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Liberty Latin America Reports First Quarter 2019 Results
Rebased1 Revenue Growth of 4% to $943 million
Record Q1 RGU Additions of 73,000; Improving Mobile Subscriber Trend
Operating Income of $113 million, Improved by 15% Year-over-Year
OCF2 of $366 million, 9% Higher YoY; Driven by Puerto Rico
Recovery
On-Track to Achieve FY 2019 Guidance
DENVER, Colorado–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Liberty Latin America Ltd. (“Liberty Latin America” or “LLA”) (NASDAQ:
LILA and LILAK, OTC Link: LILAB) today announced its financial and
operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (“Q1”).
CEO Balan Nair commented, “Our first quarter performance reflects a good
start to the year. We delivered record Q1 RGU additions of 73,000, with
subscriber growth across all reporting segments. In particular, C&W
added 32,000 RGUs, its best quarter since our 2016 acquisition, and we
continued to add RGUs in Puerto Rico following the restoration of our
network in 2018. We see relatively low penetration of high-speed
connectivity across our markets and further potential for fixed
subscriber growth as we deliver leading product propositions and expand
our high-speed footprint. In Q1, we added or upgraded over 80,000 homes
and are on-track to meet our full-year targets.”
“In mobile, we added 11,000 subscribers, with gains in both C&W and
Chile. In fact, our enhanced customer value propositions in Panama
contributed to our best quarter in subscriber gains at C&W in two years.
Besides Panama, we rolled out refreshed campaigns in the Bahamas in Q1,
as well as Jamaica and other markets in April. We expect these launches
to drive financial momentum in the coming quarters. High-speed
penetration continued to grow in the quarter as we reached 40% of our
subscriber base with LTE packages and invested in increasing our LTE
coverage.”
“Our rebased revenue and OCF growth of 4% and 9%, respectively, was
driven by the strong performance in Puerto Rico. We also generated $48
million of Adjusted FCF3 in Q1, a significant improvement
over the prior-year period.”
“We remain committed to a disciplined and diligent approach in
evaluating potential transactions and recently completed the accretive
acquisition of UTS. This expands our product portfolio in Curaçao,
creates a national champion, and enables us to deliver improved customer
experiences while achieving cost benefits through additional scale.”
“We continue to work on our five strategic priorities; driving financial
and operational performance, transforming our business, creating a
strong culture, driving inorganic growth, and optimizing our balance
sheet. We believe delivery of these priorities will create meaningful
value for our customers and shareholders.”
“As we look out to the remainder of 2019, our team is focused on
subscriber growth and operational efficiencies, which we anticipate will
benefit our financial results in the second half of the year.”
Business Highlights
-
C&W building operational momentum:
-
Record RGU growth driven by broadband, with 32,000 subscribers
added in total -
Mobile subscriber performance stabilizing, led by 21,000 additions
in Panama - New customer value propositions launched across markets
-
Record RGU growth driven by broadband, with 32,000 subscribers
-
VTR/Cabletica steady start to the year:
-
Broadband growth in both Chile and Costa Rica drove total RGU
additions of 20,000 - Cabletica delivered strong rebased revenue and OCF growth
- VTR expanded its leading network, adding over 40,000 homes
-
Broadband growth in both Chile and Costa Rica drove total RGU
-
Liberty Puerto Rico continuing to grow:
-
22,000 RGUs added in the first quarter, growth across all products
led by broadband -
Ookla® Speedtest® Award Winner for second
consecutive year - Expanding footprint with over 5,000 new homes passed
-
22,000 RGUs added in the first quarter, growth across all products
Acquisition of United Telecommunication Services (“UTS”)
-
On March 31, 2019, we completed the acquisition of an 87.5% interest
in UTS for a cash purchase price of $161 million, subject to certain
potential post-closing adjustments -
UTS provides fixed and mobile services to the island nations of
Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Bonaire, St. Barths, St. Eustatius
and Saba -
The acquisition was funded through a $170 million draw on the C&W
Revolving Credit Facility -
Due to the timing of the acquisition, we did not record any revenue or
earnings attributable to UTS in our condensed consolidated statement
of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019
Financial Highlights |
||||||||||||||
Liberty Latin America |
Q1 2019 |
Q1 2018 |
YoY |
|||||||||||
(in millions, except % amounts) | ||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 943 | $ | 910 | 4 | % | ||||||||
OCF | $ | 366 | $ | 341 | 9 | % | ||||||||
Property & equipment additions | $ | 139 | $ | 194 | (28 | %) | ||||||||
As a percentage of revenue | 15 | % | 21 | % | ||||||||||
Operating income | $ | 113 | $ | 98 | 15 | % | ||||||||
Adjusted FCF | $ | 48 | $ | (46 | ) | |||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities | $ | 188 | $ | 163 | ||||||||||
Cash used by investing activities | $ | (286 | ) | $ | (188 | ) | ||||||||
