Q3 2024 Perdoceo Education Corp Earnings Call
Thank you for standing by. My name is JL and I'll be a conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Purdosio Education Corporation third quarter 2024 earnings conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise.
Speaker Change: I would now like to turn the conference over to Nick Nelson, Investor Relations. You may begin.
Nick Nelson: Thank you, operator. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us on our third quarter 2024 earnings call.
Nick Nelson: A webcast replay will also be available on our site, and you can always contact the Alpha IR Group for investor relations support.
Nick Nelson: Let me remind you that this afternoon's earnings release and remarks made today include forward-looking statements as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Nick Nelson: Performance, Business Prospects, and Opportunities differ materially from those expressed in or implied by these statements.
Nick Nelson: These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors identified in Prodosio's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nick Nelson: The company undertakes no obligation to update those factors or any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.
In addition,
Nick Nelson: Today's remarks refer to non-GAAP financial measures, which are intended to supplement but not substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measures.
Speaker Change: With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Todd Nelson. Todd?
Thank you, Nick.
Todd Nelson: Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for our third quarter 2024 earnings call. I'll discuss some key highlights for the quarter. Ashish will then review our operating and financial performance and discuss our outlook for the year. However, before we begin, I'd like to thank our faculty, student support staff, and all other employees for their ongoing commitment and hard work in serving and educating our students.
Todd Nelson: We continue to experience strong levels of student retention and engagement across both our academic institutions.
Todd Nelson: We continue to experience high levels of student retention and engagement at both CTU and AIUS.
Todd Nelson: With retention remaining at multi-year highs, our faculty and student support teams remain dedicated to educating and serving our students while serving. Federal student aid initiatives have also had a positive impact on our retention.
Todd Nelson: as operating operations within AIUS reverted to normalized levels as compared to the prior year quarter. We continue to leverage data analytics for various marketing strategies to further improve our focus on identifying prospective students who are more likely to succeed at one of our universities, while also complying with and adapting to updated expectations.
from various federal agencies around prospective student outreach.
Todd Nelson: Our commitment to enhancing students' academic experiences and student support services through technology remains a priority.
Todd Nelson: We see technology as a key driver of our success and are dedicated to making targeted investments while exploring AI-based solutions across various student support processes.
Todd Nelson: Lastly, a quick update on the pending acquisition for the University of St. Augustine.
Todd Nelson: The acquisition marks Perdocio's foray into the health sciences field in a meaningful way as it will significantly increase the number of students we serve in the field.
especially at the master's degree level and higher.
Todd Nelson: The acquisition will also support further growth and diversification of our academic program offerings. We expect the acquisition to be accretive to our adjusted operating income beginning in 2025 and are excited with the potential growth opportunities that it will bring to Prudential in years to come.
Todd Nelson: As we reported net income of $38.3 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, while adjusted earnings per diluted share, which excludes certain non-cash items, were $0.59 as compared to our outlook of $0.52 to $0.54.
Todd Nelson: We are pleased with total enrollment growth across both our academic institutions and expect to close the year on a high note as it relates to student retention and engagement.
Speaker Change: With that said, I'd like to turn the call over to Ashish for a more comprehensive review of our operating and financial performance. Ashish.
ashish: Thank you, Todd. I will now review the third quarter results and then discuss our balance sheet and 2024 outlook before handing the call back to Todd for his closing remarks.
ashish: Please also note that any total student enrollment numbers or any enrollment trends that are referred to on this call exclude learners pursuing non-degree-seeking professional development programs and degree-seeking non-Title IV self-paced programs at our universities.
ashish: Let us begin with an overview of our operating results. Net income for the quarter was $38.3 million or $0.57 per diluted share compared to $41.3 million or $0.62 per diluted share.
ashish: Adjusted earnings per diluted share, which we believe is more indicative of the underlying operating performance, were $0.59 as compared to $0.64.
ashish: Third quarter operating income of $44.8 million was $1.7 million higher as compared to the prior year quarter. As expected, revenue for the quarter was lowered by $10.1 million, which was more than offset with $11.8 million of lower operating expenses.
