

 

(2,316

)

Income before income taxes

$

515,124

 

$

178,896

 

$

1,576,005

 

$

380,570

 

 

 

 

 

 

Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin:

 

 

 

 

Advertising

 

78

%

 

73

%

 

76

%

 

69

%

Apps

 

19

%

 

15

%

 

19

%

 

16

%

_____________________________________________

1
Our core advertising business now represents substantially all of the revenue in this segment and our future focus for the company. As a result, we have renamed our “Software Platform” segment to “Advertising” to better align with the nature of this business.

2Includes repurchased shares as well as withholdings upon net share settlement of vested equity awards. Total cost includes repurchase costs, including commissions and fees, as well as cash paid in connection with tax withholding and remittance obligations upon net share settlement

3 We have not provided the forward-looking GAAP equivalents for forward-looking non-GAAP metrics, specifically Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin, or a GAAP reconciliation as a result of the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, reconciling items such as stock-based compensation expense. Accordingly, a reconciliation of these non-GAAP guidance metrics to their corresponding GAAP equivalents is not available without unreasonable effort. However, it is important to note that material changes to reconciling items could have a significant effect on future GAAP results. We have provided historical reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP metrics in tables at the end of this letter.

Source: AppLovin Corp.

Investors

David Hsiao

[email protected]

Press

Kim Hughes

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Internet Hardware Data Management Apps/Applications Technology Artificial Intelligence Digital Marketing Marketing Advertising Audio/Video Content Marketing Communications

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