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Lemonade, Inc. (LMND)·Q4 2024 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Q4 delivered “our best quarter ever,” with revenue up 29% year over year to $148.8M, gross profit up 90% to $63.9M (margin 43%), and the best-ever gross loss ratio at 63% .
  • Net loss improved to $(30.0)M (EPS $(0.42)) from $(42.4)M (EPS $(0.61)) a year ago; adjusted EBITDA improved to $(23.8)M from $(28.9)M; adjusted free cash flow was +$26.5M, marking the company’s first full year of positive Adj. FCF ($47.6M) .
  • KPIs: In-Force Premium (IFP) rose 26% to $943.7M, customers +20% to 2.43M, premium per customer +5% to $388; ADR ticked down to 86% due to targeted homeowners non-renewals .
  • 2025 outlook: year-end IFP $1.203–$1.208B, revenue $655–$657M, adj. EBITDA loss $(140)–$(135)M; Q1 2025 revenue $143–$145M and adj. EBITDA loss $(49)–$(46)M; both include an estimated ~$20M adverse adj. EBITDA impact from California wildfires (gross loss ~$45M) .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

  • Best-ever underwriting quarter: gross loss ratio improved to 63% (vs. 77% LY and 73% in Q3), with favorable prior period development and only ~1 pt CAT impact; TTM gross loss ratio reached 73% (–12 pts YoY, –4 pts QoQ) .
  • Strong growth with operating leverage: revenue +29% to $148.8M; gross profit +90% to $63.9M (margin +14 pts to 43%); adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed to $(23.8)M despite sharply higher growth spend .
  • Positive cash generation: Adj. FCF +$26.5M in Q4 and +$47.6M for FY24; management: “Q4 delivered an adjusted free cash flow of $27 million, our strongest ever… 2024 overall was cash flow positive” .
  • Management quote: “Across the full gamut of our KPIs, the fourth quarter was comfortably our best quarter ever… gross profit doubled… EBITDA positive excluding growth spend for the first time” .

What Went Wrong

  • Sales & marketing stepped up materially: total operating expense ex-LAE rose 38% YoY to $123.9M, driven by growth spend of $36.0M (vs. $13.4M in Q4’23), pressuring EBITDA .
  • ADR dipped to 86% (–1 pt YoY) due to targeted non-renewals of less profitable homeowners policies (management estimates ~3 pts ADR impact from these actions), though done to improve risk/returns .
  • Headwinds ahead: management expects ~$45M gross losses and ~$20M adj. EBITDA headwind in Q1’25 from California wildfires, despite diversification and reinsurance .

Financial Results

Headline P&L and Underwriting Metrics

MetricQ4 2023Q3 2024Q4 2024
Revenue ($M)$115.5 $136.6 $148.8
Diluted EPS ($)$(0.61) $(0.95) $(0.42)
Gross Profit ($M)$33.6 $37.5 $63.9
Gross Profit Margin (%)29% 27% 43%
Gross Loss Ratio (%)77% 73% 63%
Net Loss ($M)$(42.4) $(67.7) $(30.0)
Adjusted EBITDA ($M)$(28.9) $(49.0) $(23.8)
Gross Earned Premium ($M)$181.0 $213.1 $226.4

Notes: “Best-ever” loss ratio and margin expansion were enabled by rate adequacy, underwriting precision, and favorable prior period development; revenue growth was driven by higher GEP, ceding commissions, and investment income .

KPIs

KPIQ4 2023Q3 2024Q4 2024
Customers (end of period)2,026,918 2,313,113 2,430,056
In-Force Premium ($M)$747.3 $889.1 $943.7
Premium per Customer ($)$369 $384 $388
Annual Dollar Retention (%)87% 87% 86%
Gross Earned Premium ($M)$181.0 $213.1 $226.4

IFP Mix by Product (scale: $M)

Product IFPQ4 2023Q3 2024Q4 2024
Homeowners Multi-Peril$433 $488 $503
Pet$181 $254 $283
Car$114 $117 $122
Europe (all products)$10 $19 $24
Other$9 $11 $12
Total$747 $889 $944

Consensus vs. Actuals

  • S&P Global consensus estimates for Q4 2024 were unavailable at the time of this analysis due to access limits. As a result, comparisons to Street consensus are not shown. If you want, I can refresh when access becomes available.

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious GuidanceCurrent GuidanceChange
In-Force Premium (end of period, $M)Q1 2025N/A$997–$1,000 New
Gross Earned Premium ($M)Q1 2025N/A$229–$231 New
Revenue ($M)Q1 2025N/A$143–$145 New
Adjusted EBITDA Loss ($M)Q1 2025N/A$(49)–$(46) (incl. ~$20M CA wildfires) New
Stock-based Compensation ($M)Q1 2025N/A~$18 New
Capex ($M)Q1 2025N/A~$2 New
Weighted Avg. Shares (M)Q1 2025N/A~73 New
In-Force Premium (end of period, $M)FY 2025N/A$1,203–$1,208 New
Gross Earned Premium ($M)FY 2025N/A$1,025–$1,028 New
Revenue ($M)FY 2025N/A$655–$657 New
Adjusted EBITDA Loss ($M)FY 2025N/A$(140)–$(135) (incl. ~$20M CA wildfires) New
Stock-based Compensation ($M)FY 2025N/A~$60 New
Capex ($M)FY 2025N/A~$10 New
Weighted Avg. Shares (M)FY 2025N/A~74 New

Context: Management reiterated exit-2026 target for positive EBITDA; guidance includes the estimated ~$20M wildfire headwind .

