Agora Inc
🔔 Watch stock
Assessment
Our Rating
A journalistic assessment by our editorial team at the time of the deep dive — it rates the company, not the entry point. Not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell.
The business works in principle, but one material question is open. As long as it stays open, our findings do not carry a quality verdict.
Why this colour
The substance is real: cash above the market value, six profitable quarters, accelerating growth, buybacks plus an insider purchase plan — decay looks different. At the same time, the decisive question is open: does the operating business turn profitable before the interest income melts away? And the special risks (China oversight, HFCAA, PFIC, one-man rule) do not disappear behind cheap optics. Watchable waypoints: the operating result of the coming quarters (does it cross zero?), the gross margin of the AI products, progress and cost of the Shanghai headquarters, actual purchases under the CEO's $20 million plan. The decision is yours.
What the thesis turns on
Assessment: Opportunities & Risks
Agora is no empty hype ticker: the restructuring is delivered, growth is picking back up, the cash exceeds the market value, and instead of dilution there are a quarter fewer shares. But the supposed gift has footnotes: the profit comes from interest on the cash, not from the business; the structure stays wedged between Beijing's oversight and Washington's delisting clause; the likely PFIC status scares off U.S. buyers; and everything is decided by a founder with 86.2 percent of the votes — most recently in favor of a headquarters project the size of half the market value. The stock looks cheap for good reasons; it is a gift only if the operating result breaks through zero before the interest source dries up. Not investment advice.
Business model & market position
A pioneer and, by its own account, leading provider of real-time engagement APIs with a genuine AI option (conversational AI engine since March 2025, Agent Studio since Q1 2026, TEN framework with 9,400+ GitHub stars) — but split in two: the Agora brand grows (+16.1 percent in 2025), the Shengwang brand in China shrinks (−3.5 percent, net retention 89 percent).
Trajectory of the numbers
Restructuring delivered: first profitable year since 2018 ($9.5 million net in 2025 after −$120.4 million in 2022), six profitable quarters in a row, operating cash flow +$27.2 million (2025), growth accelerating to +13.5 percent in Q1 2026, Q2 2026 guidance of +13.7 to +16.6 percent (annual and interim reports).
Profit quality
The net profit hangs on the interest drip: 2025 operating result −$9.4 million against $15.1 million of interest income, Q1 2026 operating −$1.6 million against $3.4 million of interest; the interest source is falling ($18.8 → $15.1 million, 2023–2025), and the AI products press on the gross margin (63.4 after 68.0 percent in Q1 2026).
Cash & balance sheet
Liquidity of $366.1 million (March 31, 2026) above the market value (~$357 million, July 15, 2026), equity of $562.8 million, barely any financial debt beyond $80.4 million of construction borrowings; only 10 percent of deposits in mainland China — but part of the cash is migrating into the Shanghai headquarters (land approx. RMB 2.5 billion).
Structure & China risk
A Cayman holding filing as a foreign private issuer (20-F/6-K), the Shengwang business under sweeping oversight by Beijing (quoted in the risk chapter), the HFCAA delisting scenario and a likely PFIC status for 2025 with adverse U.S. tax consequences. On the plus side: the former VIE structure was terminated in January 2025 — one link fewer in the chain.
Ownership & governance
Founder Tony Zhao holds, via all Class B shares (20 votes each), 86.2 percent of the votes on 27.0 percent of the capital (March 31, 2026) — a "controlled company" with effectively zero say for outside holders. At the same time he acts shareholder-friendly: $156.2 million of buybacks, share count −25 percent, a personal purchase plan of up to $20 million (June 1, 2026).
Worth Noting
API landed on our research list through our Reddit hype scanner (ApeWisdom data): 6 mentions in 24 hours as of July 15, 2026. Forum mentions are sentiment signals, not quality signals. Our fundamental scanners (Russell 3000 universe) do not cover the Cayman-incorporated ADR by design.
Agora is registered as a foreign private issuer and files Forms 20-F (annual report, filed for 2025 on April 15, 2026) and 6-K (interim reports) instead of 10-K/10-Q; quarterly figures are unaudited attachments to 6-K filings. The former VIE structure was terminated in January 2025.
The market value figure is dated July 15, 2026 (about $357 million); analyses are evergreen, daily prices are not a buy argument. RMB amounts follow the period-end rates stated in the filings (12/31/2025: 6.9931 RMB per USD).
