Q1 2023 Enzo Biochem Inc Earnings Call

Speaker 1: Place your risk factors on the company's Form 10-K for the year ended July 31st, 2022. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guaranteed as a future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect actual results. The company disclaims any obligations to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this conference call. During this conference call, the company may refer to EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure. EBITDA is not and should not be considered an alternative to net income or loss, income loss from operations, or any other measure for determining operations performance. The company has provided a reconciliation of the difference-to-GAAP on its website, www.enzo.com, and in its press release this morning. I'd now like to turn the call over to Hamid Al-Famian, Chief Executive Officer of Enzo Biochem. Hamid, please go ahead. Thank you, Brendan. Good morning and thank you for joining us on our first quarter business and financial update. Last night, we issued our first quarter fiscal year 23 financial and operating results. First quarter revenue was $18.3 million, a decrease of 31% year-over-year compared to Q1, fiscal year 2022. We continue to cycle through some anticipated difficult comparisons driven by historical COVID revenues, which will anniversary in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year. COVID revenues declined from $9.2 million in Q1, fiscal year 2022.

Speaker 2: to $0.8 million in Q1 fiscal year 23, which accounted for the full decline in the year-over-year revenues. First quarter revenues without COVID grew in the single digits.

Speaker 3: And so life sciences reached $7.1 million in revenues.

Speaker 4: with revenue growth of 9% year-over-year and 5% on an organic basis when adjusted for negative FX impact.

Speaker 5: This is an acceleration compared to our organic growth of 2% in Q4 fiscal year 2022.

Speaker 6: Anzal Clinical Services reached $11.2 million in revenues, a decrease of 43% year-over-year, impacted by the decline in COVID testing revenues.

Speaker 7: On a sequential basis, the first quarter without COVID testing grew 4%.

Speaker 8: We anticipate growth in our core testing revenues going forward offset by direct COVID testing decline.

Speaker 9: The Q1 fiscal year 23 revenue performance on a COVID-adjusted basis was encouraging and a validation of both the significant opportunity in our end markets and progress on our focused return strategy.

Speaker 10: Let me begin by highlighting some of our progress within each business and its status up there in markets, and then wrap up with a summary of our overall strategy.

Speaker 11: Let's start with our life sciences business.

Speaker 12: The business operates in a large and healthy $10 billion market that is growing in upper single digits driven by significant growth in genomics, molecular biology, and tissue analysis segments.

Speaker 13: This is an area...

Speaker 14: where our differentiated capabilities in labeling and detection reagents, which are fundamental enabling solutions for assays in workflows across technologies, for instance genomics tissue analysis.

Speaker 15: and applications such as cancer immuno-oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and stem cell research

Speaker 16: Position Enzo to maximize commercial opportunities.

Speaker 17: The upper single digit growth we achieved in life sciences in Q1 fiscal year 23, combined with the double digit growth over the past two fiscal years, demonstrate a consistent ability to grow this business.

Speaker 18: Within fiscal year 23, the growth was driven by 10% growth in drug discovery and drug use.

Speaker 19: due to several new bulk orders for proteins and enzymes.

Speaker 20: We experienced 6% growth in immunoassay and antibodies due to larger orders from existing customers. We achieved a healthy growth in the bioprocess ELISA kids business.

Speaker 21: in Asia and the addition of a new distributor in China.

Speaker 22: We also had 10% growth in libraries and small molecules due to rising demand and new bulk orders.

Speaker 23: This is evidence.

Speaker 24: of our moving down the drug development pathway where we can experience recurring revenues as well as reliable forecasts from our customers.

Speaker 25: In addition to solid revenue growth within the quarter in end-of-life sciences, we also made strong progress in advancing our growth opportunities for the future.

Speaker 26: We launched our powered by loop RNA product

Speaker 27: which will allow us to better penetrate the high growth area of spatial biology for drug development.

Speaker 28: In addition, we have a number of GMP product launches. It's focused on small molecule chemistry.