Cash provided (used) by financing activities | $ | 39 | $ | (12 | ) | |||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
* Revenue and OCF YoY growth rates are on a rebased basis. |
||||||||||||||
Subscriber Growth4 |
||||||||||
Three months ended | ||||||||||
March 31, | ||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | |||||||||
Organic RGU net additions (losses) by product | ||||||||||
Video | 14,900 | 2,400 | ||||||||
Data | 50,100 | 37,000 | ||||||||
Voice | 8,000 | (6,100 | ) | |||||||
Total | 73,000 | 33,300 | ||||||||
Organic RGU net additions (losses) by segment | ||||||||||
C&W | 31,600 | 25,100 | ||||||||
VTR/Cabletica | 19,700 | 23,600 | ||||||||
Liberty Puerto Rico | 21,700 | (15,400 | ) | |||||||
Total | 73,000 | 33,300 | ||||||||
Organic Mobile SIM additions (losses) by product | ||||||||||
Postpaid | 10,400 | 3,400 | ||||||||
Prepaid | 400 | (14,400 | ) | |||||||
Total | 10,800 | (11,000 | ) | |||||||
Organic Mobile SIM additions (losses) by segment | ||||||||||
C&W | 800 | (19,800 | ) | |||||||
VTR/Cabletica | 10,000 | 8,800 | ||||||||
Total | 10,800 | (11,000 | ) |
-
Customer additions: Organic fixed
customer additions of 36,000 in Q1 2019, more than double the
additions in the prior-year period, including growth across all
segments. -
Product additions: Organic fixed RGU
additions of 73,000 and organic mobile subscriber additions of 11,000
in Q1 2019, both significantly improved as compared to the prior-year
period. -
C&W added 32,000 fixed RGUs during
Q1; our best quarter since Q2 2016.-
Broadband additions totaled 17,000, driven by success in our
largest markets of Jamaica and Panama where we added 7,000 and
6,000 RGUs, respectively, reflecting penetration on our expanding
high-speed networks. Our broadband service levels continue to
improve, particularly in Panama where we launched top speeds of up
to 600 Mbps in the quarter and are now delivering up to 1 Gbps in
certain areas. -
Video RGU additions of 3,000 were flat year-over-year. Panama had
another strong quarter, adding 5,000 RGUs, as we focused on our
bundled propositions. -
Fixed-line telephony RGU additions of 12,000 were driven by our
successful bundling strategy, particularly in Panama, Jamaica and
Trinidad. -
Mobile subscribers grew by 1,000 in Q1, our first quarter of
growth since Q1 2017.-
Panama led this overall performance with 21,000 additions, as
we started to see the benefits of recent marketing campaigns
and customer retention activity. -
In Jamaica, we recorded net subscriber losses of 14,000, as
expected following increased activations during the holiday
period (similarly, in Q1 2018 we lost 12,000 mobile
subscribers in Jamaica). In April, we launched new customer
value propositions, which we believe will drive subscriber
additions and revenue growth. -
In the Bahamas, we recorded our best quarterly result since
the introduction of a new mobile competitor in 2016, with
2,000 subscribers lost in the quarter.
-
Panama led this overall performance with 21,000 additions, as
-
Broadband additions totaled 17,000, driven by success in our
-
VTR/Cabletica RGUs increased by 20,000
during Q1, with additions across both markets. In Costa Rica,
Cabletica added 13,000 RGUs, driven by broadband additions over our
expanding high-speed network. VTR added 7,000 RGUs as broadband and
video subscriber growth more than offset continued fixed-line voice
attrition.-
VTR’s mobile subscribers grew by 10,000 in Q1. At March 31, 2019,
our mobile subscriber base totaled 266,000, of which 97% were on
postpaid plans.
-
VTR’s mobile subscribers grew by 10,000 in Q1. At March 31, 2019,
-
Liberty Puerto Rico added 22,000 fixed
RGUs in Q1, continuing the momentum we had in H2 2018. This growth was
driven by our compelling product propositions delivered over our
leading network, which was recognized by Ookla® for the
second consecutive year as the fastest in Puerto Rico.
Revenue Highlights
The following table presents (i) revenue of each of our reportable
segments for the comparative period and (ii) the percentage change from
period-to-period on both a reported and rebased basis:
Three months ended | Increase/(decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
March 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | % | Rebased % | |||||||||||||||
in millions, except % amounts | ||||||||||||||||||
C&W | $ | 569.8 | $ | 585.5 | (2.7 | ) | (1.7 | ) | ||||||||||
VTR/Cabletica | 276.5 | 263.8 | 4.8 | 3.9 | ||||||||||||||
Liberty Puerto Rico | 98.6 | 61.8 | 59.5 | 59.5 | ||||||||||||||
Intersegment eliminations | (2.2 | ) | (1.2 | ) |
N.M. |
N.M. |
||||||||||||
Total | $ | 942.7 | $ | 909.9 | 3.6 | 4.0 | ||||||||||||
N.M. – Not Meaningful. |
||||||||||||||||||
-
Our reported revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2019
increased by 4%.-
Reported revenue growth was primarily driven by (1) an increase of
$37 million at Liberty Puerto Rico, mainly driven by the favorable
comparison against the prior-year quarter resulting from the
recovery following the 2017 hurricanes and (2) an increase of $33
million related to the acquisition of Cabletica, partially offset
by a negative foreign exchange (“FX”) impact of $32 million,
primarily related to a depreciation of the Chilean peso in
relation to the US dollar.
