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LIVE VENTURES Inc (LIVE)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q1 FY2025 revenue declined 5.2% year over year to $111.5M, as flooring and steel faced softer demand; gross margin improved 80 bps to 31.7% on mix benefits in Retail-Entertainment and Steel .
- Net income was $0.5M ($0.16 diluted EPS) vs. a loss of $0.7M in the prior year, driven by non-recurring gains: $2.8M earnout settlement (PMW) and $0.7M seller note settlement; adjusted EBITDA fell 33.9% to $5.7M on lower operating income .
- Segment performance bifurcated: Retail-Entertainment and Steel posted higher operating income and margins YoY, while Retail-Flooring and Flooring Manufacturing were pressured by reduced demand and mix; management is implementing efficiency measures in flooring .
- No formal guidance was provided; management cited ongoing cost actions and remained confident in the long-term strategy. Street consensus from S&P Global was unavailable at the time of this analysis, so no vs-estimates comparison could be made .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
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What Went Well
- Retail-Entertainment: revenue +3.3% to $21.3M; operating income +8.4% to $3.4M; segment gross margin 56.6% (+60 bps) on higher used product mix .
- Steel Manufacturing: gross margin expanded to 18.3% from 15.8% on price actions and Central Steel acquisition; operating income +18.7% YoY to $1.2M .
- Management tone: “pleased with the operating improvements achieved in our Retail-Entertainment and Steel Manufacturing segments” (CEO Jon Isaac) .
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What Went Wrong
- Retail-Flooring: revenue -7.5% to $31.7M; swung to an operating loss of $2.2M vs. $0.1M profit prior year on reduced demand and higher wages/G&A; gross margin fell 80 bps to 37.2% on mix .
- Flooring Manufacturing: revenue -11.1% to $26.0M; operating income turned to a slight loss; gross margin 21.2% (-80 bps) on mix and demand softness .
- Consolidated profitability: operating income fell to $0.8M from $3.5M; adjusted EBITDA down 33.9%, reflecting lower operating income despite improved gross margin rate .
Financial Results
Notes: Q1 FY2025 net income includes one-time gains: $2.8M earnout settlement (PMW) and $0.7M seller note settlement . Sequential (vs prior quarter Q4 FY2024) comparison was not disclosed in a separate quarterly release; consolidated FY 2024 was provided but does not isolate Q4 .
Segment revenue and operating income (YoY):
Additional KPIs and balance sheet:
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Both our Retail-Entertainment and Steel Manufacturing segments delivered improved operating performance in the first quarter... However, high interest rates and a slowdown in the housing market continued to impact our Retail-Flooring and Flooring Manufacturing segments” — CFO, David Verret .
- “We are implementing additional measures to enhance the efficiency of our flooring businesses... we remain confident in the long-term strength of our businesses.” — CEO, Jon Isaac .
- “Gross margin percentage for the company increased to 31.7% from 30.9%... attributable to increased margins in our Retail-Entertainment segment as well as the Steel Manufacturing segment, primarily due to product mix.” — CFO remarks .
Q&A Highlights
- One-time PMW settlements: Management confirmed the $2.8M earnout elimination and $0.7M seller note gain are one-time, reflecting early payoff at a discount and removal of a 5-year earnout .
- Outlook/guidance: Management reiterated they do not give projections; cited multiple initiatives across underperforming entities and expects to see results, but provided no quantitative guidance .
- M&A pipeline: “Opportunities come up,” but “nothing... worthy of discussing” currently .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global (Capital IQ) Wall Street consensus for Q1 FY2025 (revenue, EPS, EBITDA) was unavailable at the time of request due to data access limits; therefore, vs-estimates comparisons are not presented here [GetEstimates error: Daily Request Limit Exceeded].
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Quality mix is helping margins: company gross margin rose to 31.7% on mix/pricing; Retail-Entertainment and Steel generated higher operating income despite top-line softness .
- Flooring remains the swing factor: Retail-Flooring and Flooring Manufacturing faced demand/mix pressure, driving the YoY decline in operating income and adjusted EBITDA; management is executing efficiency initiatives which are the main medium-term margin catalyst .
- Q1 profitability benefited from one-time gains (~$3.5M total), masking underlying softness; normalized earnings power remains below prior year until flooring demand/efficiencies improve .
- Liquidity and balance sheet provide flexibility: $31.1M total availability, ~$51M working capital; modest buybacks (15.7k shares) signal confidence but are not thesis-changing near term .
- Watch steel momentum and mix: margin improvement and Central Steel contribution supported results; continued pricing discipline could offset demand variability .
- Near-term setup hinges on housing macro and cost actions translating to run-rate OpEx savings; absent explicit guidance, next catalyst is Q2 execution and evidence of flooring margin stabilization .
Supporting Detail (Additional Trend Context)
- Subsequent quarter (Q2 FY2025) showed operating improvement and a large $22.8M gain on modification of a seller note; adjusted EBITDA rose YoY to $6.4M despite lower revenue, aided by cost reductions in Retail-Flooring (context for momentum into FY2025) .
- Prior period (Q3 FY2024) highlighted strong acquisition-driven revenue growth but margin compression in Steel and inefficiencies in Retail-Flooring integration — foreshadowing Q1 FY2025’s bifurcated segment dynamics .
Sources: Q1 FY2025 press release and 8-K (Item 2.02) ; Q1 FY2025 earnings call transcript ; FY2024 release for context ; Q3 FY2024 release ; Q2 FY2025 release for subsequent trend .