ashish: Additionally, we continue to realize cost savings from rightsizing processes and operations that support our professional development offerings at CTU.
ashish: Adjusted operating income, which we believe is more indicative of the underlying operating performance and excludes certain significant and non-cash items, was $48.6 million for the third quarter as compared to $47.2 million. This increase was primarily due to lower expenses that I just discussed, which more than offset the lower revenue for the quarter.
ashish: Overall, on a year-to-date basis, total operating expenses were $59.8 million lower as compared to the prior year, while revenue was $57.3 million lower.
ashish: Third quarter revenue of $169.8 million was 5.6% or $10.1 million lower as compared to $179.9 million with the decrease being expected for the reasons I just discussed.
ashish: The fourth quarter of 2024, we expect double-digit revenue growth for the company, with both academic institutions contributing to this due to organic total enrollment growth that has been supported by strong retention and engagement.
ashish: Additionally, AIU system has devoted to normalize operations since the beginning of the year, while fourth quarter revenue days at CTU will contribute positively to the year-over-year revenue comparability.
A note on total student enrollments.
ashish: Total student enrollments at CTU increased by 13.6% as compared to the prior year quarter end, primarily driven by growth in corporate engagements and a positive impact from the academic calendar comparability carrying over from the first quarter.
ashish: At AIU System, total student enrollments at September 30th increased 4% as compared to the prior year quarter end, which was ahead of our expectations.
ashish: We have continued to show year-over-year improvements in AI systems total enrollment trends since marketing and student enrollment activities.
ashish: begin to normalize in the fourth quarter of 2023, and we expect to end the year with double-digit total enrollment growth at AIU System.
ashish: Now to our segment results. Third quarter revenue at CTU decreased by 4% to $115.7 million, primarily due to lower number of revenue days, as well as changes within CTU's professional development offerings.
ashish: Excluding the academic calendar comparability impact, revenue would have shown mid-single-digit growth at CTU, supported by growth in corporate engagements and high levels of student retention and engagement.
ashish: Operating income increased to $44.2 million for the quarter from $34.5 million in the prior year, primarily due to cost efficiencies associated with our professional development offerings.
ashish: The prior year also included certain non-recurring charges that benefited year-over-year expense comparability.
ashish: However, the impact of this lag will be fully annualized by the fourth quarter, and we expect ARU System to experience revenue and enrollment growth for the fourth quarter.
ashish: Moving on to corporate and other, operating loss for the 3rd quarter was $8.5 million as compared to $7 million in the prior year quarter.
ashish: As it relates to income taxes, for the third quarter, we recorded a provision for income taxes of $14.1 million, which reflects accruals for federal and state corporate net income tax, resulting in an effective tax rate of 26.9%.
ashish: The effective tax rate for the quarter reflects federal tax credit's claim for the 2023 tax return, as well as the tax effect of stock-based compensation and the release of previously recorded tax reserves, the combined impact of which reduced the effective tax rate by 0.6 percent.
ashish: As a result, we now expect our full year 2024 effective tax rate to be between 26% and 27%.
ashish: Please also note that the effective tax rate for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 reflects a $4.5 million favorable non-recurring tax benefit, which decreased the effective tax rate for the prior year quarter by 9.3%.
Speaker Change: Unknown Executive, Davis Snyder, Todd Nelson, Unknown Executive, Davis Snyder, Todd Nelson,
Now to our balance sheet and liquidity.
Speaker Change: For the year to date in this September 30, 2024, net cash flows provided by operations were $144 million versus $98.8 million in the prior year to date.
Speaker Change: The increase in cash flows provided by operations was primarily driven by the timing of working capital payments and Title IV drawdowns, as well as certain compensation-related payments.
Speaker Change: This represents an increase of approximately $118.4 million since the end of last year.
Speaker Change: Through the year-to-date end of September 30th, we have returned $29.9 million of cash to our shareholders in the form of dividend payments and share repurchases, and paid approximately $35 million in estimated federal and state income taxes.
Speaker Change: Capital expenditures for the third quarter were approximately $1 million or 0.6% of revenue.
Speaker Change: As a reminder, for full year 2024, we foresee capital expenditures to be approximately 1% of revenue.
