CLEAR Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Rhea-AI Summary
Clear Secure (NYSE: YOU) reported strong second quarter 2026 results, with revenue of $277.8 million, up 26.6% year over year, and Total Bookings of $295.9 million, up 32.8%. Operating income was $83.0 million (29.9% margin) and net income was $72.3 million (26.0% margin). Adjusted EBITDA reached $101.1 million, a 36.4% margin and 900 bps higher year over year, exceeding the long-term 35% target. Free Cash Flow was $189.0 million, with net cash from operating activities of $201.2 million.
Total CLEAR Members rose 30.0% to 43.5 million, and Active CLEAR+ Members increased 15.2% to 8.3 million. The network reached 62 CLEAR+ airports, 280 TSA PreCheck enrollment locations, and eGates across 50 airports. The board declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend, and the company returned about $22.2 million to shareholders in Q2 2026. Guidance calls for Q3 2026 revenue of $284–287 million, Total Bookings of $311–316 million, and raises full‑year 2026 Free Cash Flow guidance to at least $480 million, implying at least 39.9% growth.
Positive
- Revenue $277.8M, up 26.6% year over year in Q2 2026
- Total Bookings $295.9M, up 32.8% year over year in Q2 2026
- Adjusted EBITDA $101.1M with 36.4% margin, 900 bps expansion
- Free Cash Flow $189.0M in Q2; FY 2026 FCF guidance ≥$480M
- Net income $72.3M with 26.0% net margin in Q2 2026
- Total CLEAR Members 43.5M, up 30.0%; Active CLEAR+ 8.3M, up 15.2%
Negative
- Total liabilities increased to $1.34B from $1.10B at year-end 2025
- Accrued liabilities rose to $404.7M from $236.5M since December 31, 2025
News Explained
As of June 30, CLEAR reported $831,040 thousand in marketable securities, $128,228 thousand in cash, and four outstanding common-stock classes.
With its second-quarter results released, CLEAR reports June 30, 2026 balance-sheet resources of
The release also gives the period-end common-stock structure:
Compared with December 31, 2025, reported Class A shares increased from
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 06 | Q1 earnings results | Positive | +3.7% | Revenue, bookings, margins, membership, and full-year free cash flow guidance increased. |
| Feb 25 | Q4 earnings results | Positive | +39.0% | Quarterly results included revenue growth, dividends, buyback capacity, and full-year guidance. |
| Nov 06 | Q3 earnings results | Positive | +0.7% | Revenue, bookings, margins, membership, and revised full-year free cash flow guidance. |
| Aug 05 | Q2 earnings results | Positive | +6.2% | Revenue and bookings growth accompanied membership expansion and increased free cash flow guidance. |
| May 08 | Q1 earnings notice | Neutral | -7.6% | The company announced results availability and conference-call logistics without reporting quantified performance. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Tag-specific earnings announcements were generally followed by positive reactions, with one negative exception.
Key Terms
adjusted ebitda financial
free cash flow financial
deferred revenue financial
non-gaap financial measures financial
basis points financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Second Quarter Financial Highlights
(percentage change is expressed as year-over-year, unless otherwise specified)
- Revenue of
was up$277.8 million 26.6% ; Total Bookings of increased$295.9 million 32.8% - Operating income of
, representing a$83.0 million 29.9% operating income margin - Net income of
, representing a$72.3 million 26.0% net income margin - Adjusted EBITDA of
, representing a$101.1 million 36.4% Adjusted EBITDA margin and 900 basis points of year-over-year margin expansion, exceeding long-term Adjusted EBITDA margin target of35% - Earnings per Common Share Basic and Diluted of
and$0.50 , respectively$0.49 - Net cash provided by operating activities of
; Free Cash Flow of$201.2 million $189.0 million
Operational Achievements
- Total CLEAR Members grew to 43.5 million, up
30.0% year-over-year and Active CLEAR+ Members grew to 8.3 million, up15.2% year-over-year, as of June 30, 2026 - 62 CLEAR+ airports, including second quarter launches of
Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville ) andIndianapolis , and 280 retail locations with TSA PreCheck® Enrollment Provided by CLEAR as of June 30, 2026 - eGates launched across 50 airports as of today; on track for network wide rollout in 2026
- CLEAR Concierge, a premium, personalized on-demand airport service now offered at 39 airports
- Continued strong momentum in CLEAR1 across core verticals
Capital Allocation Activities
- Approximately
returned to shareholders in the second quarter of 2026, related to our regular quarterly dividend of$22.2 million per share and distributions$0.15 - Clear Secure, Inc. announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of
per share, payable on September 24, 2026 to shareholders of record of Class A Common Stock as of the close of business on September 10, 2026$0.15
Third Quarter and Full Year 2026 Guidance
- Third quarter 2026 Revenue of
, representing$284 -287 million24.6% year-over-year growth at the midpoint - Third quarter 2026 Total Bookings of
, representing$311 -316 million20.5% year-over-year growth at the midpoint - Full Year 2026 Free Cash Flow guidance increased from at least
to at least$465 million , representing at least$480 million 39.9% year-over-year growth
"Identity has become critical infrastructure and CLEAR has firmly established itself as the trusted, secure identity company. Our second quarter results demonstrate the strength we are seeing across CLEAR Travel and CLEAR1, and we have never been better positioned for what's ahead," said Caryn Seidman Becker, CLEAR's CEO.