Speaker 29: antibodies as well as further portfolio expansion around bioprocess and toxicology for immune and biochemical assays.

Speaker 30: These efforts

Speaker 31: combined with our ability to drive strong, consistent product order flow as evidenced by our ninth straight quarter of product orders in excess of an average of $1,000 per order.

Speaker 32: Leave us well positioned to continue to drive.

strong revenue growth going forward.

Now moving to our clinical lab services business.

The business is situated in a very large $1.8 billion market in the tri-state area that's growing in the mid-single digits, driven by macro drivers of growth in precision medicine for diagnostics testing.

to segment patients, data richness, patient-driven testing, and regenerative medicines.

This is an area where our combination of the full range of testing capabilities

With the convenience and personalized service of a local community-based laboratory operation, we differentiate our services offerings.

The clinical lab services business has been impacted by declining COVID revenues as well as the impact of the pandemic on our other types of business testing services.

Revenues in this business sector.

In absence of a strong COVID contribution, declined in low single digits on flat volume over the past two years. However, it has begun to rebound.

We believe revenue growth in the clinical services business is poised to return to consistent and more predictable growth following the anniversary in Q4 fiscal year 23 of the higher COVID comparable period.

This is due to our focused return strategy. With addition of new specialty clinical menu for core services and molecular diagnostics, our efforts to direct consumer options for molecular diagnostics.

an expansion of the sales force in key geographies that we anticipate growth.

We are expanding capabilities.

the lab to perform NIPT testing to become a leading reference lab in the region.

These exciting new product introductions, coupled with the opportunity to add new customers with expanding presence throughout New York State, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut markets as well as reference testing from other hospital networks leaves this business live.

poised to grow at above market rates.

Let me now wrap up my comments with a few remarks on our overall strategy.

As noted last year, we set out distinct strategies in the following areas. Market expansion of the current product portfolio and growing and optimizing the clinical services segment.

In addition to the factors noted above, we have made strong progress this quarter on a number of initiatives.

within the current product portfolio.

We successfully expanded distribution channels in Asia Pacific and continued to prepare to launch a new life sciences service offering which is targeted for launch in mid fiscal year 23. CHRISTIE MAXAsh center for share of the event will be–

Finally, we also advanced our efforts in growing lab services through further advancing our CRO launch initiative.

with leading life sciences companies.

Executing an agreement for staff work for a leading reference laboratory.

and adding new novel tests in the rheumatology and oncology testing area.

The specific developments achieved this quarter is advancing our strategy combined with the growth drivers noted above positioned us well to take advantage of the large healthy market you

that we compete in and leverage our unique attributes.

We are one of the few companies in the world that's able to leverage combined assets from biotechnology, life sciences, and clinical lab services.

This allows us to understand our clients' challenges and provide tailored, lower-cost solutions to their needs.

We continue to leverage each of these segments to the benefit of the other and ensure they're working together in a well coordinated strategy.

In addition to progressing our revenue growth opportunities, we are also focused on improving the efficiency of our operations.

Our new website designed to improve the efficiency of our Enzo Life Sciences order taking process is expected to come online.

in early 2023 calendar year, which should help revenue growth and reduce the cost of transactions.

Our consolidation into our new state-of-the-art facilities in Farmingdale with our exit from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

and our constant focus on improving the efficiency of the lab are positioning us to continue to reduce our fixed cost infrastructure and thus reduce redundant costs.

These efficiencies and cost improvements, coupled with a fixed cost leverage from expected volume growth, combined with higher margin new products, provide us with the opportunity to expand margins while growing the business leading to better profitability.

On the Business Strategy front, as noted in Q3, Fiscal Year 22,

We have engaged an investment bank to help evaluate strategic alternatives for the company. That process is progressing well with strong support from our banking partner. We will provide details to our investors as the process unfolds.

