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QuinStreet Reports Results for Third Quarter Fiscal 2024

  • The steep re-ramp of Auto Insurance carrier spending has begun
  • Auto Insurance revenue is expected to continue to ramp in coming quarters
  • Continued total company revenue growth, further margin expansion expected in FYQ4
  • Strong growth & margin expansion expected in fiscal year 2025 which begins July 1

QuinStreet, Inc. (Nasdaq: QNST), a leader in performance marketplaces and technologies for the financial services and home services industries, today announced financial results for the fiscal third quarter ended March 31, 2024.

For the fiscal third quarter, the Company reported revenue of $168.6 million.

GAAP net loss for the fiscal third quarter was $(7.0) million, or $(0.13) per diluted share. Adjusted net income for the fiscal third quarter was $3.4 million, or $0.06 per diluted share.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal third quarter was $7.9 million.

The Company closed the fiscal third quarter with $39.6 million in cash and cash equivalents and no bank debt.

“The steep re-ramp of Auto Insurance carrier spending has begun,” commented Doug Valenti, CEO of QuinStreet. “Revenue in our Auto Insurance client vertical inflected strongly in January and scaled further during the quarter. Total Company revenue grew about 40% sequentially in fiscal Q3. Adjusted EBITDA jumped to almost $8 million dollars in the quarter. We expect the ramp of Auto Insurance revenue to continue in coming quarters, driving growth in total Company revenue and further margin expansion.

“Turning to our outlook for the current quarter, or fiscal Q4, we expect revenue to be between $180 and $190 million, a quarterly revenue record for QuinStreet, implying year-over-year growth of over 40% at the midpoint of the range. We expect adjusted EBITDA to be between $10 and $11 million, implying year-over-year growth of over 400%. Our fiscal year 2025 begins this July 1. The annual run rate of our fiscal Q4 revenue outlook already implies growth of 20% or more over full fiscal year 2024.”

Conference Call Today at 2:00 p.m. PT

The Company will host a conference call and corresponding live webcast at 2:00 p.m. PT. To access the conference call dial +1 800-717-1738 (domestic) or +1 646-307-1865 (international). A replay of the conference call will be available beginning approximately two hours after the completion of the call by dialing +1 844-512-2921 (domestic) or +1 412-317-6671 (international) and using passcode #1148246. The webcast of the conference call will be available live and via replay on the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://investor.quinstreet.com.

About QuinStreet

QuinStreet, Inc. (Nasdaq: QNST) is a leader in performance marketplaces and technologies for the financial services and home services industries. QuinStreet is a pioneer in delivering online marketplace solutions to match searchers with brands in digital media, and is committed to providing consumers with the information and tools they need to research, find and select the products and brands that meet their needs.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Definitions of Client Verticals

This release and the accompanying tables include a discussion of adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net (loss) income, adjusted diluted net (loss) income per share and free cash flow and normalized free cash flow, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures that are provided as a complement to results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The term "adjusted EBITDA" refers to a financial measure that we define as net loss less provision for (benefit from) income taxes, depreciation expense, amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, interest and other (income) expense, net, acquisition and divestiture costs, contingent consideration adjustment, litigation settlement expense, tax settlement expense, and restructuring costs. The term "adjusted net (loss) income" refers to a financial measure that we define as net loss adjusted for amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, acquisition and divestiture costs, contingent consideration adjustment, litigation settlement expense, tax settlement expense, tax valuation allowance, restructuring costs and impairment of investment, net of estimated taxes. The term "adjusted diluted net (loss) income per share" refers to a financial measure that we define as adjusted net (loss) income divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. The term “free cash flow” refers to a financial measure that we define as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures and internal software development costs. The term “normalized free cash flow” refers to free cash flow less changes in operating assets and liabilities. These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results. In addition, our definition of adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted net income per share and free cash flow and normalized free cash flow may not be comparable to the definitions as reported by other companies.

We believe adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net (loss) income and adjusted diluted net (loss) income per share are relevant and useful information because they provide us and investors with additional measurements to analyze the Company's operating performance.

Adjusted EBITDA is useful to us and investors because (i) we seek to manage our business to a level of adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue, (ii) it is used internally by us for planning purposes, including preparation of internal budgets; to allocate resources; to evaluate the effectiveness of operational strategies and capital expenditures as well as the capacity to service debt, (iii) it is a key basis upon which we assess our operating performance, (iv) it is one of the primary metrics investors use in evaluating Internet marketing companies, (v) it is a factor in determining compensation, (vi) it is an element of certain financial covenants under our historical borrowing arrangements, and (vii) it is a factor that assists investors in the analysis of ongoing operating trends. In addition, we believe adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts, ratings agencies and other interested parties in our industry as a measure of financial performance, debt-service capabilities and as a metric for analyzing company valuations.