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicQ2 2024 (Prev-2)Q3 2024 (Prev-1)Q4 2024 (Current)Trend
AI/Automation & EfficiencyIntroduced “L2” platform; expanded generative AI across ops; OpEx ex growth stable YoY .Headcount down ~7% YoY with rising IFP; automation driving leverage .AI + aerial imagery enabled rapid wildfire claim settlements; engineering velocity rising with AI .Improving leverage and speed.
Growth Spend & Synthetic AgentsGrowth spend financed 80% via Synthetic Agents; $26M Q2 growth spend .Growth spend ~$40M; 80% financed; cash/investments ~$979M .Q4 growth spend $36M; Synthetic Agents extended to Dec’26 with +$200M capacity; net outstanding $83M .Accelerating but cash-light.
Car InsuranceLoss ratio improving; expansion plans; cross-sell opportunity .Car loss ratio improved; mix shift towards car expected; Europe also growing .Car loss ratio at 83% (Q4 supplement), live in ~8 states (~25% of US pop.); emphasizing cross-sell and telematics-driven pricing .Building to scale; careful ramp.
CAT Exposure & Homeowners ActionsAnnounced non-renewals ($20–$25M IFP) to reduce CAT volatility .Diversification and non-renewals drove loss ratio gains .CA wildfires expected ~$45M gross losses and ~$20M adj. EBITDA headwind in Q1’25; reinsurance mitigates net impact .Managing volatility.
Rate Adequacy & RegulatoryRate earning-in across book; more pending .Approaching adequacy across lines .Entering 2025 with rate adequacy across majority of portfolio .Near target.
EuropeOngoing growth and diversification .Increasing contribution; path toward ~5% of book .Europe IFP up to $24M .Growing share.
Tech InvestmentOpEx ex growth stable; tech dev down YoY in Q2 .Tech dev expense roughly flat .Tech dev +3% YoY in Q4; greater automation leverage .Higher output per dollar.

Management Commentary

  • “Across the full gamut of our KPIs, the fourth quarter was comfortably our best quarter ever… Q4 delivered an adjusted free cash flow of $27 million… our loss ratio on a TTM basis [was] 73%… Q4 [loss ratio] at 63% is our best result ever” .
  • “In Q4, excluding growth spend, we were EBITDA positive for the first time… we expect… sustained positive adjusted free cash flow and sequential EBITDA improvement for 2025” .
  • On wildfires: “Some… loss estimates… were well north of $200 million… about 5x higher than our actual experience on a gross loss basis… These events are expected to lead to approximately $20 million EBITDA impact overall” .
  • CFO detail: “Gross loss ratio was 63% for Q4… ex-CAT was 62%… prior period development had a roughly 5% favorable impact [gross], ~7% [net]” .

Q&A Highlights

  • Profitability path: EBITDA positive targeted exiting 2026; GAAP net income positive around 2027, give or take .
  • LTV/CAC: Roughly 3:1 on average remains a reliable target despite mix shifts; willing to invest up to marginal 1:1 for profitable growth at the margin .
  • Car ramp: Product currently live in ~8 states (~25% US population), leveraging renters cross-sell and telematics; numerous tests trending “better and faster,” but full-scale ramp awaits robust foundations .
  • California wildfires: ~850–900 claims; ~90% by count renters; dollar losses concentrated in ~30 large home losses; reinsurance materially mitigates net impact; FAIR plan assessment included .
  • 2025 growth spend and cadence: ~$165M for the year; ~$35M in Q1, higher in Q2/Q3, then down in Q4; ~80% financed via Synthetic Agents .

Estimates Context

  • S&P Global consensus estimates for Q4 2024 were unavailable due to access limits at the time of retrieval; accordingly, we have not shown “vs. consensus” comparisons for revenue and EPS. If you want, I can update this section when access is restored.

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Underwriting inflection: Best-ever 63% gross loss ratio and TTM 73% within target range underpin 14-point gross margin expansion to 43% and a 90% surge in gross profit; these trends are anchored by rate adequacy, favorable development, and portfolio actions .
  • Cash engine emerging: Q4 Adj. FCF +$26.5M and FY24 +$47.6M demonstrate cash self-funding even as growth spend increased; Synthetic Agents reduce cash troughs by financing ~80% of growth marketing .
  • Growth durability with discipline: IFP +26% to $943.7M and revenue +29%; ADR modestly lower due to homeowners cleanup, but overall retention/growth still strong as mix shifts to pet, car, and Europe .
  • Car as multi-year driver: Car loss ratio improved (83% Q4 supplement), but management will scale only as unit economics and infrastructure meet targets; cross-sell and telematics should unlock structurally advantaged CAC and pricing as state footprint expands through 2025–26 .
  • 2025 outlook incorporates wildfire headwinds: Q1/FY guidance includes ~$20M adj. EBITDA headwind; management still plans positive Adj. FCF for 2025 and sequential EBITDA improvement, reaffirming exit-2026 EBITDA positivity .
  • Continued operating leverage: Tech-driven automation is holding fixed costs comparatively stable while the topline grows; Q4 adjusted EBITDA ex growth spend was positive for the first time, signaling path to profitability at scale .

Appendix: Additional Data Points

  • Revenue growth drivers: increased GEP, ceding commission income, and net investment income .
  • OpEx dynamics: total operating expense ex-LAE increased to $123.9M (growth spend $36.0M) vs. $90.1M in Q4’23 .
  • Cash and investments: ~“$1.0B” at Dec 31, 2024 .
  • Product performance: Pet IFP $283M (+57% YoY), pet gross loss ratio 69% FY24, and cost per claim down to $19 via automation .
  • Synthetic Agents: facility extended to Dec 2026 with incremental $200M; outstanding balance $83M at year-end 2024 .

Press releases and prior quarters used for trend analysis and narrative context: Q4 press release directing to the shareholder letter , Q3 and Q2 results releases and shareholder letters .