Tucows Q1 2026 Prepared Remarks Earnings Report

Tucows EPS Results

• Actual EPS: -$1.51
• Consensus EPS: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

Tucows Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: N/A
• Expected Revenue: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

Tucows Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q1 2026 Prepared Remarks
• Date: 5/7/2026
• Time: After Market Closes
• Conference Call Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
• Conference Call Time: 5:05PM ET

Tucows (NASDAQ:TCX) (NASDAQ: TCX) is a diversified internet services company primarily known for its domain name registration and management business. Through its Domain Services division, Tucows operates leading reseller platforms such as OpenSRS and Enom, offering domain registration, SSL certificates, email hosting and related value-added services to web professionals, small businesses and enterprise partners worldwide. The company’s platforms enable thousands of resellers to provide branded internet services to their customers, leveraging Tucows’ infrastructure and expertise in the domain name system.

In addition to domain services, Tucows has built a growing portfolio of consumer-facing internet access offerings under the Ting brand. Ting Mobile operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the United States, delivering flexible, no-contract cellular plans. Meanwhile, Ting Internet provides fiber-to-the-home broadband services in select North American markets, focusing on gigabit-speed connectivity and customer experience. These ventures reflect Tucows’ broader strategy to expand beyond wholesale domain services into retail internet access and communications.

Originally founded in 1993 by Scott Swedorski, Tucows evolved from one of the first shareware download sites into a global internet infrastructure provider. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with additional offices in Charlottesville, Virginia, and other locations to support its international operations. Over the years, Tucows has distinguished itself through a combination of platform scalability, strategic acquisitions and a focus on customer-centric service delivery.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Elliot Noss, Tucows continues to pursue both organic growth and opportunistic investments in technologies that complement its core services. With a track record spanning over two decades, the company maintains a commitment to innovation in domain management, communications and high-speed connectivity, serving a diverse customer base across multiple geographies.

Tucows Q1 2026 Prepared Remarks Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Positive Sentiment: Radix Registry migration completed; Domains delivered higher gross profit and adjusted EBITDA year‑over‑year despite a modest revenue dip, supported by a favorable high‑margin product mix and stronger retail performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Ting revenue grew 19% with accelerating subscriber adds, gross profit turned meaningfully positive and adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed to -$0.4M, helped by construction revenue from a senior‑living contract.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wavelo showed slight revenue growth but lower gross profit and adjusted EBITDA as management deliberately increased sales and marketing spend to strengthen pipeline and support future bookings.
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate segment headwinds from legacy mobile obligations and professional fees pressured results — GAAP net loss widened to $18.1M, corporate gross profit and adjusted EBITDA were negative, and EchoStar/MVNO exposure remains a risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cash flow and liquidity improved with a return to positive operating cash flow of $3.5M and covenant compliance, but sizable net debt (Ting ~ $417.8M; corporate ex‑Ting $162.2M) remains a material consideration.

Presentation

[Monica Webb, VP of Investor Relations at Tucows]

Welcome to the Tucows' first quarter 2026 management commentary. We have pre-recorded prepared remarks regarding the quarter and outlook for the company. A Tucows-generated transcript of these remarks with relevant links is also available on the company's website. We will begin with opening remarks and business segment commentary from David Woroch, President and CEO of Tucows and Tucows Domains, followed by Ivan Ivanov, Tucows CFO, who will discuss our financial results in detail, and we will finish with closing remarks from David Woroch. In lieu of a live question and answer period following these remarks, shareholders, analysts, and prospective investors are invited to submit questions to Tucows Management. Please submit questions via email to ir@tucows.com until Thursday, May 14th.

[Monica Webb, VP of Investor Relations at Tucows]

Management will either address your questions directly or provide a recorded audio response and transcript that will be posted to the Tucows website on Wednesday, May 20th at approximately 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. We would also like to advise that the updated investor presentation and the Tucows quarterly KPI summary, which provides key metrics for all of our businesses for the last five quarters, as well as for full years 2024, 2025, and 2026 year to date, and also includes historical financial results, is available in the investor section of the website. Now for management's prepared remarks. On Thursday, May 7th, Tucows issued a news release reporting its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2026. That news release and the company's financial statements are available on the company's website at tucows.com under the investor section.