We use adjusted EBITDA as a key performance measure because we believe it facilitates operating performance comparisons from period to period by excluding potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting interest expense), tax positions (such as the impact of changes in effective tax rates or fluctuations in permanent differences or discrete quarterly items), non-recurring charges, certain other items that we do not believe are indicative of core operating activities (such as litigation settlement expense, tax settlement expense, acquisition and divestiture costs, contingent consideration adjustment, restructuring costs and other income and expense) and the non-cash impact of depreciation expense, amortization expense and stock-based compensation expense.

With respect to our adjusted EBITDA guidance, the Company is not able to provide a quantitative reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts due to the high variability, complexity and low visibility with respect to certain items such as taxes, and income and expense from changes in fair value of contingent consideration from acquisitions. We expect the variability of these items to have a potentially unpredictable and potentially significant impact on future GAAP financial results, and, as such, we also believe that any reconciliations provided would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors.

Adjusted net (loss) income and adjusted diluted net (loss) income per share are useful to us and investors because they present an additional measurement of our financial performance, taking into account depreciation, which we believe is an ongoing cost of doing business, but excluding the impact of certain non-cash expenses (stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, and contingent consideration adjustment), non-recurring charges and certain other items that we do not believe are indicative of core operating activities. We believe that analysts and investors use adjusted net income and adjusted diluted net income per share as supplemental measures to evaluate the overall operating performance of companies in our industry.

Free cash flow is useful to investors and us because it represents the cash that our business generates from operations, before taking into account cash movements that are non-operational, and is a metric commonly used in our industry to understand the underlying cash generating capacity of a company’s financial model. Normalized free cash flow is useful as it removes the fluctuations in operating assets and liabilities that occur in any given quarter due to the timing of payments and cash receipts and therefore helps investors understand the underlying cash flow of the business as a quarterly metric and the cash flow generation potential of the business model. We believe that analysts and investors use free cash flow multiples as a metric for analyzing company valuations in our industry.

We intend to provide these non-GAAP financial measures as part of our future earnings discussions and, therefore, the inclusion of these non-GAAP financial measures will provide consistency in our financial reporting. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to GAAP is provided in the accompanying tables.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release and its attachments contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as "estimate", "will”, "believe", “expect”, "intend", “outlook”, "potential", “promises” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include the statements in quotations from management in this press release, as well as any statements regarding the Company's anticipated financial results, growth and strategic and operational plans and results of analyses on impairment charges. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the Company’s ability to maintain and increase client marketing spend; the Company's ability, whether within or outside the Company’s control, to maintain and increase the number of visitors to its websites and to convert those visitors and those to its third-party publishers' websites into client prospects in a cost-effective manner; the Company's exposure to data privacy and security risks; the impact of changes in industry standards and government regulation including, but not limited to investigation enforcement activities or regulatory activity by the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and other state and federal regulatory agencies; the impact of changes in our business, our industry, and the current economic and regulatory climate on the Company’s quarterly and annual results of operations; the Company's ability to compete effectively against others in the online marketing and media industry both for client budget and access to third-party media; the Company’s ability to protect our intellectual property rights; and the impact from risks relating to counterparties on the Company's business. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results are contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Additional information will also be set forth in the Company's annual report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, which will be filed with the SEC. The Company does not intend and undertakes no duty to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein.

QUINSTREET, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

March 31,

 

June 30,

 

 

2024

 

2023

Assets

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

39,602

 

 

$

73,677

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

99,639

 

 

 

67,748

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

7,525

 

 

 

9,779

 

Total current assets

 

 

146,766

 

 

 

151,204

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

20,633

 

 

 

16,749

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

10,923

 

 

 

3,536

 

Goodwill

 

 

125,056

 

 

 

121,141

 

Other intangible assets, net

 

 

40,881

 

 

 

38,700

 

Other assets, noncurrent

 

 

4,992

 

 

 

5,825

 

Total assets

 

$

349,251

 

 

$

337,155

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

40,621

 

 

$

37,926

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

58,425

 

 

 

44,010

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

185

 

 

 

9

 

Other liabilities

 

 

9,883

 

 

 

7,875

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

109,114

 

 

 

89,820

 

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent

 

 

8,260

 

 

 

1,261

 

Other liabilities, noncurrent

 

 

16,913

 

 

 

16,273

 

Total liabilities

 

 

134,287

 

 

 

107,354

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

Common stock

 

 

55

 

 

 

54

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

343,424

 

 

 

