Align Technology Inc (ALGN) — Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. I'm Shirley Stacy, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. Joining me for today's call is Joe Hogan, President and CEO; and John Morici, CFO. We issued second quarter 2025 financial results today via Business Wire, which is available on our website at investor.aligntech.com. Today's conference call is being audio webcast and will be archived on our website for approximately 1 month. As a reminder, the information provided and discussed today will include forward-looking statements, including statements about Align's future events and product outlook. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties that are described in more detail in our most recent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission available on our website and at sec.gov. Actual results may vary significantly and Align expressly assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. We have posted historical financial statements with corresponding reconciliations, including our GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation, if applicable, and our second quarter 2025 conference call slides on our website under quarterly results. Please refer to these files for more detailed information. And with that, I'll turn the call over to Align Technologies President and CEO, Joe Hogan. Joe?

Thanks, Shirley. Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us today. On our call today, I'll provide an overview of our second quarter results and discuss performance from our two operating segments, Systems and Services and clear aligners. John will provide more detail on our Q2 financial performance and comment on our views for the remainder of the year. Following that, I'll come back and summarize a few key points and open the call to questions. Our second quarter results were mixed. Total Q2 revenues at $1.12 billion reflect solid year-over-year revenue growth for Systems and Services driven primarily by stronger-than-expected sales of iTero Lumina scanner wand upgrades, offset by lower-than-expected sales of full iTero Lumina Systems and a slight year-over-year decrease in clear aligner revenues, driven primarily by lower-than-expected volumes in Europe and North America. As a result, Q2 worldwide revenues and operating margins were below our Q2 outlook. During Q2, we continued to see strong consumer interest in Invisalign treatment as reflected by iTero scans and Invisalign doctor case submissions. However, we experienced uneven patient case conversion, which led to a lower-than-typical seasonal uptick in case starts, which historically occurred late in the quarter. As we assessed our Q2 results and the activity in our customers' offices, we believe it was impacted in part by U.S. tariff turmoil in and outside the United States, and less affordable financing options for orthodontic treatment as well as for capital equipment purchases. Recent dental industry surveys for the second quarter suggest that there was less overall patient traffic, fewer orthodontic case starts, and patient hesitation toward elective procedures. 2025 marks the fourth consecutive year of orthodontic starts being down. Third-party reports indicate that practices that use both wires and brackets and clear aligners may often have shifted more of their case starts to metal braces in Q2. Uncertainty not only impacts the consumer purchasing decisions but also the decisions that doctors make, especially practices which still use wires and brackets and weigh the sunk cost of their inventory and their available time over investing in digital solutions during times of financial uncertainty. As we begin the third quarter and plan for the remainder of the year, our outlook anticipates the potential continued economic uncertainty and spending hesitancy that impacted demand for our clear aligners and new iTero Scanning Systems in the second quarter. Even though we know consumer interest in Invisalign treatment remains strong, we're continuing to drive engagement and effectiveness of commercial marketing programs that leverage our innovation and new product cycles across our clear aligners and scanners, especially those for teens and kids. At the same time, we're evaluating actions to reduce costs and thoughtfully manage our investments. For Q2, total revenues were $1,012.4 million, up 3.4% sequentially and down 1.6% year-over-year. In our Systems and Services segment, Q2 '25 revenues were $207.8 million, an increase of 13.9% sequentially and an increase of 5.6% year-over-year, primarily reflecting solid revenue driven by iTero Lumina wand upgrades and increased services as more doctors transition to iTero Element 5D Plus to the advanced iTero Lumina. The iTero Lumina Scanner makes up a majority of iTero Scanner systems mix. For clear aligners, Q2 '25 worldwide volumes were up slightly sequentially and year-over-year. Year-over-year Q2 clear aligner volumes reflect growth across the APAC and EMEA regions, offset somewhat by the Americas regions. From a product perspective, Q2, we had a strong year-over-year growth from Invisalign First, DSP touch-up cases, the Invisalign palate expander, and retention, including DSP, as well as continued mix shift to noncomprehensive clear aligner products. From a channel perspective, Q2 clear aligner volumes increased slightly year-over-year in both orthodontists and general practitioner or GP dentist channels, with strong year-over-year growth from dental service providers. Growth in total submitters was primarily driven by strength in the orthodontic channel while increased utilization was led by the GP channel. Notably, we also achieved a record number of doctors shipped to for the second quarter. For the Americas, Q2 aligner volumes were down slightly year-over-year and reflect solid growth in the Latin America teen segment offset by lower volumes in North America. Despite lower volumes, adoptions increased across several key product offerings, including Invisalign First for teens and kids, Invisalign DSP touch-up cases, and the Invisalign palate expander system. In the EMEA region, Q2 clear aligner volume grew year-over-year, driven by increased utilization across both orthodontists and GP dentist channels, with strength in the adult segment. This performance reflects continued adoption of noncomprehensive Invisalign offerings, particularly in moderate and DSP touch-up cases, including retention as well as Invisalign Comprehensive Three and Three, and Invisalign First within our comprehensive portfolio. For the APAC region, Q2 clear aligner volume grew year-over-year, reflecting increased submitters across both orthodontists and GP channels, across teens and kid patients led by China. From a product standpoint, Invisalign First was a key contributor to year-over-year growth, reflecting rising demand for early intervention solutions. In Q2, over 223,000 teens and growing kids started treatment with Invisalign clear aligners; this number represents a 1.1% sequential decline, primarily due to softer performance in EMEA and APAC, despite the continued strength in the Americas. On a year-over-year basis, case starts increased 3%, driven by growth in APAC and EMEA and Latin America, partially offset by North America. From a product standpoint, Invisalign First was a key year-over-year growth driver across all regions. Additionally, the Invisalign palate expander system contributed to year-over-year growth in North America. During the quarter, we achieved a record number of teen cases for the second quarter. Additionally, we've surpassed a significant milestone: over 6 million teens and kids have now been treated with the Invisalign system globally. For Q2, the number of doctors submitted case starts for teens and kids was up 3.5% year-over-year, led by continued strength from doctors treating young kids and growing patients with Invisalign First and the Invisalign palate expander. With that, I'll now turn the call over to John.