Stock Watch
This analysis is as of August 26, 2026. Stock Watch will tell you what's changed at API since then.
Later $1 a month per stock — signing up is free, and you'll be the first to know when it launches.
Price history
Chart
Interactive price chart (TradingView).
52-week range: 3.20 $ to 5.30 $ · Last price: 4.10 $ (As of: September 17, 2026)
Key figures
Key figures at a glance
Every figure we hold for this stock, grouped by topic. The question mark next to a label explains what the number means.
Basics
Performance
Technical Indicators
Calculated from the price history · as of 09/18/2026
Valuation
Profitability
Balance Sheet & Safety
Growth
Dividend
This stock currently pays no dividend.
Quality & Screener
Highlighted are things our editorial team noticed: green = stands out as strong, red = deserves a closer look. No single metric is a verdict on its own — always read it in context.
Comparison
Industry comparison
The stock alongside the largest companies in the same group. The median row is the middle value of the companies shown above — not of the whole industry.
Industry: Software - Application
| Company | Market cap ($B) | P/E | EV/EBITDA | Gross Margin % | EBIT Margin % | Sales Growth (Year) % | Perf. 1Y % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agora Inc API | 0.4 | 46.2 | 5.5 | 64.5 | -4.4 | 5.9 | 5.7 |
| Salesforce.com Inc CRM | 194.7 | 24.2 | 14.3 | 77.3 | 21.8 | 9.6 | 1.1 |
| Uber Technologies Inc UBER | 144.3 | 18.9 | 19.7 | 40.8 | 14.6 | 18.3 | -23.8 |
| ServiceNow Inc NOW | 138.5 | 82.3 | 40.2 | 74.8 | 13.3 | 20.9 | -27.2 |
| Snowflake Inc. SNOW | 115.4 | – | -76.6 | 67.0 | -22.2 | 29.2 | 55.3 |
| Automatic Data Processing Inc ADP | 108.8 | 25.1 | 16.4 | 48.7 | 30.2 | 7.1 | -3.0 |
| Adobe Systems Incorporated ADBE | 99.2 | 14.3 | 9.8 | 89.3 | 35.3 | 10.5 | -30.2 |
| Intuit Inc INTU | 86.0 | 20.0 | 12.2 | 81.0 | 47.0 | 15.6 | -52.2 |
| Datadog Inc DDOG | 84.3 | 631.8 | 268.8 | 79.5 | 0.8 | 27.7 | 75.8 |
| Median of companies shown | 108.8 | 24.6 | 14.3 | 74.8 | 14.6 | 15.6 | -3.0 |
Based on the most recently reported figures. Only stocks from the same trading venue are lined up, so the market caps are counted in one currency. Compare in a chart →
Fiscal years
Annual Figures
Fiscal years from the audited annual reports, oldest first. EBIT is the operating profit before interest and taxes; total assets are everything the company owns.
Revenue, operating income and net income per fiscal year $M
Revenue Operating income Net income
| Fiscal Year | Revenue ($M) | EBIT ($M) | Net Income ($M) | EPS ($) | Operating Cash Flow ($M) | Equity ($M) | Total Assets ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 116 | 127 |
| 2019 | 64 | -6 | -6 | -0.06 | 1 | 113 | 131 |
| 2020 | 134 | -5 | -3 | -0.03 | 7 | 656 | 693 |
| 2021 | 168 | -81 | -73 | -0.66 | -20 | 866 | 945 |
| 2022 | 161 | -104 | -121 | -1.08 | -54 | 728 | 801 |
| 2023 | 142 | -55 | -87 | -0.88 | -14 | 605 | 675 |
| 2024 | 133 | -53 | -43 | -0.46 | -14 | 573 | 700 |
| 2025 | 141 | -9 | 10 | 0.10 | 27 | 563 | 721 |
Quarters
Quarterly Figures
Each bar is one quarter, the last one is the most recent. Use the switch to step through the individual figures.
Revenue & Profit
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet
Margins
Per Share
Click the chart or tab into it, then use ← and → to step through the periods.
None of the selected stocks reports this metric. Pick another metric or switch between annual and quarterly.
· Total · per year
These companies report in different currencies — switch on “Indexed” or pick a margin for a fair comparison.
The figures could not be loaded right now.