329,093

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(268

)

 

 

(266

)

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(128,247

)

 

 

(99,080

)

Total stockholders' equity

 

 

214,964

 

 

 

229,801

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

349,251

 

 

$

337,155

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

Net revenue

 

$

168,587

 

 

$

172,671

 

 

$

415,193

 

 

$

450,312

 

Cost of revenue (1)

 

 

154,276

 

 

 

155,633

 

 

 

386,380

 

 

 

412,388

 

Gross profit

 

 

14,311

 

 

 

17,038

 

 

 

28,813

 

 

 

37,924

 

Operating expenses: (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product development

 

 

7,549

 

 

 

7,832

 

 

 

22,457

 

 

 

21,832

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

3,626

 

 

 

3,385

 

 

 

10,076

 

 

 

9,651

 

General and administrative

 

 

8,468

 

 

 

7,230

 

 

 

22,906

 

 

 

21,919

 

Operating loss

 

 

(5,332

)

 

 

(1,409

)

 

 

(26,626

)

 

 

(15,478

)

Interest income

 

 

49

 

 

 

46

 

 

 

381

 

 

 

65

 

Interest expense

 

 

(293

)

 

 

(187

)

 

 

(515

)

 

 

(626

)

Other expense

 

 

(2,028

)

 

 

(12

)

 

 

(1,961

)

 

 

(44

)

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(7,604

)

 

 

(1,562

)

 

 

(28,721

)

 

 

(16,083

)

Benefit from (provision for) income taxes

 

 

556

 

 

 

1,083

 

 

 

(446

)

 

 

3,108

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,048

)

 

$

(479

)

 

$

(29,167

)

 

$

(12,975

)

Net loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

(0.13

)

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

(0.53

)

 

$

(0.24

)

Diluted

 

$

(0.13

)

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

(0.53

)

 

$

(0.24

)

Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

55,065

 

 

 

53,950

 

 

 

54,764

 

 

 

53,668

 

Diluted

 

 

55,065

 

 

 

53,950

 

 

 

54,764

 

 

 

53,668

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Cost of revenue and operating expenses include stock-based compensation expense as follows:

Cost of revenue

 

$

2,203

 

 

$

2,006

 

 

$

6,483

 

 

$

6,238

 

Product development

 

 

789

 

 

 

695

 

 

 

2,399

 

 

 

2,225

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

794

 

 

 

660

 

 

 

2,157

 

 

 

1,970

 

General and administrative

 

 

2,948

 

 

 

1,947

 

 

 

7,038

 

 

 

5,622

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,048

)

 

$

(479

)

 

$

(29,167

)

 

$

(12,975

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

6,225

 

 

 

4,972

 

 

 

17,276

 

 

 

14,004

 

Impairment of investment

 

 

2,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,000

 

 

 

 

Provision for sales returns and doubtful accounts receivable

 

 

326

 

 

 

169

 

 

 

708

 

 

 

898

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

6,721

 

 

 

5,308

 

 

 

18,063

 

 

 

16,055

 

Non-cash lease expense

 

 

51

 

 

 

(280

)

 

 

(559

)

 

 

(822

)

Deferred income taxes

 

 

(559

)

 

 

(981

)

 

 

187

 

 

 

(3,260

)

Other adjustments, net

 

 

150

 

 

 

(6

)

 

 

(266

)

 

 

(147

)

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

(25,237

)

 

 

(34,363

)

 

 

(32,599

)

 

 

(25,075

)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

296

 

 

 

(3,238

)

 

 

2,481

 

 

 

(3,826

)

Accounts payable

 

 

7,023

 

 

 

3,113

 

 

 

2,297

 

 

 

(1,562

)

Accrued liabilities

 

 

13,980

 

 

 

16,465

 

 

 

14,886

 

 

 

10,920

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

185

 

 

 

(10

)

 

 

176

 

 

 

(341

)

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

 

 

4,113

 

 

 

(9,330

)

 

 

(4,517

)

 

 

(6,131

)

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital expenditures

 

 

(1,211

)

 

 

(485

)

 

 

(4,173

)

 

 

(2,038

)

Internal software development costs

 

 

(2,488

)

 

 

(3,031

)

 

 

(8,903

)

 

 

(8,496

)

Acquisitions, net of cash acquired

 

 

(4,510

)

 

 

 

 

 

(4,510

)

 

 

 

Other investing activities

 

 

(1,500

)

 

 

 

 

 

(1,500

)

 

 

(120

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(9,709

)

 

 

(3,516

)

 

 

(19,086

)

 

 

(10,654

)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options and issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan

 

 

1,595

 

 

 

1,409

 

 

 

3,296

 