Conference Call Details
CLEAR will host a conference call to discuss these results at 8:00 AM (ET) today. Investors and analysts can access the live teleconference call by dialing toll-free 877-407-3089 for
About CLEAR
The mission of CLEAR, the secure identity company, is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 43 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR's secure identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you—making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we do not sell biometric or sensitive personal data. For more information, visit clearme.com.
Key Performance Indicators
Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | |
Total Bookings (in millions) | $ 222.9 | $ 260.1 | $ 287.1 | $ 291.7 | $ 295.9 |
Total CLEAR Members (in thousands) | 33,472 | 35,751 | 37,998 | 40,986 | 43,501 |
Active CLEAR+ Members (in thousands) | 7,227 | 7,399 | 7,616 | 8,167 | 8,329 |
Definitions of Key Performance Indicators
To evaluate performance of the business, we utilize a variety of other non-GAAP financial reporting and performance measures. These key measures include Total Bookings, Total CLEAR Members, and Active CLEAR+ Members.
Total Bookings
Total Bookings represent our total revenue plus the change in deferred revenue during the period. Total Bookings in any particular period reflect sales to new and renewing CLEAR+ subscribers plus any accrued billings to partners. Management believes that Total Bookings is an important measure of the current health and growth of the business and views it as a leading indicator.
Total CLEAR Members
We define Total CLEAR Members as the cumulative number of Members that have registered for the CLEAR platform since inception as of the end of the period. This includes Members who have enrolled through CLEAR+, trials, single-use product purchases, other non-paid uses of the CLEAR platform, and associated family accounts. Total CLEAR Members exclude members who are solely marketing opt-ins and purged accounts, and are adjusted to remove identified duplicate non-paid accounts. Management views this metric as an important tool to analyze the efficacy of our growth and marketing initiatives as new Members are potentially a current and leading indicator of revenues.
Active CLEAR+ Members
We define Active CLEAR+ Members as the number of members with an active CLEAR+ subscription as of the end of the period. This includes CLEAR+ members who have an activated payment method, plus associated family accounts and is inclusive of Members who are in a trial or in a billing grace period. Management views this as an important tool to measure the growth of its CLEAR+ product.
Prior period Active CLEAR+ Members have been recast to reflect the removal of certain lapsed accounts identified in connection with a billing system transformation project undertaken during 2025. This recast had no impact on our consolidated financial statements or non-GAAP financial measures. There has been no other change in the calculation of Active CLEAR+ Members.
CLEAR SECURE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) | |||
June 30, | December 31, | ||
Assets | |||
Current assets: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 128,228 | $ 85,734 | |
Marketable securities | 831,040 | 614,439 | |
Accounts receivable | 1,263 | 1,925 | |
Prepaid revenue share fee | 31,347 | 29,679 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 31,656 | 32,837 | |
Total current assets | 1,023,534 | 764,614 | |
Property and equipment, net | 62,714 | 59,331 | |
Right of use asset, net | 97,215 | 100,048 | |
Intangible assets, net | 2,528 | 2,753 | |
Goodwill | 62,684 | 62,684 | |
Restricted cash | 2,852 | 2,764 | |
Other assets | 326,805 | 311,198 | |
Total assets | $ 1,578,332 | $ 1,303,392 | |
Liabilities and stockholders' equity | |||
Current liabilities: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 6,175 | $ 7,156 | |
Accrued liabilities | 404,692 | 236,543 | |
Deferred revenue | 572,989 | 516,201 | |
Total current liabilities | 983,856 | 759,900 | |
Other long term liabilities | 351,313 | 339,107 | |
Total liabilities | 1,335,169 | 1,099,007 | |
Commitments and contingencies | |||
Class A Common Stock, | 1 | 1 | |
Class B Common Stock, | — | — | |
Class C Common Stock, | — | — | |
Class D Common Stock, | — | — | |
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income | (753) | 840 | |
Treasury stock at cost, 0 shares as of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025 | — | — | |
Retained earnings | 158,350 | 119,791 | |
Additional paid-in capital | 48,645 | 57,102 | |
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Clear Secure, Inc. | 206,243 | 177,734 | |
Non-controlling interests | 36,920 | 26,651 | |
Total stockholders' equity | 243,163 | 204,385 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 1,578,332 | $ 1,303,392 | |
CLEAR SECURE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) (dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) | |||||||
Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | ||||
Revenue | $ 277,757 | $ 219,467 | $ 530,760 | $ 430,835 | |||
Operating expenses: | |||||||
Cost of revenue share fee | 39,289 | 31,198 | 76,167 | 60,765 | |||
Cost of direct salaries and benefits | 47,997 | 47,699 | 96,249 | 98,441 | |||
Research and development | 17,772 | 18,229 | 37,223 | 37,228 | |||
Sales and marketing | 17,152 | 14,485 | 33,106 | 27,871 | |||
General and administrative | 65,934 | 58,532 | 129,571 | 113,270 | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 6,661 | 6,768 | 13,491 | 13,300 | |||
Operating income | 82,952 | 42,556 | 144,953 | 79,960 | |||
Other income (expense): | |||||||