Thanks, Joe. Now for our Q2 financial results. Total revenues for the second quarter were $1,012.4 million, up 3.4% from the prior quarter and down 1.6% from the corresponding quarter a year ago. On a constant currency basis, Q2 revenues were favorably impacted by approximately $26.4 million or approximately 2.7% sequentially and were favorably impacted by approximately $5.6 million year-over-year or approximately 0.6%. For clear aligners, Q2 revenues of $804.6 million were up 1% sequentially, primarily from favorable foreign exchange, partially offset by higher discounts. Favorable foreign exchange impacted Q2 clear aligners revenues by approximately $21.6 million or approximately 2.8% sequentially. Q2 clear aligner average per case shipment price of $1,250 increased by $10 on a sequential basis, primarily due to the impact of favorable foreign exchange. On a year-over-year basis, Q2 clear aligner revenues were down 3.3%, primarily due to lower ASPs from discounts and product mix shift to lower-priced products, partially offset by a price increase. Favorable foreign exchange impacted Q2 clear aligner revenues by approximately $4.5 million or approximately 0.6% year-over-year. Q2 clear aligner average per case shipment price of $1,250 was down $45 on a year-over-year basis, primarily due to discounts and a product mix shift to lower-priced products, partially offset by a price increase in Q1 2025 and favorable foreign exchange. Clear aligner deferred revenues on the balance sheet as of June 30, 2025, increased $1.4 million or 0.1% sequentially and decreased $65.5 million or 5.2% year-over-year and will be recognized as additional aligners are shipped under each sales contract. Q2 Systems and Services revenues up $207.8 million were up 13.9% sequentially primarily due to higher scanner system revenue and favorable foreign exchange. Q2 Systems and Services revenues were up 5.6% year-over-year, primarily due to an increase in scanner and wand upgrade revenue, higher nonsystem revenues and favorable foreign exchange, partially offset by lower scanner system sales. Foreign exchange favorably impacted Q2 Systems and Services revenue by approximately $4.8 million or approximately 2.3% sequentially. On a year-over-year basis, Systems and Services revenue were favorably impacted by foreign exchange of approximately $1 million or approximately 0.5%. Systems and Services deferred revenues decreased $7.6 million or 3.7% sequentially and decreased $24.5 million or 10.9% year-over-year, due in part to the shorter duration of service contracts selected by customers on initial scanner system purchases. Moving on to gross margin. Second quarter overall gross margin was 69.9%, up 0.5 points sequentially and down 0.3 points year-over-year. Overall gross margin was favorably impacted by foreign exchange of 0.8 points sequentially and 0.2 points on a year-over-year basis. Clear aligner gross margin for the second quarter was 70.1%, down 0.5 points sequentially primarily due to higher manufacturing costs, partially offset by freight savings. Foreign exchange favorably impacted clear aligner gross margin by approximately 0.8 points sequentially. Clear aligner gross margin for the second quarter was down 0.7 points year-over-year due primarily to lower ASPs, partially offset by freight savings. Foreign exchange favorably impacted clear aligner gross margin by approximately 0.2 points year-over-year. Systems and Services gross margin for the second quarter was 69.4%, up 4.7 points sequentially due to higher scanner system ASPs and manufacturing efficiencies, partially offset by tariffs. Foreign exchange favorably impacted the Systems and Services gross margin by approximately 0.7 points sequentially. Systems and Services gross margin for the second quarter was up 1.3 points year-over-year due to manufacturing efficiencies, partially offset by tariffs and lower scanner ASPs. Foreign exchange favorably impacted the Systems and Services gross margin by approximately 0.1 points year-over-year. Q2 operating expenses were $545.1 million, down 0.7% sequentially and down 5.3% year-over-year. On a sequential basis, operating expenses were $3.9 million lower, primarily due to lower legal settlements not recurring in Q2 '25. Year-over-year operating expenses decreased by $30.5 million, primarily due to legal settlements not recurring in Q2. On a non-GAAP basis, excluding stock-based compensation, legal settlements and amortization of acquired intangibles related to certain acquisitions, operating expenses were $497.6 million, down 0.6% sequentially and down 0.4% year-over-year. Our second quarter operating income of $163 million resulted in an operating margin of 16.1%, up 2.7 points sequentially and up 1.7 points year-over-year. Operating margin was favorably impacted from foreign exchange by approximately 1.2 points sequentially and 0.2 points year-over-year. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes stock-based compensation, legal settlements and amortization of intangibles related to certain acquisitions, operating margin for the second quarter was 21.3%, up 2.3 points sequentially and down 1 point year-over-year. Interest and other income and expense net for the second quarter was an income of $10.5 million compared to an income of $9.3 million in Q1 of '25, primarily driven by favorable foreign exchange movement of $10.1 million, partially offset by lower interest income. On a year-over-year basis, Q2 interest and other income and expense were favorably compared to an expense of $3.2 million in Q2 of 2024, primarily driven by favorable foreign exchange movements. The GAAP effective tax rate in the second quarter was 28.2% compared to 33.6% in the first quarter and 32.9% in the second quarter of the prior year. The second quarter GAAP effective tax rate was lower than the first quarter effective tax rate, primarily due to discrete tax expenses related to stock-based compensation recognized in Q1 of 2025 that did not occur in Q2 of 2025. The second quarter GAAP effective tax rate was lower than the second quarter effective tax rate of the prior year, primarily due to a decrease in U.S. taxes on foreign earnings, partially offset by a change in our jurisdictional mix of income. On a non-GAAP basis, effective tax rate in the second quarter was 20%, which reflects our long-term projected tax rate. Second quarter net income per diluted share was $1.72, up $0.45 sequentially and up $0.43 compared to the prior year. Our EPS was favorably impacted by $0.26 on a sequential basis and $0.13 on a year-over-year basis due to foreign exchange. On a non-GAAP basis, net income per diluted share was $2.49 for the second quarter, up $0.36 sequentially and up $0.09 year-over-year. Moving on to the balance sheet. As of June 30, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $901.2 million, up sequentially $28.1 million and up $139.7 million year-over-year. Of the $901.2 million balance, $193.5 million was held in the U.S. and $707.7 million was held by our international entities. During Q2 2025, we repurchased approximately 585,100 shares of our common stock at an average price of $164.14 per share, completing the $225 million open market repurchase initiated in Q1 of 2025. This completed our $1 billion stock repurchase program approved in January of 2023 in its entirety. Over the last 12 months, we have repurchased $500 million of our common stock. Over the last 24 months, we have repurchased $1 billion of our common stock. In April 2025, our Board of Directors authorized a plan to repurchase up to $1 billion of our common stock, none of which has been utilized. The April 2025 repurchase program is expected to be completed over a period of up to 3 years. Q2 accounts receivable balance was $1,116.2 million, up sequentially. Our overall days sales outstanding was 99 days, up approximately 2 days sequentially and up approximately 10 days as compared to Q2 2024 and primarily reflects flexible payment terms that are part of our ongoing efforts to support Invisalign practices. Cash flow from operations for the second quarter was $128.7 million. Capital expenditures for the second quarter were $21.5 million, primarily related to investments in our manufacturing capacity and facilities. Free cash flow, defined as cash flow from operations minus capital expenditures amounted to $107.2 million. Before I turn to our Q3 and fiscal 2025 outlook, Align is also announcing today that we expect to take a series of actions in the second half of fiscal 2025 to streamline operations and reallocate resources to better align with our long-term growth and profitability objectives. These actions are intended to sharpen operational focus, reduce ongoing costs, and enhance capital efficiency. First, we expect to realign certain business groups and reduce our global workforce. Second, we are looking to optimize our manufacturing footprint and dispose of certain manufacturing capital assets as we transition to next-generation manufacturing technologies, increased automation, and regionalized manufacturing to be closer to our customers. We expect these actions will incur onetime charges of approximately $150 million to $170 million in the second half of 2025, primarily for the write-down of assets, accelerated depreciation expense, and restructuring charges. We expect approximately $40 million of these charges to be in cash, with the remainder in noncash charges. We expect approximately $50 million to $60 million of these charges in Q3 of 2025. We expect these actions to deliver cost savings that will allow us to achieve a GAAP operating margin of approximately 13% to 14% and a non-GAAP operating margin of slightly above 22.5% in fiscal year 2025. For fiscal year 2026, we expect these actions to improve our GAAP and non-GAAP operating margins by at least 100 basis points year-over-year. We are evaluating these difficult, but we believe necessary actions to position us for sustainable long-term success and improve profitability. While these decisions may impact valued members of our team, we believe they are essential to ensure we are positioned for upcoming technology changes and remain agile and focused in a rapidly evolving market. We are committed to executing our strategy with discipline and purpose.

