BI
BLACKBOXSTOCKS INC. (BLBX)·Q1 2021 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q1 2021 delivered hypergrowth and a clean operating profit: revenue rose 259% year over year to $1.490M, gross margin expanded to 73.4%, and operating income reached $145k, reflecting scaled subscribers and fixed cost leverage .
- Year-over-year margin expansion and SG&A increases tied to referral/programmatic marketing and product development; management flagged continued investments to support growth .
- Management commentary post-Q1 indicated continued strong revenue trajectory driven by technology upgrades and marketing intensity in 1H21 (“expect strong revenue growth to continue”) .
- Risk flags: material weakness in disclosure controls, going-concern language, and a working capital deficit—tempered by improved cash and reduced financing expense post-refinancing .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
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What Went Well
- Hypergrowth and operating leverage: “Gross margin as a percentage of sales increased from 59.0% to 73.4%… as a result of higher revenues and certain fixed cost of sales” .
- Positive operating income: Q1 operating income was $145,132 vs a loss of $(230,713) in Q1 2020, reflecting revenue scale and efficiency .
- Strategic positioning and tech roadmap: CEO highlighted pivotal momentum and capital secured to scale marketing and refinance high-cost debt—“2020 was a pivotal year… looking forward to another banner year in 2021” .
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What Went Wrong
- Controls: “disclosure controls and procedures… were not effective” at Q1, with limited segregation of duties due to lean staffing .
- Financing costs and debt overhang: Q1 interest expense of $41,038 and $91,539 amortization of debt discount persisted, though improved vs 2020 financing burden .
- Working capital deficit remained, albeit improving: deficit of $678,125 at quarter-end, underscoring reliance on subscriber prepayments and debt facilities .
Financial Results
Year-over-year comparison (Q1 2020 → Q1 2021)
Sequential and recent trajectory (Q3 2020 → Q1 2021 → Q2 2021)
KPIs and balance highlights (oldest → newest)
Segment breakdown: Single SaaS/analytics platform; no disclosed segments .
Guidance Changes
No quantitative guidance provided on margins, OpEx, tax, or segment specifics in Q1 filings/press releases .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “2020 was a pivotal year… we obtained the capital necessary to conduct a sustained marketing initiative that drove an increase in our user base of 309%… we are looking forward to another banner year in 2021.” — Gust Kepler, CEO
- “We will be implementing new technology designed to allow us to scale even faster and more efficiently during the remainder of fiscal 2021.” — Gust Kepler, CEO
- Business model: SaaS analytics/social platform scanning 8,000+ stocks and up to 1,000,000 options contracts; integrated social/broadcast features; subscribers in 42 countries .
Q&A Highlights
- No Q1 2021 earnings call transcript was available in the document set; analysis reflects 10-Q and company press releases .
- Key clarifications in filings: margin expansion drivers (fixed costs and revenue scale) and operating expense mix (referral, consulting, marketing, software development) .
Estimates Context
- Wall Street consensus (S&P Global) for Q1 2021 EPS and revenue was unavailable via our data access; estimate-based comparison cannot be provided at this time.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Revenue scale is translating into operating profit: Q1 operating income of $145k with 73.4% gross margin, up sharply from 59.0% a year ago .
- Growth investments are deliberate: SG&A and advertising rose alongside subscriber expansion; marketing/referral programs continue to be a growth engine .
- Liquidity improved: cash rose to $1.114M; working capital deficit narrowed significantly vs 2020, aided by subscriber prepayments (unearned subscriptions) .
- Financing profile better post-refi: interest/financing expense lower than 2020; amortization of debt discount still impacts reported results .
- Execution roadmap credible: new features (live A/V, push notifications) and tech upgrades to scale faster in 2021 per management .
- Risk management: address material weakness in controls and going-concern language; monitor debt service against operating cash generation .
- Near-term trading angle: print showed hypergrowth and margin expansion; continued feature releases and marketing intensity are catalysts management emphasizes .