[Monica Webb, VP of Investor Relations at Tucows]

Please note, the following discussion may include forward-looking statements which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risk factors are described in detail in the company's documents filed with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on the Forms 10-K and 10-Q. The company urges you to read its security filings for a full description of the risk factors applicable to its business. I would like to turn the call over to Tucows President and Chief Executive Officer, David Woroch. Go ahead, Dave.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Thank you, Monica. Tucows has always been a company built on durable, recurring revenue, a long-term mindset, and a practical approach to innovation, and that continued to show through in the quarter. Across the business, our teams remain focused on operating well and advancing the work in front of us. Overall, in Q1, we saw continued progress against the priorities in each of our business segments. I'll begin with some high-level comments on the quarter and developments across Domains, Wavelo, and Ting, then Ivan will take you through the segment and consolidated financial results in more detail. With Tucows Domains, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA both increased year-over-year, reflecting the consistency of our business model, while revenue was modestly below the prior year period.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Our reseller channel and customer base continues to support healthy margins. Q1 benefited from a favorable mix of higher margin product sales, customer composition, and prudent expense management. Domain services remained the primary driver of profitability with a healthy, albeit lower, contribution from value-added services. This lower contribution is against a particularly strong prior year comparison with more modest expiry stream sales in the current quarter. Retail continued to perform well. We are pleased to share that we completed the migration of the Radix Registry portfolio in mid-March with the full quarterly benefit expected in our wholesale segment in Q2. More broadly, we remain focused on disciplined execution across the domains business, including scaling complementary growth areas like registry, while continuing to manage the core business for profitability and cash generation. For Wavelo, Q1 was a solid start to the year.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Revenue was modestly ahead of the prior-year period, and subscriber levels remained broadly stable year-over-year. We continue to benefit from the operating foundation we built in 2025, including a disciplined approach to profitability, a more mature go-to-market program, and a product and pipeline strategy that we believe positions us well for future bookings growth. That said, the year-over-year comparison reflects the fact that the prior-year period benefited from both a rate card increase and customer subscriber growth, while subscriber levels have since moderated. Consistent with what we said last quarter, Q1 also reflected continued investment in sales and marketing as we work to strengthen pipeline health and support future growth. Those investments weighed on gross profit and adjusted EBITDA year-over-year. Even so, we remain confident in the strategy.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

We are investing thoughtfully and selectively in go-to-market capacity while maintaining a lean operating model. We believe that balance continues to position Wavelo well for long-term profitable growth. Ting's Q1 results marked important progress with subscriber growth and revenue both accelerating. Adjusted EBITDA improved by 50% versus Q1 of last year, reflecting the benefits of a growing subscriber base, continued capital discipline, and contributions from a senior living community contract. At the same time, Ting's partner footprint continues to expand, supporting a more capital efficient path to growth. With respect to Ting's strategic process, our priorities remain unchanged. We continue to actively progress work to reach an outcome that best supports long-term value creation. While we are not in a position to provide a substantive update today, this remains a top priority for management and the board.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Now we'll hear from our CFO, Ivan Ivanov, who will discuss our financial results in detail.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Thanks, Dave, thank you all for joining us today. Consolidated net revenue for the first quarter of 2026 increased 2% to $96.7 million from $94.6 million for the first quarter of 2025, driven by strong revenue gains from Ting Fiber. I'll walk through each business following the consolidated results. To break out the Q1 revenue contributions, Domains, Wavelo and Corporate combined drove $77.2 million, and Ting contributed $19.4 million. Q1 gross profit was $24.1 million, up 2.5% year-over-year, supported by margin expansion from Domains and Ting, moderated network costs and partially offset by headwinds from the legacy mobile business, which are recognized in our corporate segment. Breaking out Q1 gross profit by business, $22.4 million came in from Domains, Wavelo and Corporate, and $1.7 million from Ting.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Operating expenses in Q1 were $28.4 million, up 11% year-over-year, primarily from higher sales and marketing spend in Ting and Wavelo. We delivered $11.7 million in adjusted EBITDA this quarter, down 15% year-over-year from $13.7 million, primarily due to gross margin decreases in our Corporate segment, as well as investment in Wavelo's go-to-market efforts. Of Q1 adjusted EBITDA, $12.1 million came from Domains, Wavelo and Corporate combined, and -$0.4 million for Ting. On a GAAP basis, net loss for the quarter was $18.1 million or $1.63 loss per share, an increase from a net loss of $15.1 million or $1.37 per share for Q1 of last year.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