In addition to this, I'd like to provide the following remarks regarding the U.K. VAT and U.S. tariffs as of July 30. As previously disclosed in our Q1 2025 earnings release and conference call on April 24, 2025, we received a favorable ruling in which the tribunal determined that our clear aligners are exempt from VAT. In June of 2025, HMRC filed a petition to appeal to the upper tribunal to attempt to challenge the first tribunal's decision. On July 15, HMRC was given permission to appeal and has until August 15 to do so. For impacted customers, effective August 1, 2025, Align invoices will no longer include the United Kingdom VAT rate of 20% for all Invisalign treatment packages that are ClinCheck approved as of August 1, 2025. And for refinement and replacement aligners, Vivera Retainers, PVS processing fees and additional aligners orders placed on or after August 1, 2025. At the same time, we will simultaneously adjust prices for our clear aligners and retainers to keep the overall price consistent. There are no material changes to the expected impact of U.S. tariffs, and we refer you to our Q1 2025 press release and earnings material as well as our Q2 2025 webcast slides, which includes specifics regarding potential impacts of U.S. tariffs. Assuming no circumstances occur beyond our control, such as foreign exchange, macroeconomic conditions, and changes to currently applicable tariffs that could impact our business, we expect Q3 2025 worldwide revenues to be in the range of $965 million to $985 million, down sequentially from Q2 of 2025. We expect Q3 2025 clear aligner volume to be down sequentially as a result of Q3 seasonality and Q3 2025 clear aligner ASPs to be slightly up sequentially from favorable foreign exchange at current spot rates, partially offset by a continued product mix shift to noncomprehensive clear aligner products with lower list prices. We expect Q3 2025 Systems and Services revenues to be down sequentially because of Q3 seasonality. We expect Q3 2025 worldwide GAAP gross margin to be 64% to 65%, down sequentially by approximately 5 to 6 points due to the incurrence of onetime charges expected to be approximately $45 million to $55 million primarily for the write-down of assets, accelerated depreciation expense, and restructuring charges in Q3 of 2025 and lower clear aligner volume. We expect non-GAAP gross margin to be flat from Q2 of 2025. We expect Q3 2025 GAAP operating margins to be 10.5% to 11.5%, down sequentially by approximately 5 to 6 points due to the incurrence of onetime charges expected to be approximately $50 million to $60 million, primarily for the write-down of assets, accelerated depreciation expense, and restructuring charges in Q3 of 2025 and lower clear aligner volume. We expect the majority of these charges to be noncash charges with approximately $5 million in cash charges. We expect Q3 2025 non-GAAP operating margin to be approximately 22%. We expect 2025 clear aligner volume growth to be in the low single digits and revenue growth to be flat to slightly up from 2024. We expect 2025 clear aligner ASPs to be down year-over-year due to the continued product mix shift to noncomprehensive clear aligners with lower list prices and continued growth in our emerging markets with products that may carry lower list prices, partially offset by favorable foreign exchange at current spot rates. We expect 2025 Systems and Services year-over-year revenues to grow faster than clear aligner revenues. We expect the 2025 GAAP gross margin to be 67% to 68%, down year-over-year by approximately 2 to 3 points due to the incurrence of onetime charges expected to be approximately $115 million to $130 million, primarily for the write-down of assets, accelerated depreciation expense, and restructuring charges in the second half of 2025 and lower clear aligner volume. We expect 2025 the non-GAAP gross margin to be flat to slightly lower than the 2024 non-GAAP gross margin. We expect the fiscal 2025 GAAP operating margin to be 13% to 14%, down year-over-year by approximately 1 to 2 points below the 2024 GAAP operating margin, due to the incurrence of onetime charges of approximately $150 million to $170 million, primarily for the write-down of assets, accelerated depreciation expense, and restructuring charges in the second half of 2025. Most of the onetime charges will be noncash, with the expected cash outlay for 2025 estimated to be around $40 million. We expect the 2025 investments in capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 to be between $100 million and $125 million. Capital expenditures are primarily related to technology upgrades as well as maintenance. With that, I'll turn it back over to Joe for final comments. In the face of a challenging and uncertain macroeconomic backdrop, characterized by global tariff volatility, ongoing inflation, elevated interest rates, and unstable consumer confidence, we're navigating with a clear focus to control what we can and to continue to invest with discipline in the areas that will define our future. In Q2, our customers reported reduced patient traffic, fewer orthodontic case starts, and delayed case acceptance. But despite significant headwinds across the consumer discretionary spend landscape, our consumer interest metrics remain strong. Patients are still prioritizing care that delivers meaningful visible results, even if timing and affordability concerns are reshaping how and when they choose to commit to treatment. Those that have transitioned to clear aligner therapy and digital practices, including larger practices and DSOs, are showing more resiliency and commitment to digital dentistry and orthodontics. This underscores the opportunity. Those who invest in customer trust, seamless experience, and value-based innovation will be best positioned for the long run. We're doubling down on the levers within our reach: innovation, efficiency, and execution. We're investing in next-generation technology and treatment platforms that meet today's patient expectations for fast, effective, and personalized treatment while also providing value and growth opportunities for our doctor customers. We believe these innovations are not only improving outcomes in Invisalign practices but also expanding our addressable market and strengthening our competitive differentiation. We're expanding our new product offerings to drive Invisalign volume growth in our business. Year-to-date, we've successfully introduced IPE and MAOB in over 70 markets and are expanding Invisalign DSP offerings in more markets in Europe and Latin America in the second half of the year. We're on track to introduce DSP for the first time in major APAC markets beginning in 2026. We are piloting the integration of our x-ray diagnostics and our iTero Lumina Scanner in some select markets outside the United States. In Q3, we will pilot our ortho-restorative offering to GP dentists through labs, where we help non-Invisalign trained GPs who are interested in learning and offering Invisalign in their practice. Finally, our commercial and marketing teams are engaging practices with tools that improve case conversion at the point of care. Through digital channels, we're activating more prospective patients and connecting them directly to providers. In the face of lower consumer confidence and delayed spending, our engagement with potential patients remains high, and we are continuing to refine and scale our integrated consumer marketing programs. In a fragmented, choice-heavy market, we're continuing to make it easier for providers to see with our solution, whether it's clinical training, financing tools, or personalized marketing support, our strategy is simple. Surround our customers with the right support at every stage of their growth journey. We believe this commitment is helping drive greater adoption and turning onetime users into repeat champions. At the same time, we recognize the importance of operating with discipline and taking steps now to mitigate the impact of potential continued headwinds and volatility in the market. We are considering actions that rightsized parts of our organization, aligning resources to current demand realities and eliminating redundancy to drive leaner, faster execution across our organization, especially in areas where we can integrate innovation teams and take global decision-making and support closer to our customers in each region. These tough decisions are being made to preserve our investment in core technologies and protect the teams building our long-term growth. While we believe the macroeconomic uncertainty will likely persist in the near future, we're confident in our ability to adapt and lead. Our long-term strategic initiatives and opportunities remain intact, as does our commitment to focused execution into transforming treatment for doctors and patients. With that, I thank you for your time, and I'll turn the call over to the operator for questions.