Interest income, net | 7,932 | 5,805 | 14,693 | 11,958 | |||
Other income (expense), net | 471 | (4,055) | 2,454 | (3,607) | |||
Income before tax | 91,355 | 44,306 | 162,100 | 88,311 | |||
Income tax expense | (19,045) | (6,431) | (33,406) | (11,853) | |||
Net income | 72,310 | 37,875 | 128,694 | 76,458 | |||
Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests | 22,260 | 13,153 | 39,849 | 26,331 | |||
Net income attributable to Clear Secure, Inc. | $ 50,050 | $ 24,722 | $ 88,845 | $ 50,127 | |||
Net income per share of Class A Common Stock and Class B | |||||||
Net income per common share basic, Class A | $ 0.50 | $ 0.26 | $ 0.89 | $ 0.53 | |||
Net income per common share basic, Class B | $ 0.50 | $ 0.26 | $ 0.89 | $ 0.53 | |||
Net income per common share diluted, Class A | $ 0.49 | $ 0.26 | $ 0.87 | $ 0.52 | |||
Net income per common share diluted, Class B | $ 0.49 | $ 0.26 | $ 0.87 | $ 0.52 | |||
Weighted-average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, basic | 100,694,482 | 92,990,661 | 99,954,645 | 94,150,710 | |||
Weighted-average shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding, basic | 151,787 | 612,443 | 229,135 | 644,659 | |||
Weighted-average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, diluted | 102,768,573 | 94,418,159 | 102,037,728 | 95,667,917 | |||
Weighted-average shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding, diluted | 151,787 | 612,443 | 229,135 | 644,659 | |||
CLEAR SECURE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (dollars in thousands) | |||
Six Months Ended June 30, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Operating activities: | |||
Net income | $ 128,694 | $ 76,458 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided from operating activities: | |||
Depreciation of property and equipment | 13,266 | 11,142 | |
Amortization of intangible assets | 225 | 2,158 | |
Noncash lease expense | 3,161 | 3,219 | |
Impairment of strategic investment | — | 4,719 | |
Equity-based compensation | 22,399 | 18,091 | |
Deferred income tax | 18,296 | 934 | |
Amortization of revolver loan costs | 66 | 66 | |
Gain on divestiture of a business | — | (635) | |
Premium amortization and (discount accretion), net on marketable securities | (873) | (85) | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable | 662 | (708) | |
Prepaid expenses and other assets | 2,096 | 6,683 | |
Prepaid revenue share fee | (1,668) | 795 | |
Accounts payable | (702) | (6,871) | |
Accrued and other long term liabilities | 151,999 | 112,439 | |
Deferred revenue | 56,788 | (824) | |
Operating lease liabilities | (2,885) | (6,250) | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ 391,524 | $ 221,331 | |
Investing activities: | |||
Purchases of marketable securities | (568,346) | (242,914) | |
Sales of marketable securities | 349,894 | 269,466 | |
Proceeds from divestiture | — | 2,700 | |
Purchase of strategic investment | — | (514) | |
Purchases of property and equipment | (17,059) | (12,147) | |
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | $ (235,511) | $ 16,591 | |
Financing activities: | |||
Repurchase of Class A Common Stock | (1,238) | (126,345) | |
Payment of dividend | (30,181) | (23,502) | |
Payment of special dividend | (20,105) | (25,316) | |
Distributions to members | (9,875) | (9,839) | |
Tax distribution to members | (17,229) | (25,986) | |
Payment of taxes on net settled stock-based awards | (20,303) | (4,939) | |
Debt issuance costs | (325) | — | |
Payments under tax receivable agreements | (14,254) | (334) | |
Net cash used in financing activities | $ (113,510) | $ (216,261) | |
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | 42,503 | 21,661 | |
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period | 88,498 | 70,348 | |
Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash | 79 | 70 | |
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period | $ 131,080 | $ 92,079 | |
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to our results as determined in accordance with GAAP, we disclose Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and Free Cash Flow as non-GAAP financial measures that management believes provide useful information to investors. These measures are not financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for net income, net income margin, net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or any other operating performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, and may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure reported by other companies. Our Non-GAAP financial measures are expressed in thousands, unless otherwise indicated. We periodically reassess the components of our Non-GAAP adjustments for changes in how we evaluate our performance and changes in how we make financial and operational decisions to ensure the adjustments remain relevant and meaningful.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted for income taxes, interest (income), net, depreciation and amortization, impairment and losses on asset disposals, equity-based compensation expense, net other (income) expense excluding sublease rental income, acquisition-related costs and changes in fair value of contingent consideration. We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA expressed as percentage of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are important financial measures used by management and our board of directors ("Board") to evaluate business performance. We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin assist investors in evaluating the performance of the Company's core operations by excluding certain items that impact the comparability of results from period to period.