On a non-GAAP adjusted basis, net loss for Q1 2026 was $16.9 million or a loss of $1.51 per share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $14.9 million or $1.35 loss per share in Q1 2025, with the year-over-year changes primarily attributable to professional fees and legacy mobile obligations. Let me now walk through the segments. As a reminder, beginning in Q3 2025, we revised our presentation of gross profit in our press release to reflect amounts net of network expenses, aligning external reporting with how we manage the business. However, we continue to provide investors with gross margin and network expenses broken out by business in our KPI summary, and I will address factors in each business impacting gross margin. Let me first start with Tucows Domains.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Q1 revenue for Tucows Domains declined 2% year-over-year to $64.1 million from $65.3 million. While gross profit grew by 2% in Q1 to $18.6 million from $18.3 million in Q1 2025 after network expenses. Gross profit performance was supported by favorable mix of high margin product sales. Domains adjusted EBITDA was $11.6 million for the quarter, up modestly from the prior year on the back of margin expansion and prudent expense management. Within Domains, Q1 2026 wholesale revenue declined 3% to $54.3 million from $55.9 million in Q1 2025, reflecting the tail end of the impact from a large customer moving low margin domains in-house.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

At the same time, wholesale gross margin net of network expenses rose 1% in Q1 2026 over the last year due to a favorable mix of higher margin product sales. Within the wholesale channel, domain services gross margin generated $10 million in Q1 2026 for a year-over-year gain of 4%. Value-added services was down 5% year-over-year to $5.1 million in Q1 2026 from moderated expiry sales. In Q1 2026, retail revenue increased 5% year-over-year to $9.8 million, and retail gross margin increased 8% to $5.6 million in Q1 of this year. Turning to Wavelo, Q1 revenue was $11.6 million, with a slight increase year-over-year.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Q1 gross profit was $7 million, down from $7.8 million in Q1 2025, and Wavelo's adjusted EBITDA was $3.6 million, down year-over-year from $4.4 million. Both the gross profit and adjusted EBITDA year-over-year reductions were primarily due to continued investment in Wavelo sales and marketing, which began in Q2 of last year. It is also worth noting the prior year comparison. In 2025, Wavelo benefited from both a rate card increase and subscriber growth. The rate contribution has now leveled off, we're comparing against a stronger base. Turning to Ting Internet, Q1 2026 revenue was $19.4 million, up 19% year-over-year, driven primarily by construction revenue associated with Ting's contract with a senior living community, as well as continued subscriber growth.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

