CRWV 1Q26 First Take: A mixed print. Growth remained strong with revenue above guide and remaining performance obligations (RPO) swelling to nearly $100bn.
On the other hand, profitability and balance sheet pressures were worse than expected. Effective GPM fell to 4.3%, while net debt and interest expense also surged.
Guidance for next quarter revenue came in well below consensus, the biggest negative. Together with subdued Capex, it suggests execution issues around ramping max capacity.
In detail: see below. We highlight the following.
1) Revenue was approx. $2.08bn (+112% YoY), topping the prior $1.9–2.0bn guide. Online capacity reached 1,000 MW, up 150 MW QoQ and tracking plan. This implies rising revenue per MW.
2) Adj. OP loss was $144mn vs. a $89mn loss last quarter, worse than expected. Scale remains dilutive: bigger biz., higher revenue, deeper losses.
3) Total RPO reached $99.4bn, up approx. $33bn QoQ. This aligns with reported orders from Meta (~$21bn), Jane Street (~$6bn) and Anthropic (several bn).
4) Net debt rose by ~$7.3bn; interest expense reached ~$540mn. At 26% of revenue, interest alone is a major drag on earnings.
5) Guides next-quarter revenue to $2.45–2.60bn, well below the $3.4–3.5bn the market expected. For FY26, revenue guidance is $12–13bn. With 1H guided to under $4.7bn, the required 2H ramp is steep.
Expects next-quarter Adj. OP of $30–90mn, implying ~2.4% margin. Margins are trending up with scale, but remain low in absolute terms. $Coreweave(CRWV.US)