-
Reported revenue growth was primarily driven by (1) an increase of
Q1 2019 Rebased Revenue Growth – Segment Highlights
-
C&W: Rebased revenue declined by 2%
year-over-year.-
Mobile revenue attrition of 13% on a rebased basis was partly
offset by rebased revenue growth of 5% in residential fixed and 2%
in B2B. -
The reduction in mobile revenue was primarily attributable to
lower ARPU in Panama and the Bahamas and reduced subscribers
across our markets as compared to the prior-year period. -
Fixed revenue growth was driven by volume as we added 103,000
fixed RGUs over the last twelve months, reflecting an improvement
from 60,000 net additions in the preceding twelve months. Overall,
growth in broadband and video revenue more than offset a decline
in fixed voice revenue. -
B2B growth was driven by increased managed services revenue in
Panama, our LatAm operations and Jamaica. Our subsea operations
also grew, driven by increasing demand for bandwidth. Performance
in the quarter was negatively impacted by $5 million as compared
to the prior-year period due to a change in the timing of revenue
for directory services recognized within the year.
-
Mobile revenue attrition of 13% on a rebased basis was partly
-
VTR/Cabletica: Rebased revenue growth of
4% was primarily driven by improvement in (1) residential fixed
subscription revenue from increases in ARPU per RGU and (2) B2B
service revenue, driven by growth in subscribers. -
Liberty Puerto Rico: Rebased revenue
increased by $37 million to $99 million, driven by the favorable
comparison against the prior-year quarter resulting from the recovery
following the 2017 hurricanes. On a sequential basis, compared to Q4
2018, revenue increased by 5% or $5 million.
Operating Income
-
Operating income was $113 million and $98 million for the three months
ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.-
Operating income increased during Q1 2019, as compared with Q1
2018, primarily due to the net effect of (i) higher OCF, as
further described below, (ii) an increase in depreciation and
amortization and (iii) lower restructuring charges, primarily at
C&W.
-
Operating income increased during Q1 2019, as compared with Q1
Operating Cash Flow Highlights
The following table presents (i) OCF of each of our reportable segments
and our corporate category for the comparative period and (ii) the
percentage change from period to period on both a reported and rebased
basis:
Three months ended | Increase/(decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
March 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | % | Rebased % | |||||||||||||||
in millions, except % amounts | ||||||||||||||||||
C&W | $ | 222.5 | $ | 229.1 | (2.9 | ) | (2.0 | ) | ||||||||||
VTR/Cabletica | 106.9 | 105.0 | 1.8 | 3.2 | ||||||||||||||
Liberty Puerto Rico | 47.9 | 18.0 | 166.1 | 166.1 | ||||||||||||||
Corporate | (11.5 | ) | (11.3 | ) | 1.8 | 1.8 | ||||||||||||
Total | $ | 365.8 | $ | 340.8 | 7.3 | 8.5 | ||||||||||||
OCF Margin | 38.8 | % | 37.5 | % |
-
Our reported OCF for the three months ended March 31, 2019 increased
by 7%.-
Reported OCF growth was driven by (1) an increase of $30 million
at Liberty Puerto Rico, primarily related to our strong recovery
from the 2017 hurricanes and (2) an increase of $12 million from
the inclusion of Cabletica, partially offset by a negative FX
impact of $12 million, primarily related to the Chilean peso.
-
Reported OCF growth was driven by (1) an increase of $30 million
Q1 2019 Rebased OCF Growth – Segment Highlights
-
C&W: Rebased OCF was 2% lower, driven
by the aforementioned revenue decline (including the $5 million
negative impact due to a change in the timing of revenue for directory
services), partly offset by a net decrease in costs, despite higher
bad debt and collection expenses as compared to the first quarter of
2018 where we benefited from a $3 million recovery related to the
release of provisions established following the impacts of the 2017
hurricanes. -
VTR/Cabletica: Delivered rebased OCF
growth of 3%, driven by a strong performance at Cabletica. VTR’s
rebased OCF performance was impacted by increased costs related to our
digitization initiatives, higher sales and marketing, and increased
call center volumes. -
Liberty Puerto Rico: The increase of $30
million was driven by our revenue performance, as the prior-year was
negatively impacted by the 2017 hurricanes. -
Corporate: Costs were in-line
year-over-year.
Net Loss Attributable to Shareholders
-
Net loss attributable to shareholders was $42 million and $45 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Property and Equipment Additions and Capital Expenditures
The table below highlights the categories of the property and equipment
additions for the indicated periods and reconciles those additions to
the capital expenditures that are presented in the condensed
consolidated statements of cash flows included in our Form 10-Q.