One, it seems that the case conversion did not meet your expectations this quarter. Can you discuss how it progressed throughout the quarter? Are we at a stable point, or is it still fluctuating? And two, you mentioned a higher use of brackets and wires by orthodontists during this economic uncertainty. Can you share what strategies you implemented last time we experienced this, one or two years ago, and what insights you've gained from that? How should we view the potential changes in that contribution as we move into the latter half of '25?

Yes, thank you for the question. At the beginning of the quarter, we usually find that a lot occurs in the last week of the month. It's important to remember that we're a real-time business, with no inventory except for what we have with iTero; our clear aligner business is operating as expected. Everything seemed to be following a usual pattern for the quarter until June, which did not unfold as we anticipated. This aligns with the year-over-year increase we typically observe in this business, which unfortunately did not happen, particularly in June. Regarding orthodontists returning to wires and brackets, this trend comes from those who have not fully adopted digital methods. Some may only be using digital tools for about 30% of their cases, mostly with adult patients. Their schedules and practices might not be filled, and they often have an inventory of wires and brackets. This influences their profitability, sometimes leading them to prefer traditional methods. To counter this, we support doctors by guiding patients who seek digital treatment. We collaborate with them to enhance their efficiency with our product lines. Many doctors take advantage of this support. However, it’s worth noting that there are around 10,000 orthodontists in North America, and some have decided to remain primarily analog, which poses challenges for us. John, do you have any insights?

That's good.

If I keep the 2025 revenues flat compared to 2024, which is on the lower end of your guidance, and take the midpoint of the third quarter guidance, I estimate $1.03 billion for the fourth quarter of 2025. This represents a 6% increase quarter-over-quarter, significantly above the three-year average of 1%. My concern is that if I consider growth in 2025, as you mentioned could still be possible, it only makes this situation more challenging. Could you clarify the implied fourth quarter results and the sequential growth rate from the third to the fourth quarter? I would like to understand why this is happening when we consider the trend line you referenced in the third quarter guidance.