 

 

3,206

 

Payment of withholding taxes related to release of restricted stock, net of share settlement

 

 

(1,571

)

 

 

(1,518

)

 

 

(4,920

)

 

 

(4,744

)

Post-closing payments and contingent consideration related to acquisitions

 

 

(344

)

 

 

(3,184

)

 

 

(6,573

)

 

 

(10,408

)

Repurchase of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,288

)

 

 

(4,731

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(320

)

 

 

(3,293

)

 

 

(10,485

)

 

 

(16,677

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(2

)

 

 

13

 

 

 

(14

)

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

(5,918

)

 

 

(16,141

)

 

 

(34,075

)

 

 

(33,476

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period

 

 

45,535

 

 

 

79,118

 

 

 

73,692

 

 

 

96,453

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

 

$

39,617

 

 

$

62,977

 

 

$

39,617

 

 

$

62,977

 

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash to the condensed consolidated balance sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

39,602

 

 

$

62,962

 

 

$

39,602

 

 

$

62,962

 

Restricted cash included in other assets, noncurrent

 

 

15

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

15

 

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

$

39,617

 

 

$

62,977

 

 

$

39,617

 

 

$

62,977

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO

ADJUSTED NET INCOME (LOSS)

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

Net loss

 

$

(7,048

)

 

$

(479

)

 

$

(29,167

)

 

$

(12,975

)

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

2,678

 

 

 

2,808

 

 

 

7,834

 

 

 

8,454

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

6,734

 

 

 

5,308

 

 

 

18,077

 

 

 

16,055

 

Acquisition and divestiture costs

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

 

 

 

32

 

Litigation settlement expense

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

Tax settlement expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39

 

Restructuring costs

 

 

277

 

 

 

102

 

 

 

578

 

 

 

183

 

Impairment of investment

 

 

2,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,000

 

 

 

 

Tax impact of non-GAAP items

 

 

(1,235

)

 

 

(1,597

)

 

 

410

 

 

 

(4,012

)

Adjusted net income (loss)

 

$

3,436

 

 

$

6,148

 

 

$

(238

)

 

$

7,782

 

Adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share

 

$

0.06

 

 

$

0.11

 

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

0.14

 

Weighted average shares used in computing adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share

 

 

56,733

 

 

 

55,680

 

 

 

54,764

 

 

 

54,952

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO

ADJUSTED EBITDA

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

Net loss

 

$

(7,048

)

 

$

(479

)

 

$

(29,167

)

 

$

(12,975

)

Interest and other expense, net

 

 

2,272

 

 

 

153

 

 

 

2,095

 

 

 

605

 

Benefit from (provision for) income taxes

 

 

(556

)

 

 

(1,083

)

 

 

446

 

 

 

(3,108

)

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

6,225

 

 

 

4,972

 

 

 

17,276

 

 

 

14,004

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

6,734

 

 

 

5,308

 

 

 

18,077

 

 

 

16,055

 

Acquisition and divestiture costs

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

 

 

 

32

 

Litigation settlement expense

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

Tax settlement expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39

 

Restructuring costs

 

 

277

 

 

 

102

 

 

 

578

 

 

 

183

 

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

7,934

 

 

$

8,979

 

 

$

9,335

 

 

$

14,841

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF CASH (USED IN) PROVIDED BY

OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW

AND NORMALIZED FREE CASH FLOW

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

 

$

4,113

 

 

$

(9,330

)

 

$

(4,517

)

 

$

(6,131

)

Capital expenditures

 

 

(1,211

)

 

 

(485

)

 

 

(4,173

)

 

 

(2,038

)

Internal software development costs

 

 

(2,488

)

 

 

(3,031

)

 

 

(8,903

)

 

 

(8,496

)

Free cash flow

 

 

414

 

 

 

(12,846

)

 

 

(17,593

)

 

 

(16,665

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

 

 

3,754

 

 

 

18,032

 

 

 

12,758

 

 

 

19,884

 

Normalized free cash flow

 

$

4,168

 

 

$

5,186

 

 

$

(4,835

)

 

$

3,219

 

 

QUINSTREET, INC.

DISAGGREGATION OF REVENUE

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Net revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial Services

 

$

112,250

 

 

$

120,219

 

 

$

255,708

 

 

$

304,520

 

Home Services

 

 

53,908

 

 

 

50,289

 

 

 

152,636

 

 

 

139,997

 

Other Revenue

 

 

2,429

 

 

 

2,163

 

 

 

6,849

 

 

 

5,795

 

Total net revenue

 

$

168,587

 

 

$

172,671

 

 

$

415,193

 

 

$

450,312

 

 

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