Three months ended | ||||||||||
March 31, | ||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | |||||||||
in millions, except % amounts |
||||||||||
Customer Premises Equipment | $ | 71.9 | $ | 65.5 | ||||||
New Build & Upgrade | 21.6 | 80.3 | ||||||||
Capacity | 10.9 | 7.2 | ||||||||
Baseline | 23.3 | 27.7 | ||||||||
Product & Enablers | 11.4 | 13.3 | ||||||||
Property and equipment additions | 139.1 | 194.0 | ||||||||
Assets acquired under capital-related vendor financing arrangements | (10.9 | ) | (20.7 | ) | ||||||
Assets acquired under finance leases | (0.1 | ) | (0.6 | ) | ||||||
Changes in current liabilities related to capital expenditures | 31.5 | 15.5 | ||||||||
Capital expenditures1 | $ | 159.6 | $ | 188.2 | ||||||
Property and equipment additions as % of revenue | 14.8 | % | 21.3 | % | ||||||
Property and Equipment Additions of our Reportable Segments: | ||||||||||
C&W | $ | 63.6 | $ | 67.2 | ||||||
VTR/Cabletica | 54.1 | 57.0 | ||||||||
Liberty Puerto Rico | 19.8 | 69.8 | ||||||||
Corporate | 1.6 | — | ||||||||
Property and equipment additions | $ | 139.1 | $ | 194.0 |
1. |
The capital expenditures that we report in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows do not include amounts that are financed under capital-related vendor financing or finance lease arrangements. Instead, these amounts are reflected as non-cash additions to our property and equipment when the underlying assets are delivered and as repayments of debt when the principal is repaid. |
|
Segment Highlights
-
C&W: Property and equipment additions
of $64 million represented 11% of revenue in Q1, in-line with the
prior-year period. In Q1 2019, new build and upgrade initiatives
delivered over 35,000 new or upgraded homes. -
VTR/Cabletica: Property and equipment
additions of $54 million represented 20% of revenue in Q1, a reduction
compared to 22% in the prior-year period. The reduction in Q1 2019 was
driven by the inclusion of Cabletica. In Q1 2019, new build and
upgrade initiatives delivered over 40,000 new or upgraded homes. -
Liberty Puerto Rico: Property and
equipment additions of $20 million represented 20% of revenue in Q1, a
significant reduction compared to the prior-year period, primarily due
to a decline in property and equipment additions together with an
increase in revenue following the recovery from the 2017 hurricanes.
In Q1 2019, new build and upgrade initiatives delivered over 5,000 new
homes passed.
Leverage and Liquidity (at March 31, 2019)
-
Total principal amount of debt and finance leases:
$6,789 million. -
Leverage ratios: Consolidated gross and
net leverage ratios of 4.3x and 3.9x, respectively.-
These ratios were calculated on a latest two quarters annualized
(“L2QA”) basis and therefore include the $64 million of positive
contribution from the insurance settlements of Hurricanes Irma,
Maria and Matthew in Q4 2018. This contribution decreased our
gross and net leverage ratios by approximately 0.3x and 0.4x,
respectively. -
These ratios also include $170 million of Revolving Credit
Facility drawings at C&W related to the acquisition of UTS,
without any corresponding OCF contribution as the transaction was
completed effective March 31, 2019.
-
These ratios were calculated on a latest two quarters annualized
-
Average debt tenor5: 5.4
years, with approximately 92% not due until 2022
or beyond. -
Borrowing costs: Blended, fully-swapped
borrowing cost of our debt was approximately 6.4%. -
Cash and borrowing availability: $569
million of cash and $896 million of aggregate unused borrowing capacity6
under our revolving credit facilities.
Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements with respect to our strategies, priorities,
financial performance and guidance, operational and financial momentum,
and future growth prospects and opportunities, including B2B
opportunities and inorganic growth opportunities (like our acquisitions
of Cabletica and UTS) and the potential benefits from such
opportunities; our expectations with respect to subscribers, customer
data usage, revenue, ARPU, OCF and Adjusted FCF; statements regarding
the development, enhancement, and expansion of, our superior networks
(including our plans to deliver new or upgraded homes in 2019 and our
plans to expand LTE coverage and usage), our customer value propositions
and the anticipated impacts of such activity including increased
subscribers and revenue; our estimates of future P&E additions and
operating expenditures, each as a percentage of revenue; statements
regarding the establishment of a new Operations Center in Panama and the
strength of our balance sheet and tenor of our debt; and other
information and statements that are not historical fact. These forward
looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or
implied by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include
events that are outside of our control, such as hurricanes and other
natural disasters, the ability and cost to restore networks in the
markets impacted by hurricanes; the continued use by subscribers and
potential subscribers of our services and their willingness to upgrade
to our more advanced offerings; our ability to meet challenges from
competition, to manage rapid technological change or to maintain or
increase rates to our subscribers or to pass through increased costs to
our subscribers; the effects of changes in laws or regulation; general
economic factors; our ability to obtain regulatory approval and satisfy
conditions associated with acquisitions and dispositions; our ability to
successfully acquire and integrate new businesses and realize
anticipated efficiencies from acquired businesses; the availability of
attractive programming for our video services and the costs associated
with such programming; our ability to achieve forecasted financial and
operating targets; the outcome of any pending or threatened litigation;
the ability of our operating companies to access cash of their
respective subsidiaries; the impact of our operating companies’ future
financial performance, or market conditions generally, on the
availability, terms and deployment of capital; fluctuations in currency
exchange and interest rates; the ability of suppliers and vendors
(including our third-party wireless network provider under our MVNO
arrangement) to timely deliver quality products, equipment, software,
services and access; our ability to adequately forecast and plan future
network requirements including the costs and benefits associated with
network expansions; and other factors detailed from time to time in our
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most
recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim
any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to
any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in
our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions
or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
About Liberty Latin America
Liberty Latin America is a leading telecommunications company operating
in over 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean under the
consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Más Móvil, BTC, UTS and Cabletica.