Yes. Yes, Jon, this is John. I think when you look at what you've laid out for Q4, we would expect that Systems and Services up sequentially. We have the new scanner that we have as we go this year. We would expect that those full systems that we were behind a bit in Q2 that would continue in the second half, and we'd have some benefit from some of those full systems that we have coming through. Then we look at what we're doing from trying to drive conversion and be more active about that conversion with teens and adults in our second half products like we have with Invisalign First products that we have with IPE and mandibular advancement. Those products to be able to help us continue to grow and have that focus into, as you said, that sequential third quarter to fourth quarter.

Can you provide more details about what happened in late Q2? It seems that your Q2 results are influenced by orders from late May to late June due to revenue recognition timing, and now we are at the end of July. What developments have occurred over the past five weeks? Additionally, were the conversion issues more significant in certain markets compared to others? I'll stop there.

I'll address the latter part of your question first, Jon. The lack of take-up we experienced is mainly attributed to North America and two European countries: France and Germany. The rest of the world performed as expected. From our analysis, it's clear that those are the regions where we encountered challenges. The primary issue appears to be patients' concerns about affording treatment at this time. There's also a specific demographic facing challenges. We're particularly worried about the financing options available and what was offered during that quarter. However, we did see record interest from a brand perspective. Our gross receipts, which are generated when a patient scans, were extremely high. Unfortunately, we didn't achieve the usual conversion rate between general gross receipts and what we observe at CCA.

And the trends into month-to-date July or any color there that you can provide? I mean, has it started to unwind here in the first 4 weeks of July?

Yes. I'd say when you look at our forecast, Jon, we've basically taken what we've seen in the end of the quarter and projected forward.

So question, Joe, I guess, as I hear your explanation on trading back down to some of the brackets and wire stuff, which we've heard off and on over the last couple of years. I think what I've been hearing in my checks is kind of this profound pressure, if you will, on practice profitability, and then your brackets and wires kind of feed into that. But I think my checks have kind of been saying, it's almost more the doctors pulling back right now. I'm not so sure it's the patients pulling back as much. And of course, you have data that maybe does show it's the patients too. And I'm not trying to totally disaggregate those 2. But I guess, as I look at consumer confidence, and some of the tariff fears may be coming off over the last few months, I'm surprised that June was that weak unless we're at this point where doctors are the ones that are really freezing up almost more so than the patients. I don't even know if I have a question there, but I'd love your observation because this is definitely something I'm hearing kind of in my general dental checks as well.

Jeff, I think it's a good question. I think you have to look at it split between our DSOs or OSOs we work with, which have gone really well from a quarter standpoint and a growth standpoint for us too. They offer good finance solutions. They're often aggressive in following back up with patients that show some kind of an interest in having a marketing program to go back and offer a special deal at a certain point in time, and we see that really work. Again, in those channels, Jeff, I said it indicates that it is a reluctant consumer that needs to be encouraged in different ways for treatment and above and beyond what we've seen in the past. I mean that's always been there. But in this case, I think where there's financial uncertainty. When you look at the individual doctors, again, like where we have 150,000 GPs in the United States and 10,000 orthodontic doctors, there's a story everywhere. But primarily, what we see is patients interested, again reluctant to spend. Doctors sometimes want to move in the wires and brackets if they can and push them, and adults are more difficult to do that than teens. But from an adult standpoint, that's where the patient traffic has really been down too. So I wouldn't pin this on the doctors. I think the aggregate we're talking about here is a reluctant consumer like we talked about in our script. But look, you can find 1 million stories out there at different doctors and how they handle things, Jeff. But I think a continuum in this is just uncertainty for an out-of-pocket expensive type of procedure.

Yes, fair enough. And then I guess, just one question on the restructuring. As you talk about shutting down some manufacturing assets and writing them off, any color there? And does this accelerate your move at all to direct fab printing? Just any color on those 2 topics would be great.

I’d like to add to that question by mentioning that over the past five years, we have made significant efforts to internationalize our production. Previously, our operations were centered in Mexico, but now we've expanded to China and Poland. It's important to note that transportation costs are crucial for our business, and being closer to our customers helps reduce these expenses. Therefore, we will refocus on maintaining proximity to our customers. Additionally, we are leveraging advancements in vacuum form technology and resin technology in our traditional line, which are much more productive than our past methods. This will allow us to upgrade our facilities in Mexico, Poland, and China with these technologies while phasing out the less productive ones. That's a key aspect of our strategy. Does that make sense to you, Jeff?

Yes, it doesn't sound like necessarily an acceleration then on the direct fab side. It's more of kind of this intermediary, if you will, of going to some of the more efficient vacuum forming and resin stuff?

But in the back of those moves, Jeff, what we're doing is creating capacity and ability to be able to move into direct printing, too. So what we'll do with direct printing, we'll directly follow that footprint we're developing around the world with vacuum forming. I hope that helps.