In summary, I'm encouraged

By the progress we've made in expanding our portfolio, driving commercialization, and leveraging our capabilities across our integrated business, it is important to iterate that our Enzo Life Sciences business continues to grow.

and our Clinical Services Division is growing in non-COVID routine services. The team is very focused on driving our focused strategy forward and we believe that continued strong execution will position us well to take advantage of the

of the large attractive markets that be competing.

I look forward to continuing to provide our investors with updates as we progress through the year.

With that, I would like to turn the call over to our interim CFO , Ms. Patricia Ecker.

Patty?

Thank you, Hamid.

I will now provide a review of the financials for the first quarter of 2023.

So starting with revenue, total revenues reached 18.3 in the first quarter.

which was a decrease of 31% compared to $26.5 million in the first quarter of last year, and decreased 10% sequentially compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.

As Hamid noted in his earlier comments, our COVID testing revenues declined from $9.2 million in the first quarter of last year.

to $0.8 million in the first quarter of this year.

Without the impact of COVID testing, our consolidated revenues grew in the single digits.

On a divisional basis, EBSO Life Sciences revenues for the first quarter were $7.1 million, an increase of 9% or 5% taking into account FX, and a decrease in the number of people

compared to 6.8 in the first quarter of 2022, and a decrease of 10% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.

We had...

A strong quarter versus last year with growth in most segments including libraries and small molecules, drug discovery, and amino acids and antibodies.

Enzo clinical services revenues for the first quarter were $11.2 million.

A decrease of 43% compared to the $19.7 million in the first quarter of last year, impacted by the decline in COVID testing revenues.

On a sequential basis, our first quarter without COVID testing revenues grew 4%, with those sessions increasing by 3%.

are difficult comparisons for direct COVID testing and in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.

The blended gross margin for the quarter was 20% compared to 42% last year.

and slightly down versus the 21% blended margin in the fourth quarter of last fiscal year.

ELS gross margin declined from 40% to 35% in the first quarter of last year and was near flat versus the fourth quarter of 2022.

The October monthly gross margin returned to 50% as better product mix and lower investments increased the margins.

Further revenue growth, cost improvements, and new products with higher margins should help drive margins back up over time.

The CCL gross margin declined from 43% in the first quarter of last year to 10% in the first quarter of this year with a slight reduction versus the fourth quarter of 2022 due to lower COVID testing.

Margin improvement is expected over time as cost savings, higher margin tests, and higher fixed cost leverage or more testing volumes begin to occur.

R&D grew from 0.7 million to 1 million as we continue to invest in the development of new products and services in both businesses.

SG&A grew from 11.1 million to 11.5 million with special charges of 0.9 million pertaining to Strategic Initiative Professional Services.

Legal and other expenses of $1.1 million decreased by $0.2 million year over year.

primarily due to the reduction of outside council costs after the addition of an in-house general council.

Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $7.4 million in the first quarter of 2023 versus income of $1 million in the first quarter of 2022.

driven by the sales declines and lower margins, both of which we expect to improve due to the numerous factors previously outlined.

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for $13.1 million at the end of the first quarter, a decline of $9.5 million versus the fourth quarter of 2022, and a decline

due to the decline in profitability and slight impact of working capital and capital expenditures.

The company's current ratio remains strong with a ratio of close to two times and we currently have minimal debt outstanding on the business.

Evaluation of a short-term prepayable credit facility is in process to provide funding as we drive increased profitability and our growth initiatives.

I will now turn the call back over to Hamid for his closing remarks.

Thank you.

Thank you Patricia.

We continue to make strong progress in advancing the

our business and positioning the company to take advantage of its capabilities and its attractive end markets.

Our focused return strategy continues to gain momentum, and I look forward to providing you with further updates as we work our way through 2023.

On behalf of the management team, I would like to thank the entire Enzo team for all their hard work and dedication as we continue to work to allow Enzo to fulfill its true potential.

Due to our ongoing banking process, we will not have a Q&A period on this call. However, feel free to email any questions you may have to IR at Enso.com.

With that, I'm going to go ahead and turn it back to our operator, Rob.

Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

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