Free Cash Flow
We define Free Cash Flow as net cash (used in) provided by operating activities adjusted for purchases of property. We believe Free Cash Flow provides useful information to management and investors about the Company's liquidity and cash flow trends. With regards to our CLEAR+ subscription service, we generally collect cash from our Members upfront for annual subscriptions. As a result, when the business is growing Free Cash Flow can be a real time indicator of the current trajectory of the business.
See below for reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most comparable GAAP measures.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the Company's future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's financial position, capital structure, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements regarding business momentum, growth, anticipated demand for our products and services and our business prospects during 2026, as well as expected impacts from our pricing actions, and our guidance for the third quarter and full year 2026. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "guidance," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will" or "would" or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Investors are cautioned that any and such forward looking statement are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the Company's control), and that actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to: risks relating to adding and retaining Members and partners, including Active CLEAR+ Members, or failing to increase the utilization of our platform; our inability to meet stakeholder expectations or maintain the value and reputation of our brand; failure to successfully compete, and the highly competitive market in which we operate; risks associated with the increased adoption of new technological solutions and services, including first-party identity verification solutions and credential authentication solutions; public confidence in, and acceptance of, identity platforms and biometrics generally, and our platform specifically; failure to successfully implement strategies to increase adoption of our platform or expand into new verticals; risks associated with our commercial agreements and strategic alliances, as well as potential indemnification obligations and certain of our agreements with first parties; risks related to the dependence of portions of our business and results of operations on concessionaire agreements; risks associated with our growth and ability to develop and introduce platform features and offerings, and the need for adequate research and development resources; risks associated with any decline or disruption in the travel industry or a general economic downturn; risks related to our need for additional capital to support our business growth and objectives, and risks that this capital may not be available to us on reasonable terms (or at all) and may result in shareholder dilution; risks associated with acquisitions and other strategic transactions; the need for high-quality personnel; risks associated with the complexity of our platform, including the negative impacts of any errors, system failures or the successful implementation of upgrades or new technology; the risk that our marketing efforts may not be effective; risks associated with changes in the Internet browsers and mobile device accessibility of Members; the ability to maintain our corporate culture; risks associated with payment processing; risks relating to prospective public private partnerships in airports; potential adverse impacts of climate change; our limited experience operating outside of
Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA and Net Income Margin to Adjusted EBITDA Margin:
Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
(In thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||
Net income | $ 72,310 | $ 37,875 | $ 128,694 | $ 76,458 | |||
Income tax expense | 19,045 | 6,431 | 33,406 | 11,853 | |||
Interest (income), net | (7,932) | (5,805) | (14,693) | (11,958) | |||
Other (income) expense, net | (26) | 4,499 | (1,564) | 4,504 | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 6,661 | 6,768 | 13,491 | 13,300 | |||
Equity-based compensation expense | 11,088 | 10,292 | 22,399 | 18,091 | |||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ 101,146 | $ 60,060 | $ 181,733 | $ 112,248 | |||
Revenue | $ 277,757 | $ 219,467 | $ 530,760 | $ 430,835 | |||
Net income Margin | 26.0 % | 17.3 % | 24.2 % | 17.7 % | |||
Adjusted EBITDA Margin | 36.4 % | 27.4 % | 34.2 % | 26.1 % | |||
Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow:
Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
(In thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ 201,168 | $ 122,984 | $ 391,524 | $ 221,331 | |||
Purchases of property and equipment | (12,186) | (5,063) | (17,059) | (12,147) | |||
Free Cash Flow | $ 188,982 | $ 117,921 | $ 374,465 | $ 209,184 | |||
Investor Contact
CLEAR
ir@clearme.com
Media Contact
CLEAR
media@clearme.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clear-announces-second-quarter-2026-financial-results-302842856.html
SOURCE CLEAR