TakeoverPE & activists

SPTSprout Social, Inc.

Services-Prepackaged Software · $723M market cap · 999 employees

6.0×

More likely than average to be taken private

Top 1% of the Russell 3000 for a buyout by a private-equity firm, holdco or insiders. How it works

Takeover signals

What an activist or buyer would see: cheap, overpaid, diluted or under pressure.

3of 15 firedHow well they predict deals →
12 other checks
  • TSR below peersNo
    2 of 5 years
    3+ of last 5 years
  • High CEO pay despite TSRNo
    $3M median
    Median CEO pay ≥ $15M while TSR trails
  • Earnings not backed by cashNo
    —
    Cash flow under 80% of net income
  • Payouts exceed cash flowNo
    0% of cash flow
    Buybacks + dividends over cash flow
  • Goodwill-heavyNo
    32% of assets
    Over 40% of assets
  • Shareholder dissentNo
    84% lowest support
    Any vote under 80% support
  • Low revenue per employeeNo
    $458K · 53rd pct
    Bottom quartile of its SIC industry
  • Quiet on AINo
    17.8 per 10K words · 98th pct
    Bottom quartile of AI mentions in 10-Ks
  • Net cashNo
    —
    More cash than debt, positive EBITDA
  • AI-rollup shapedNo
    1 of 10
    10-K business scored 5+ of 10 as an AI-rollup target
  • Active 13DNo
    0 filings
    Active-intent 13D in 18 months
  • Net insider sellingNo
    −$3M net
    Net sales over $10M in 12 months

Key numbers

Revenue
$458MFY2021: $188MFY2022: $254MFY2023: $334MFY2024: $406MFY2025: $458M
13% YoY
Operating margin
-9.5%FY2021: -15.0%FY2022: -20.4%FY2023: -20.8%FY2024: -14.9%FY2025: -9.5%
36% YoY
EBITDA
−$40MFY2021: −$25MFY2022: −$49MFY2023: −$66MFY2024: −$56MFY2025: −$40M
30% YoY
Net debt / EBITDA
—
−$80M net debt

Financials

MetricFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025YoYTrend
Revenue$188M$254M$334M$406M$458M 13% FY2021: $188MFY2022: $254MFY2023: $334MFY2024: $406MFY2025: $458M
Operating income−$28M−$52M−$69M−$60M−$43M 28% FY2021: −$28MFY2022: −$52MFY2023: −$69MFY2024: −$60MFY2025: −$43M
Net income−$29M−$50M−$66M−$62M−$43M 30% FY2021: −$29MFY2022: −$50MFY2023: −$66MFY2024: −$62MFY2025: −$43M
Operating cash flow$15M$11M$6M$26M$43M 65% FY2021: $15MFY2022: $11MFY2023: $6MFY2024: $26MFY2025: $43M
Capex$926K$2M$2M$3M$4M 39% FY2021: $926KFY2022: $2MFY2023: $2MFY2024: $3MFY2025: $4M
Stock-based comp$22M$48M$68M$84M$79M 6.6% FY2021: $22MFY2022: $48MFY2023: $68MFY2024: $84MFY2025: $79M

13D filers

FiledFilerFormStakeIntent
Dec 19, 2024Howard Justyn RussellSCHEDULE 13D/A4.9%Passive
Sep 18, 2024Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A5.0%Passive
Aug 21, 2023Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A6.0%Passive
Jun 7, 2022Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A6.8%Passive
Jun 2, 2021Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A7.7%Passive
Feb 11, 2021Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A7.0%Passive
Aug 4, 2020Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A9.7%Passive
May 26, 2020Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D/A11.7%Passive
Dec 27, 2019Howard Justyn RussellSC 13D12.3%Active

Insider trading

−$3Mnet selling by insiders, open market, last 12 months
Bought $2M · 2 tradesSold $5M · 23 trades

Pay vs performance

YearCEO total compComp actually paidTSR (indexed)Peer TSR
FY2025$3M−$365K70388
FY2024——191301
FY2023——383221
FY2022——352133
FY2021——565207