Speaker Change: We are pleased to announce that, consistent with our dividend policy, today the Board of Directors approved the third quarter 2024 dividend payment of $0.13 per share, which is an increase from the prior year quarter payable on December 13, 2024.
Speaker Change: to the holders of record of producer's common stock at the close of business on December 2nd, 2024.
Speaker Change: Future quarterly dividend payments are expected to be paid out of free cash flows for the relevant year.
Speaker Change: Subject to board approval and the company's available retained earnings, financial condition, and other relevant factors.
Speaker Change: Subject to the requirements just mentioned, we continue to expect that quarterly dividends will be an integral and growing part of our balanced capital allocation strategy.
[inaudible]
In particular, technology-related initiatives.
Speaker Change: Designed to benefit our students and maintain a strong balance sheet, while also evaluating diverse strategies to enhance stock order value, including acquisitions.
Speaker Change: Speaking of the University of St. Augustine acquisition, we are diligently working through the regulatory approvals, processes, and other deliverables and expect the transaction to close in December.
Speaker Change: As a reminder, this is an all-cash deal, and we expect to pay approximately $142 million to $144 million in net cash at the time of closing.
Speaker Change: For the full year 2023, the university had revenues of approximately $170 million, operating income of approximately $35 million, and served roughly 4,500 graduate and postgraduate students.
Speaker Change: We expect the acquisition to be credited to our adjusted operating income beginning in 2025 and will be treated as a separate segment for external reporting purposes.
Thank you. Thank you.
Now let us discuss our updated outlook for 2024.
Speaker Change: We now expect full year 2024 Adjusted Operating Income to range between $188 million and $191 million as compared to the previously provided range of $175 million to $190 million and 2023 Adjusted Operating Income of $174.9 million.
Speaker Change: Adjusted earnings for diluted share is expected to range between $2.25 and $2.28 versus $2.10 in 2023.
Speaker Change: with adjusted earnings per diluted share to range between $0.46 and $0.49 per diluted share versus $0.27 in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Speaker Change: This outlook reflects our current beliefs that the high levels of student retention and engagement we experienced over the past few quarters, partly supported by the positive impact of various federal student aid initiatives, will continue to persist through the remainder of 2024.
Speaker Change: Full year revenue at CTU is expected to be lower than 2023, primarily due to simplification of our professional development offerings.
Speaker Change: Excluding this impact, full-year revenue at CTU would be higher versus the prior year, despite lower revenue dates in 2024.
Speaker Change: Growth in our corporate engagement program and high levels of student retention engagement are expected to mostly offset the impact from lower revenue days and support full-year revenue and total enrollment growth for the year-end 2024.
Speaker Change: At AIU System, full-year revenue is expected to be below 2023 levels due to the lagged impact of lower beginning total enrollments.
Speaker Change: We expect revenue and total student enrollments to grow in the fourth quarter.
Speaker Change: As disclosed in our most recent Form 10-K, the Department of Education has gone through and continues to go through additional negotiated rulemaking processes while also updating interpretations and providing new guidance on various other topics.
Speaker Change: While we continue to monitor and evaluate these rulemaking initiatives, as well as new or updated guidance coming from the department, any further operational changes that are necessary to ensure compliance with the department rules and interpretations could have an impact on the outlook I just presented.
Speaker Change: Our 2024 outlook also assumes collective investments in technology, data analytics, academics, and student support processes.
Speaker Change: We will also continue to evaluate the size and resources of our academic institutions' corporate engagement teams.
Speaker Change: Please refer to our earnings release file today for important information about the key assumptions and factors underlying this discussion from today's call, as well as the gap to non-gap reconciliations.
Todd Nelson: With that, I will turn the call over to Todd for his closing remarks.
Todd Nelson: Thank you. Thank you, Ashish. In summary, our academic institutions remain focused on serving and educating students, and our investments will continue to prioritize student experiences and academic outcomes.
Todd Nelson: I'd like to thank all of our students and staff once again for their ongoing hard work and education. Thank you again for joining us.
This concludes today's conference call. You may now disconnect.