So I guess, separate from the comments you made regarding the bracket and wire braces, I guess I'm curious with your softer Invisalign case volume due to all the market factors you discussed, I guess, just based on your market intelligence. Do you think your software volume was in line with the overall clear aligner market trend? Or do you think you're maybe losing share in clear aligners for some reason? Or also, I thought in my mind that Align would maybe be more favorably positioned on the whole tariff impact relative to many of your clear aligner competitors. So maybe are you still perhaps maybe even gaining market share in the clear aligner market versus other manufacturers? Just curious to get some thoughts around just that part of the market in particular.

Steve, it's a good question. I would say, primarily, from a competitive standpoint, nothing has really changed around the world between the first quarter and the second quarter. If we think about it, it's mainly what we see is from an economic standpoint. So I can't pick out any one country. I mean China did extremely well for us, and I think everyone on the call knows that we have some pressure from a Chinese competitor around the world. We don't think that's basically changed. We saw a competitor actually raise prices that they had to in the quarter also. So that was not the dynamic. If that was a dynamic in the quarter, I certainly would have pointed to it, but I didn't see that.

Pick up on a couple of other themes here that have been discussed already. Joe, John, when we look at the patients that didn't materialize, the cases didn't materialize in 2Q, it seems like there's 2 buckets: your patients that aren't moving forward at all with treatment because of reluctance, be it for financing or tariff unease or what have you. And then another bucket of doctors pushing patients to brackets and wires. I guess the former would open the door to a potential release of volumes in the future with practices tapping into maybe a backlog of patients down the road. But I guess, how would you split the volumes across those 2 buckets? I mean, how much do you think is falling into just a clear aligner opportunity in the future but not seeing it in 2Q versus doctors putting patients in brackets and wires, and those are no longer candidates for aligners?

John, do you want...

Yes, I'd say it's a mix. Potential patients generally fall into two categories. We notice good interest in Invisalign, with many wanting to begin treatment. Some arrive at doctors' offices, see the prices, and decide not to proceed for personal reasons. Others, particularly in the orthodontic channel, may desire treatment, such as teenagers brought in by their parents. However, economic factors might lead the doctor to recommend traditional braces instead of Invisalign, even if the patient initially requested it. This presents a challenge for us. Overall, we need to consider how to support our doctors in retaining patients for Invisalign. It's a mix, and the situation can differ from one location to another regarding which category is more prevalent.

This is Russell on for Brandon. Could you guys give us some color on what the feedback has been recently on Lumina given the weakened consumer? Looking at industry surveys, there seems to be a general low willingness to purchase capital equipment. Has it been impacting your numbers or affecting product launch in some way? And how are you navigating it?

That's a good question. We didn't meet our sales goals for Lumina in the second quarter, but we did have a good increase, close to 14% growth. We saw a good trade out. I mean, we see the same surveys, and we work around the industry that you do, and we know there's a reluctance because of lack of patient traffic in dental offices and ortho offices to commit to capital equipment. I mean based on that, we felt good about how well we did. But when you look at it, and I talked about it in my script, we thought we'd sell more full systems. What we did was our 5D Plus product was upgradable to Lumina with a wand switch and the majority of our sales went to the wand side. That's just not the same amount of revenue in that switch. And that's basically what hurts. We do see that reflected, but we felt good about the uptake of Lumina and excitement we see in the marketplace.

So maybe if I can get back to some of the dynamics of the expectations for the remainder of the year. As you think through various different macro pictures that you've talked about, Joe, are there any changes you're making on the demand stimulation side? Should we expect anything on the promotional side that you may or may not push? How should we think through the proactive attempt that you're making to ensure that you're driving better patient conversion, better demand curve satisfaction, et cetera?

Michael, that's a good question. We believe that the last mile is where we truly connect with our doctors. We engage in a lot of national advertising and aim to get closer to our doctors to better channel that demand. We are capable of doing this; we just need to scale it across various regions in the United States where we anticipate it will be effective. The dental service organizations and oral surgery organizations understand how to navigate this, while individual doctor practices may not be as familiar. However, there are opportunities for them with Invisalign, and we plan to collaborate more closely to guide patients so they can access Invisalign treatments. Part of this involves ensuring they have the right financing options available through HCA and other partners we collaborate with.

Great. A similar type of question, but more so what kind of happened in the quarter and what sort of changed? And outside of just the sluggish demand and kind of conversion rates that you were seeing? Were there any of your own initiatives like promotional activity that didn't really just play out to plan, like we're hearing just some more promotional activity in June? For instance, how did that strategy work relative to your expectations? Obviously, it fell short of that. But I mean, was there any sort of nuance to the strategy that maybe changed at all? And was any of that competitive response?

Again, that's a good question. I'd say we ran the same play in the second quarter that we run in every quarter in the sense of promotions and things that we offer from a month-to-month standpoint.