Source: fundamental data
| Quarter | EPS (Earnings Per Share) | EPS YoY (%) | Sales ($M) | Sales YoY (%) | Net Margin (%) | OCF ($M) | FCF ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024: Q2 | -0.10 | 77.80 | 34 | 0.50 | -27.00 | -8 | -12 |
| 2024: Q3 | -0.26 | -13.10 | 32 | -9.80 | -76.60 | -5 | -17 |
| 2024: Q4 | 0.00 | 105.30 | 35 | -4.40 | 0.50 | 5 | -9 |
| 2025: Q1 | 0.00 | 104.00 | 33 | 0.80 | 1.20 | 18 | 7 |
| 2025: Q2 | 0.01 | 114.90 | 34 | 0.10 | 4.30 | 0 | -4 |
| 2025: Q3 | 0.03 | 110.70 | 35 | 12.00 | 7.80 | 1 | -12 |
| 2025: Q4 | 0.05 | 3,081.30 | 38 | 10.70 | 12.90 | 9 | 5 |
| 2026: Q1 | 0.01 | 195.00 | 38 | 13.80 | 2.90 | 6 | -4 |
What Do These Terms Mean?
- EPS (Earnings Per Share):
- Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
- YoY (Year over Year):
- Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
- Sales:
- All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
- Net Margin:
- What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
- OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
- The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
- FCF (Free Cash Flow):
- Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.
Screening
Appears in These Scanners
This stock currently matches 1 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.
Research
Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners
Outlook
Analysts & Price Target
Combined picture of the price targets and recommendations of every analyst covering the stock. Price targets are expectations for the next 12 months, not promises — and they often follow the price rather than predict it.
Distribution of Recommendations
Estimates by Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year | EPS Estimate ($) | EPS Range ($) | Revenue Estimate ($M) | Expected Growth | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2026 | 0.14 | 0.14 – 0.14 | 161 | – | 1 |
| 12/31/2027 | 0.27 | 0.27 – 0.27 | 187 | – | 1 |
Average of the analyst estimates for the coming fiscal years. The range shows how far the most optimistic and the most cautious estimate sit apart — the wider it is, the less certain the expectation.
Valuation
What is priced in?
Free cash flow over the past twelve months is negative, which rules out a serious reverse calculation. Any growth rate only makes a negative cash flow more negative; no present value comes out of it. What the price reflects here is therefore not a stream of cash flows, but the expectation that there will be one at all.
A simplified model calculation — not a forecast and not a recommendation.
AI classification
AI Rating
KI ist bei Agora eine dokumentierte Umsatzquelle: Die im März 2025 gestartete Conversational-AI-Engine ist ein eigenes, nutzungsbasiert abgerechnetes Produkt (Voice-AI-Agenten für Kundenservice, Lern-Apps, smarte Geräte), das die Firma im 20-F als Kern der Wachstumsstrategie führt; im Q1 2026 kam mit Agent Studio eine No-Code-Plattform dazu. Die Berichte weisen Conversational-AI-Produkte ausdrücklich in Kosten- und Margenkommentaren aus (Umsatzkosten +29,9 % u. a. wegen "costs related to conversational AI products"; Bruttomarge gedrückt, weil die KI-Produkte "at a sub-scale stage" laufen) — die Firma bezeichnet sich selbst als "a pioneer and leader in conversational AI and real-time engagement technology".
View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„In March 2025, we launched our conversational AI engine, empowering developers to build voice AI agents that converse with humans naturally. Our conversational AI engine has been adopted in various scenarios, including customer service, online learning and tutoring, and smart devices such as companionship toys."
Im März 2025 haben wir unsere Conversational-AI-Engine gestartet, mit der Entwickler Voice-AI-Agenten bauen können, die natürlich mit Menschen sprechen. Unsere Conversational-AI-Engine wird bereits in verschiedenen Szenarien eingesetzt, darunter Kundenservice, Online-Lernen und -Nachhilfe sowie smarte Geräte wie Begleit-Spielzeuge.
20-F · 2026-04-15 · View SEC filing
„During the quarter, we enhanced our conversational AI portfolio with the launch of Agent Studio, a no-code platform that enables customers to rapidly build, deploy, and scale voice AI agents, alongside purpose-built agent templates for customer service and outbound marketing."
Im Laufe des Quartals haben wir unser Conversational-AI-Portfolio mit dem Start von Agent Studio erweitert — einer No-Code-Plattform, mit der Kunden Voice-AI-Agenten schnell bauen, ausrollen und skalieren können, ergänzt um vorgefertigte Agenten-Vorlagen für Kundenservice und Outbound-Marketing.