As a reminder, construction services revenue is generated from the design, construction, and installation of fiber optic network infrastructure under a specific customer agreement with revenue recognized over time as control of the infrastructure transfers to the customer. For services requiring installation, revenue is recognized once the customer service is activated. Ting's Q1 gross profit was $1.7 million, up from a negligible amount in Q1 2025. Adjusted EBITDA improved to a loss of $0.4 million versus a loss of $0.8 million in the prior year period, continuing the momentum in Ting's path towards profitability. At the Corporate level, Q1 2026 revenue was flat year-over-year at $1.6 million. Q1 gross profit was -$3.2 million compared to a -$2.6 million in Q1 of last year.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Corporate adjusted EBITDA for Q1 was -$3.1 million from a -$1.5 million in Q1 2025. The reduced profitability in the quarter was primarily impacted by mobile contract obligations and lower revenue on the legacy mobile business. As a reminder, profitability from our remaining legacy mobile arrangements continues to be challenged on both the revenue and cost side. Under the EchoStar agreement, our long-term payment stream depends on the margin generated by the subscriber base transferred in 2020, so returns could be pressured if subscriber churn is higher than expected or if pricing and cost dynamics reduce underlying profitability. Separately, while penalties under our remaining MVNO agreement ended with the completion of the contract term in January of this year, we're now on a month-to-month contract basis with an option to renew. Let me now move to cash flow and balance sheet.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Consolidated cash flow from operating activities for Q1 2026 was $3.5 million, compared with a -$11.3 million in Q1 of last year, making a return to positive operating cash flow trajectory established in Q2 and Q3 of last year. If we break out cash flow from operations for Q1 2026, Domains, Wavelo, and Corporate combined generated $7.2 million, and Ting generated a $3.7 million outflow, mainly from the ABS interest paid. On capital expenditures, we invested $3.6 million into Ting in Q1 2026 and $1.9 million in Domains and Wavelo combined. We ended Q1 with cash and restricted cash of $34.6 million for Ting and cash of $27.4 million excluding Ting. We continue to prioritize disciplined capital allocation and maintaining liquidity across the organization.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Corporate net debt excluding Ting was $162.2 million as of quarter end, net of deferred financing costs, and importantly, we remained in compliance with our covenants under the TCX syndicated facility. For Q1 2026, the leverage ratio was 3.29x, and interest coverage was 4.12x, both on site. Ting's net debt stands at $417.8 million and consists of both ABS notes and preferred shares. In summary, Tucows delivered a solid first quarter in 2026, with consolidated net revenue growing, margin expansion in both Domains and Ting, and a return to positive operating cash flow. Domains continues to be the reliable cash-generating engine of the business, while Ting's trajectory is increasingly improving with adjusted EBITDA reflecting the unit economics of a maturing fiber business moving steadily towards breakeven.

[Ivan Ivanov, CFO at Tucows]

Wavelo is investing deliberately in go-to-market to position itself for the next phase of growth. Tucows ended the quarter with improved cash position year-over-year while remaining in full covenant compliance. We're working to address the headwinds from legacy mobile obligations as well as the ongoing strategic initiative work for Ting. With that, thank you, and I'll pass it back to Dave for his closing remarks.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Thanks, Ivan. Let me close with this. Q1 was a solid start to 2026. We saw continued progress across the business, revenue and gross profit grew, and we returned to positive operating cash flow, a meaningful swing from the same quarter last year and continued execution against the priorities we laid out at the start of the year. Domains continues to demonstrate what a well-run, durable platform business looks like. Disciplined expenses, healthy margins, and consistent cash generation. The Radix Registry migration is now complete, and we expect the full benefit to show in Q2. Ting's trajectory continues to improve. Subscriber growth accelerated, gross profit turned meaningfully positive, and adjusted EBITDA losses were cut in half year-over-year. That reflects both the underlying unit economics of a maturing fiber network and the capital efficiency measures we've been deliberate about executing.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Wavelo is in an investment phase, and we're being intentional about it. The spend is in go-to-market, it's in support of future bookings, and we remain confident in the strategy. The year-over-year comparison will continue to reflect that investment, and you should expect that to normalize as we convert pipeline to growth. The Ting strategic process remains a top priority, and we understand investors are looking for greater clarity. While we are not in a position to say more today, I want to be clear, we are actively working toward an outcome that creates long-term value for shareholders. We are hopeful for a good outcome and will share a more meaningful update as soon as it is appropriate to do so. The area that weighed most on Q1, and I want to be direct about this, was the Corporate segment, specifically mobile obligations and professional fees.

[David Woroch, President and CEO at Tucows]

Those headwinds were real but represent costs that are not expected to recur indefinitely and that we're working to eliminate. What I can tell you is that the financial position we're in, positive operating cash flow, covenant compliance, improved year-over-year liquidity, gives us the ability to navigate this period from a position of stability. My priorities for the rest of 2026 have not changed. Generate free cash flow, improve capital flexibility, and continue to hold ourselves accountable to the principles I outlined last quarter. Simpler, more focused, more disciplined. That is the company we are building, and Q1 is a step in that direction. Thank you all for your continued support, and we look forward to updating you on our progress.

[Monica Webb, VP of Investor Relations at Tucows]

If you have any questions about the quarter or today's commentary, please send them to ir@tucows.com by May 14th and look for our recorded Q&A audio response and transcript to this call to be posted to the Tucows website on Wednesday, May 20th at approximately 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

Participants

Executives

• David Woroch, President and CEO
• Ivan Ivanov, CFO
• Monica Webb, VP of Investor Relations