The communications and entertainment services that we offer to our
residential and business customers in the region include digital video,
broadband internet, telephony and mobile services. Our business products
and services include enterprise-grade connectivity, data center, hosting
and managed solutions, as well as information technology solutions with
customers ranging from small and medium enterprises to international
companies and governmental agencies. In addition, Liberty Latin America
operates a subsea and terrestrial fiber optic cable network that
connects over 40 markets in the region.
Liberty Latin America has three separate classes of common shares, which
are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbols “LILA”
(Class A) and “LILAK” (Class C), and on the OTC link under the symbol
“LILAB” (Class B).
For more information, please visit www.lla.com.
Footnotes
1. |
The indicated growth rates are rebased for the estimated impacts |
|
2. |
For the definition of Operating Cash Flow (“OCF”) and required |
|
3. |
For the definition of Adjusted Free Cash Flow (“Adjusted FCF”) and |
|
4. |
See Footnotes for Operating Data and Subscriber Variance Tables |
|
5. |
For purposes of calculating our average tenor, total debt excludes vendor financing and finance lease obligations. |
|
6. |
At March 31, 2019, we had undrawn commitments of $896 million. At March 31, 2019, the full amount of unused borrowing capacity under our subsidiaries’ revolving credit facilities was available to be borrowed, both before and after completion of the March 31, 2019 compliance reporting requirements. For information regarding limitations on our ability to access this liquidity, see the discussion under “Material Changes in Financial Condition” in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. |
|
Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations and Statements of Cash Flows
The condensed consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and
statements of cash flows of Liberty Latin America are included in our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Rebase Information
For purposes of calculating rebased growth rates on a comparable basis
for all businesses that we owned during 2019, we have adjusted our
historical revenue and OCF for the three months ended March 31, 2018 to
(i) include the pre-acquisition revenue and OCF of Cabletica in our
rebased amounts for the three months ended March 31, 2018 to the same
extent that the revenue and OCF of Cabletica is included in our results
for the three months ended March 31, 2019, and (ii) reflect the
translation of our rebased amounts for the three months ended March 31,
2018 at the applicable average foreign currency exchange rates that were
used to translate our results for the three months ended March 31, 2019.
Contacts
Investor Relations
Kunal Patel, +1 786 274 7552
Corporate
Communications
Claudia Restrepo, +1 786 218 0407
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Cannabis
Medical Cannabis Market Report 2024-2030: Asia-Pacific Set to Witness Robust Growth, Driven by R&D Discovery Initiatives
Cannabis
Rubicon Organics Reports Q1 2024 Financial Results
SCHWAZZE
Schwazze Announces First Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Schwazze Management to Host Conference Call Today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
DENVER, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Medicine Man Technologies, Inc., operating as Schwazze, (OTCQX: SHWZ) (Cboe CA: SHWZ) (“Schwazze” or the “Company”), today announced financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
“We delivered another period of revenue growth in Q1 as we further refined our retail strategy while contending with the prolonged competitive challenges in Colorado and New Mexico,” said Forrest Hoffmaster, Interim CEO of Schwazze. “Throughout the quarter, we continued to sharpen our pricing and promotional efforts while enhancing the in-store experience, widening assortment, improving in-stock position, and advancing our loyalty program to attract and retain new customers. We also strengthened our wholesale business with quarter-over-quarter growth, while surpassing 30% total door penetration across both states.”
“The Colorado market remains highly competitive with more than 680 active recreational licenses, underscoring the importance of delivering an exceptional customer experience and fully integrated retail support program. Although retail pricing has recently stabilized, Colorado sales in Q1 were down 10% year-over-year due to lower volumes. Nonetheless, we significantly outpaced the market as our sales were up 9%, demonstrating the effectiveness of our operating playbook to compete in challenging environments. We expect to continue driving improvements in customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty as we further increase market share in the state.”
“In New Mexico, the proliferation of new licenses continued to outpace state cannabis sales as store count in Q1 increased 31% year-over-year while the market grew only 13%. In addition to pricing and promotional efforts, we’ve focused on driving traffic into our stores by expanding assortment with high quality flower and delivering an elevated customer experience. The New Mexico regulatory body has also increased its license enforcement efforts in recent months, contributing to more than 70 store closures and a 33% sequential decrease in net new store openings in the first quarter. We will continue to support the New Mexico Cannabis Control Division as it develops its regulatory framework.”
“Over the past four years we have rapidly scaled our footprint through 13 acquisitions, building a leading retail presence in both Colorado and New Mexico. We are beginning to see positive momentum from our pricing and promotional strategy and will remain focused on driving operating efficiencies while further optimizing our assets as we consolidate cultivation facilities and eliminate underperforming stores that do not meet our high-margin thresholds. We believe these initiatives, coupled with our operating playbook and strict cost controls, will enable us to return to stronger levels of profitability moving forward.”
First Quarter 2024 Financial Summary
$ in Thousands USD |
Q1 2024 |
Q4 2023 |
Q1 2023 |
Total Revenue |
$41,601 |
$43,325 |
$40,001 |
Gross Profit |
$17,934 |
$7,034[1] |
$21,849 |
Operating Expenses |
$20,643 |
$23,276 |
$16,199 |
Income (Loss) from Operations |
$(2,709) |
$(16,242) |
$5,650 |
Adjusted EBITDA[2] |
$7,341 |
$10,953 |
$14,525 |
Operating Cash Flow |
$(3,700) |
$3,452 |
$(880) |
Recent Highlights
- Announced the grand opening of a medical and recreational dispensary in March under the Everest Apothecary banner in Las Cruces, New Mexico, increasing the Company’s retail footprint to 34 stores across the state.