Yes, and I would add that the awareness is there. The interest is there. We see it in search metrics. We see it in kind of that overall interest that we see from even getting a scan; it's just that conversion then to go from that scan to actually go into treatment that didn't materialize, didn't see that sequential improvement, especially as you think about moving into teen season in a bigger way with North America and Europe. So the play was set to increase that interest to get people wanting to go into treatment due to their own economic reasons. They did not.

I would like to approach this from a different angle, specifically directing my question to Joe. Considering how Align positions itself in orthodontics versus general practice, and given that wires and brackets are becoming more competitive in the orthodontic space where you excel, does it make strategic sense for you to adopt a more aggressive stance in the general practice area where your market share is lower and competition is stronger? Have you held back in this area due to pricing or other factors? I am asking this from a strategic viewpoint, particularly at the Board level, regarding the decisions we need to make to accelerate growth. How do we evaluate the two segments in terms of pricing power and market share across all the solutions we offer?

Kevin, that's a fair question and a good one. Over 40% of our business in the United States is now related to general practice rather than orthodontics. We have a specialized sales team for general practice that operates independently from the orthodontics team. They are specifically trained to engage with general practitioners and understand their workflows. We offer products like iGo and various Comprehensive products that are tailored for general practice. We have excellent doctors, such as Ryan Molis and David Galler, who train thousands of general practitioners. We're enthusiastic about the general practice market, which doesn't face the same competitive challenges as the orthodontic market does. It's important to understand that these are distinct workflows, and it's crucial to enter a general practice and demonstrate how we can integrate with their systems. I initially made the mistake of thinking we could treat general practitioners the same way we do orthodontists, but it's a different business altogether. General practitioners aren't trained to move teeth; that's why our GCP practices provide scanning capabilities and treatment plans with the assistance of our technical support team. I feel confident about the resources and focus we have in this area. We'll continue to explore opportunities to strengthen our business on the general practice side.

Maybe just a high-level question on the restructuring actions that you're planning on taking in the back half of the year. I guess what gives you the confidence that these actions will yield the results that you desire and will indeed align with your long-term goals? I guess just trying to figure out, like, are these sufficient to counter the soft macro environment?

Yes, this is John. As we examine the restructuring, as mentioned in our prepared remarks, we are focusing on getting closer to our customers. In today's market, it is essential to reduce cycle times and improve our proximity to our clients, which enhances their willingness to collaborate with us. Our programs, such as the doctor subscription initiative, depend on this connection. Additionally, being closer to our customers increases productivity, allowing us to cut freight costs, which are a significant part of our overall expenses. We also aim to upgrade some of our equipment to boost productivity, efficiency, and savings, which we want to reflect in our profitability. Furthermore, we intend to translate these actions and the savings generated into our market approach. We are committed to actively engaging with our customers to enhance conversion rates and work with them individually to ensure they have the demand, capabilities, and understanding of our products to help digitize their practices and ultimately utilize our offerings. We need to focus on driving productivity while aligning with our objectives for our customers and leveraging the savings to increase our engagement with them, ultimately helping to bring in more patients.

Great. I'm going to preempt this, Joe, by saying I know it may be an unfair question. And if there's just no answer, there's no answer to that. But I just want to think about the Analyst Day you guys just had a couple of months ago and the vision you laid out for the next couple of years. You gave us an update on LRP, and you sort of gave us the bridge over the next couple of years and then beyond. The way I always remember it was sort of like there's the underlying macro in markets and then there's what a wand can deliver above that. Obviously, it's only been a couple of months, and it feels like it's been a very short amount of time in terms of what's changed. So like I said, maybe it's too early to say anything, but you're certainly leaving this year at a much lower starting point than you had imagined. You thought you'd be growing revenues more in the mid-single digits; right now, it's kind of flattish. So if you think about that 5% to 15% going forward, much bigger jump next year. Does that change how you think you're going to be able to approach that in '26 and beyond? Or is it just one month, and we'll take it from there?

Michael, I'll start with the end: it is one month, okay? To be fair, to project the business off one month is tough. What we're doing with our forecast this year is taking that month shooting it forward, and we're going to work hard to do all we can to beat that if we can. We stick by what we presented in New York. We're excited about the future of the business. That 5% to 15%, we truly believe it's there. I think the best thing that can happen is we get somewhat of a more confident consumer and being able to drive some of the conversion work that we're talking about on the front end with doctors overall work with DSOs. I'm confident in our ability to adapt and lead. Our long-term strategic initiatives and opportunities remain intact, as does our commitment to focused execution into transforming treatment for doctors and patients. With that, I thank you for your time, and I'll turn the call over to Shirley for closing remarks.

Well, thank you, everyone, again, for joining us today. We look forward to meeting you at upcoming investor conferences and bus trips. If you have any follow-up questions, please contact Investor Relations. Thanks, and have a great day.