6-K · 2026-05-28 · View SEC filing
„Cost of revenues was $13.8 million in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 29.9% from $10.6 million in the same period last year, primarily due to increases in bandwidth and server costs and costs related to conversational AI products."
Die Umsatzkosten lagen im ersten Quartal 2026 bei 13,8 Millionen US-Dollar, ein Anstieg um 29,9 Prozent gegenüber 10,6 Millionen im Vorjahreszeitraum — vor allem wegen gestiegener Bandbreiten- und Serverkosten sowie Kosten im Zusammenhang mit den Conversational-AI-Produkten.
6-K · 2026-05-28 · View SEC filing
Filings Reviewed: 6-K 2026-06-01 · 6-K 2026-05-28 · 6-K 2026-03-03 · 6-K 2025-11-20 · 20-F 2026-04-15 · 20-F 2025-04-15
Rated on July 15, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built
Growth
Growth Score
Ten checks against the annual reports — each one passed counts a point.
- Revenue grows by more than 15% a year over three years -4.3%
- More than 10% revenue growth is expected for the coming year 13.0%
- Share count grows by less than 3% a year -4.0%
- Revenue growth plus cash-flow margin add up to at least 40 ("Rule of 40") 2.5%
- Gross margin at 40% or higher and without meaningful erosion 66.4%
- Goodwill from acquisitions does not grow faster than revenue 0.0%
- Net debt below twice EBITDA 137 m net cash
- Operating cash flow covers the profits of the last three years 120 m
- Return on capital at 15% or higher, or up versus two years ago -1.4%
- Insiders hold at least 10% or are net buyers 3.0%
A criterion without figures counts neither as passed nor as failed; a score is only produced from 7 judgeable criteria upwards. Source: fundamental data. All ten criteria in detail
Quality check
AAQS
5/10The AAQS (AlleAktien Quality Score) checks 10 quality criteria on growth, profitability, and balance-sheet strength — per the methodology developed and published by AlleAktien, calculated by us from our own fundamental data. A stock counts as a quality stock from 9 out of 10 points. Where a company has a shorter listing history, we calculate over the fiscal years available (at least five).
- Sales growth 10Y > 5% 18.2%
- Exp. sales growth 3Y > 5% 15.1%
- EBIT growth 10Y > 5% –
- Exp. EBIT growth 3Y > 5% 68.4%
- Net debt < 4x EBIT –
- EBIT positive, 10Y straight 1
- Max. EBIT decline < 50% 100.0%
- Return on equity > 15% 2.4%
- ROCE > 15% -1.4%
- Expected return > 10% 66.1%
View stocks with the full AAQS score · Read the methodology at AlleAktien
Source: fundamental data
Insiders
Insider Transactions
Reportable transactions by officers and major shareholders from SEC Form 4 filings. "Other" includes things like stock grants and option exercises without a buy/sell character.
| Date | Person | Role | Type | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | He Eric | Director | Other | 1,591 | – | – |
| Aug 1, 2026 | He Eric | Director | Other | 1,591 | – | – |
The company
About the Company
Agora, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of a real-time engagement platform-as-a-service in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and internationally. Its RTE-PaaS platform enables real-time engagement for concurrent end users which offers real-time engagement offerings, such as video calling, voice calling, live streaming, chat, signaling, conversational AI engine, and convo AI device kit. The company also provides extensions, including analytics, media services, Interactive whiteboard, Real-time speech-to-text, and Real-time translation. It operates under the Agora and Shengwang brands. Agora, Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
- Employees
- 543
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, CA
- Address
- 2804 Mission College Blvd, 95054 Santa Clara, United States
- Phone
- 408 879 5885
- Website
- agora.io/en
- IPO Date
- 06/26/2020
- ISIN
- US00851L1035
Management
| Name | Title | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Bin Zhao | Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman | 1971 |
| Hua Wang | Co-Founder, Chief Revenue Officer & Director | 1977 |
| Jingbo Wang | CFO & Director | 1982 |
| Andrew Thompson | Vice President of Sales | – |
| Joe Hooks | Vice President, People & GTM Operations | – |
| Patrick Ferriter | Senior Vice President of Product & Product Marketing | – |
| Ramana Kaps | Head of Information Security & IT Operations | – |
| Bin Liu | VP & COO of Shengwang Division | 1976 |
Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.
Data as of: September 17, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)
Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.