- Increased wholesale penetration in the first quarter to more than 30% of total doors in Colorado and New Mexico.
- Lowell Herb Co. pre-roll sales increased more than 3x quarter-over-quarter in Colorado, where it continues to be the #1 pre-roll in the state.
- Wana gummy sales up more than 2x quarter-over-quarter in New Mexico.
First Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Total revenue in the first quarter of 2024 increased 4% to $41.6 million compared to $40.0 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily due to growth from new stores compared to the prior year period, partially offset by continued pricing pressure and the proliferation of new licenses in New Mexico.
Gross profit for the first quarter of 2024 was $17.9 million or 43.1% of total revenue, compared to $21.8 million or 54.6% of total revenue for the same quarter last year. The decrease in gross margin was primarily driven by the aforementioned pricing pressure in New Mexico, as well as higher medical sales mix in Colorado.
____________________________ |
1 Q4 2023 Gross Profit includes one-time, non-cash inventory adjustments of approximately $13.1 million comprised of $3.1 million of product consolidation, obsolescence, and shrinkage expenses, $4.3 million of net realizable value adjustments, and $5.8 million of fair value adjustments on acquired inventory in New Mexico in 2023. |
Operating expenses for the first quarter of 2024 were $20.6 million compared to $16.2 million for the same quarter last year. The year-ago period benefitted from a payroll tax credit of $3.9M. The remaining increase was primarily driven by personnel expenses and four-wall SG&A costs associated with 21 additional stores in Colorado and New Mexico that are still ramping.
Loss from operations for the first quarter of 2024 was $2.7 million compared to income from operations of $5.6 million in the same quarter last year. Net loss was $16.1 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to net income of $1.7 million for the same quarter last year.
Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2024 was $7.3 million compared to $14.5 million for the same quarter last year. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by lower gross margin and higher operating expenses associated with the 21 additional stores that are still ramping.
As of March 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were $13.2 million compared to $19.2 million on December 31, 2023. Total debt as of March 31, 2024, was $159.7 million compared to $156.8 million on December 31, 2023.
Conference Call
The Company will conduct a conference call today, May 15, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Schwazze management will host the conference call, followed by a question-and-answer period. Interested parties may submit questions to the Company prior to the call by emailing [email protected].
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
Toll-free dial-in: (888) 664-6383
International dial-in: (416) 764-8650
Conference ID: 84167910
Webcast: SHWZ Q1 2024 Earnings Call
The conference call will also be broadcast live and available for replay on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://ir.schwazze.com.
Toll-free replay number: (888) 390-0541
International replay number: (416) 764-8677
Replay ID: 167910
If you have any difficulty registering or connecting with the conference call, please contact Elevate IR at (720) 330-2829.
About Schwazze
Schwazze (OTCQX: SHWZ) (Cboe CA: SHWZ) is building a premier vertically integrated regional cannabis company with assets in Colorado and New Mexico and will continue to explore taking its operating system to other states where it can develop a differentiated regional leadership position. Schwazze is the parent company of a portfolio of leading cannabis businesses and brands spanning seed to sale.
Schwazze is anchored by a high-performance culture that combines customer-centric thinking and data science to test, measure, and drive decisions and outcomes. The Company’s leadership team has deep expertise in retailing, wholesaling, and building consumer brands at Fortune 500 companies as well as in the cannabis sector.
Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. was Schwazze’s former operating trade name. The corporate entity continues to be named Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. Schwazze derives its name from the pruning technique of a cannabis plant to enhance plant structure and promote healthy growth. To learn more about Schwazze, visit https://schwazze.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements include financial outlooks; any projections of net sales, earnings, or other financial items; any statements of the strategies, plans and objectives of our management team for future operations; expectations in connection with the Company’s previously announced business plans; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; and statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of our management team. Such statements may be preceded by the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intends,” “plans,” “strategy,” “prospects,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “approximately,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms or other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future events or future operating or financial performance, although the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. We have based our forward-looking statements on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and trends affecting our business and industry. Although we do not make forward-looking statements unless we believe we have a reasonable basis for doing so, we cannot guarantee their accuracy. Therefore, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future events or performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) regulatory limitations on our products and services and the uncertainty in the application of federal, state, and local laws to our business, and any changes in such laws; (ii) our ability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own or in collaboration with third parties; (iii) our ability to identify, consummate, and integrate anticipated acquisitions; (iv) general industry and economic conditions; (v) our ability to access adequate capital upon terms and conditions that are acceptable to us; (vi) our ability to pay interest and principal on outstanding debt when due; (vii) volatility in credit and market conditions; (viii) the loss of one or more key executives or other key employees; and (ix) other risks and uncertainties related to the cannabis market and our business strategy. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact
Sean Mansouri, CFA or Aaron D’Souza
Elevate IR
(720) 330-2829
[email protected]
MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
For the Periods Ended March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023
Expressed in U.S. Dollars
March 31, |
December 31, |
||||
2024 |
2023 |
||||
ASSETS
|
|||||
Current Assets |
|||||
Cash & Cash Equivalents |
$ |
13,151,317 |
$ |
19,248,932 |
|
Accounts Receivable, net of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts |
3,356,032 |
4,261,159 |
|||
Inventory |
26,382,184 |
25,787,793 |
|||
Marketable Securities, net of Unrealized Loss of $347,516 and Loss of $1,816, respectively |
108,583 |
456,099 |
|||
Prepaid Expenses & Other Current Assets |
3,502,310 |
3,914,064 |
|||
Total Current Assets |
46,500,426 |
53,668,047 |
|||
Non-Current Assets |
|||||
Fixed Assets, net Accumulated Depreciation of $10,061,700 and $8,741,782, respectively |
31,326,000 |
31,113,630 |
|||
Investments |
2,000,000 |
2,000,000 |
|||
Investments Held for Sale |
– |
202,111 |
|||
Goodwill |
67,492,705 |
67,499,199 |
|||
Intangible Assets, net Accumulated Amortization of $36,483,160 and $32,706,765, respectively |
162,391,482 |
166,167,877 |
|||
Other Non-Current Assets |
1,328,187 |
1,263,837 |
|||
Operating Lease Right of Use Assets |
34,575,832 |
34,233,142 |
|||
Deferred Tax Assets, net |
992,144 |
1,996,489 |
|||
Total Non-Current Assets |
300,106,350 |
304,476,285 |
|||
Total Assets |
$ |
346,606,776 |
$ |
358,144,332 |
|
LIABILITIES & STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|||||
Current Liabilities |
|||||
Accounts Payable |
$ |
9,443,233 |
$ |
13,341,561 |
|
Accrued Expenses |
8,106,618 |
7,774,691 |
|||
Derivative Liabilities |
1,319,845 |
638,020 |
|||
Lease Liabilities – Current |
5,186,316 |
4,922,724 |
|||
Current Portion of Long Term Debt |
29,579,713 |
3,547,011 |
|||
Income Taxes Payable |
28,235,039 |
25,232,782 |
|||
Total Current Liabilities |
81,870,764 |
55,456,789 |
|||
Non-Current Liabilities |
|||||
Long Term Debt, net of Debt Discount & Issuance Costs |
130,120,753 |
153,262,203 |
|||
Lease Liabilities – Non-Current |
30,735,072 |
30,133,452 |
|||
Total Non-Current Liabilities |
160,855,825 |
183,395,655 |
|||
Total Liabilities |
$ |
242,726,589 |
$ |
238,852,444 |
|
Stockholders’ Equity |
|||||
Preferred Stock, $0.001 Par Value. 10,000,000 Shares Authorized; 82,185 Shares Issued and |
|||||
82,185 Outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and 85,534 Shares Issued and 85,534 Outstanding as of |
|||||
December 31, 2023. |
82 |
86 |
|||
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value. 250,000,000 Shares Authorized; 79,168,539 Shares Issued |
|||||
and 78,248,389 Shares Outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and 74,888,392 Shares Issued |
|||||
and 73,968,242 Shares Outstanding as of December 31, 2023. |
79,169 |
74,888 |
|||
Additional Paid-In Capital |
202,677,665 |
202,040,968 |
|||
Accumulated Deficit |
(96,843,602) |
(80,790,927) |
|||
Common Stock Held in Treasury, at Cost, 920,150 Shares Held as of March 31, 2024 and |
|||||
920,150 Shares Held as of December 31, 2023. |
(2,033,127) |
(2,033,127) |
|||
Total Stockholders’ Equity |
103,880,187 |
119,291,888 |
|||
Total Liabilities & Stockholders’ Equity |
$ |
346,606,776 |
$ |
358,144,332 |
MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AND (LOSS)
For the Periods Ended March 31, 2024 and 2023
Expressed in U.S. Dollars
For the Three Months Ended |
|||||
March 31, |
|||||
2024 |
2023 |
||||
(Unaudited) |
(Unaudited) |
||||
Operating Revenues |
|||||
Retail |
$ |
37,633,252 |
$ |
35,820,111 |
|
Wholesale |
3,898,320 |
4,058,925 |
|||
Other |
69,421 |
121,900 |
|||
Total Revenue |
41,600,993 |
40,000,936 |
|||
Total Cost of Goods & Services |
23,667,319 |
18,152,163 |
|||
Gross Profit |
17,933,674 |
21,848,773 |
|||
Operating Expenses |
|||||
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses |
11,835,818 |
10,100,934 |
|||
Professional Services |
1,671,881 |
1,187,364 |
|||
Salaries |
6,880,988 |
4,695,971 |
|||
Stock Based Compensation |
253,916 |
214,544 |
|||
Total Operating Expenses |
20,642,603 |
16,198,813 |
|||
Income from Operations |
(2,708,929) |
5,649,960 |
|||
Other Income (Expense) |
|||||
Interest Expense, net |
(8,307,369) |
(7,745,854) |
|||
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivative Liabilities |
(681,825) |
8,501,685 |
|||
Other Loss |
10,500 |
– |
|||
Loss on Investment |
(33,382) |
– |
|||
Unrealized Gain on Investment |
(347,516) |
1,816 |
|||
Total Other Income (Expense) |
(9,359,592) |
757,647 |
|||
Pre-Tax Net Income (Loss) |
(12,068,521) |
6,407,607 |
|||
Provision for Income Taxes |
3,984,154 |
4,662,178 |
|||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ |
(16,052,675) |
$ |
1,745,429 |
|
Less: Accumulated Preferred Stock Dividends for the Period |
(2,155,259) |
(2,029,394) |
|||
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Stockholders |
$ |
(18,207,934) |
$ |
(283,965) |
|
Earnings (Loss) per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders |
|||||
Basic Earnings (Loss) per Share |
$ |
(0.24) |
$ |
(0.01) |
|
Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Share |
$ |
(0.24) |
$ |
(0.06) |
|
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding – Basic |
76,006,932 |
55,835,501 |
|||
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding – Diluted |
76,006,932 |
101,608,278 |
|||
Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
$ |
(16,052,675) |
$ |
1,745,429 |
MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Periods Ended March 31, 2024 and 2023
Expressed in U.S. Dollars
For the Three Months Ended |
|||||
March 31, |
|||||
2024 |
2023 |
||||
(Unaudited) |
(Unaudited) |
||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
|||||
Net Income (Loss) for the Period |
$ |
(16,052,675) |
$ |
1,745,429 |
|
Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income (Loss) to Cash for Operating Activities |
|||||
Depreciation & Amortization |
5,096,314 |
6,151,395 |
|||
Non-Cash Interest Expense |
1,031,431 |
991,184 |
|||
Non-Cash Lease Expense |
2,871,226 |
2,251,459 |
|||
Deferred Taxes |
1,004,345 |
(637,225) |
|||
Loss on Investment |
202,111 |
– |
|||
Change in Derivative Liabilities |
681,825 |
(8,501,685) |
|||
Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs |
421,512 |
421,513 |
|||
Amortization of Debt Discount |
2,303,246 |
1,999,933 |
|||
(Gain) Loss on Investments, net |
347,516 |
(1,816) |
|||
Stock Based Compensation |
640,974 |
214,544 |
|||
Changes in Operating Assets & Liabilities (net of Acquired Amounts): |
|||||
Accounts Receivable |
905,127 |
(118,181) |
|||
Inventory |
(587,900) |
(3,023,251) |
|||
Prepaid Expenses & Other Current Assets |
411,754 |
(3,036,801) |
|||
Other Assets |
(64,350) |
360,674 |
|||
Change in Operating Lease Liabilities |
(2,348,703) |
(1,531,765) |
|||
Accounts Payable & Other Liabilities |
(3,566,401) |
(3,464,671) |
|||
Income Taxes Payable |
3,002,257 |
5,299,403 |
|||
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities |
(3,700,390) |
(879,861) |
|||
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: |
|||||
Collection of Notes Receivable |
– |
10,631 |
|||
Purchase of Fixed Assets |
(1,532,287) |
(2,913,394) |
|||
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities |
(1,532,287) |
(2,902,763) |
|||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
|||||
Payment on Notes Payable |
(864,938) |
– |
|||
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities |
(864,938) |
– |
|||
Net (Decrease) in Cash & Cash Equivalents |
(6,097,615) |
(3,782,624) |
|||
Cash & Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period |
19,248,932 |
38,949,253 |
|||
Cash & Cash Equivalents at End of Period |
$ |
13,151,317 |
$ |
35,166,628 |
|
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: |
|||||
Cash Paid for Interest |
$ |
4,515,205 |
$ |
6,540,748 |
MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
ADJUSTED EBITDA RECONCILIATION (NON-GAAP)
For the Periods Ended March 31, 2024 and 2023
Expressed in U.S. Dollars
For the Three Months Ended |
|||||
March 31, |
|||||
2024 |
2023 |
||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ |
(16,052,675) |
$ |
1,745,429 |
|
Interest Expense, net |
8,307,369 |
7,745,854 |
|||
Provision for Income Taxes |
3,984,154 |
4,662,178 |
|||
Other (Income) Expense, net of Interest Expense |
1,052,223 |
(8,503,501) |
|||
Depreciation & Amortization |
5,618,834 |
6,612,814 |
|||
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and |
|||||
Amortization (EBITDA) (non-GAAP) |
$ |
2,909,905 |
$ |
12,262,774 |
|
Non-Cash Stock Compensation |
253,916 |
214,544 |
|||
Deal Related Expenses |
637,761 |
1,195,802 |
|||
Capital Raise Related Expenses |
20,760 |
35,068 |
|||
Severance |
484,561 |
118,436 |
|||
Retention Program Expenses |
807,500 |
280,632 |
|||
Pre-Operating & Dark Carry Expenses |
1,053,837 |
391,917 |
|||
One-Time Legal Settlements |
417,653 |
– |
|||
Other Non-Recurring Items |
754,751 |
25,707 |
|||
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) |
$ |
7,340,644 |
$ |
14,524,880 |
|
Revenue |
41,600,993 |
40,000,936 |
|||
Adjusted EBITDA Percent |
17.6 % |
36.3 % |
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/schwazze-announces-first-quarter-2024-financial-results-302146858.html
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