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Landsea Homes Corp (LSEA)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Q1 2025 revenue rose to $310.8M (+5.7% YoY) on 643 deliveries (+27% YoY), but diluted EPS was -$0.20 vs $0.01 a year ago as heavy incentives and mix shift compressed GAAP gross margins to 13.0% (adjusted gross margin 20.0%) .
  • Results vs prior quarter: deliveries fell from 937 (Q4) to 643 and revenue from $486.7M to $310.8M, while GAAP gross margin improved slightly vs Q4 (13.0% vs 12.5%) and adjusted gross margin rose to 20.0% from 18.4% .
  • Mix shifted from higher-priced California toward Texas/Florida/Colorado, driving a 20% YoY ASP decline to $466K; incentives ran ~9.6% of home sales revenue and interest in cost of sales was ~4.6%, pressuring reported margins (inventory impairment $1.5M) .
  • Strategic actions: pivoting toward a 50/50 spec vs build‑to‑order mix to improve margins and reduce standing inventory; Q1 saw 67% of deliveries sold in-quarter as the team leaned toward pace to drive absorption (3.0/month) .
  • Corporate catalyst overshadowing earnings: on May 12, New Home Co. agreed to acquire Landsea for $11.30/share in cash (≈61% premium to the May 12 close); the Q1 earnings call had no Q&A due to the transaction .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

  • What Went Well

    • Volume and demand resilience: Deliveries +27% YoY to 643; net new orders +11% to 679 with 3.0/month absorption; cancellations improved to 9% (vs 10%) .
    • Adjusted profitability resiliency: Adjusted home sales gross margin expanded 60 bps YoY to 20.0% despite mix and incentives; adjusted EBITDA was $13.5M (vs $17.0M) and adjusted net loss improved to -$1.7M from GAAP -$7.3M .
    • Execution in Texas/Florida: Texas delivered 126 homes ($48M revenue); Florida deliveries +52% and revenue +53% YoY, supporting portfolio diversification .
    • Management focus on pivot: “We continue to balance pace versus price… We also made the strategic decision to sell through some of our spec home inventory… Our goal is to return to a 50‑50 split between specs and build‑to‑order closings over time.” – CEO John Ho .
  • What Went Wrong

    • Margin compression from incentives and financing costs: Incentives were ~9.6% of gross home sales revenue; interest capitalized in cost of sales was ~4.6%, and purchase accounting amortization impacted gross margin by ~1.9% .
    • ASP and mix: ASP fell 20% YoY to $466K on mix away from California; GAAP home sales gross margin fell to 13.0% vs 14.9% last year (ex-impairment 13.5%) .
    • Backlog and earnings: Backlog declined to 426 homes (-32% YoY) and $231M (-39% YoY); EBITDA fell to $6.2M (from $12.6M), and GAAP net loss was -$7.3M .

Financial Results

MetricQ1 2024Q3 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
Total Revenues ($USD Millions)$294.0 $338.5 $486.7 $310.8
Diluted EPS ($)$0.01 $0.30 $0.08 $(0.20)
Home Sales Gross Margin % (GAAP)14.9% 17.1% 12.5% 13.0%
Adjusted Home Sales Gross Margin %19.4% 22.8% 18.4% 20.0%
New Homes Delivered (units)505 629 937 643
Average Selling Price (ASP, $USD Thousands)$579 $518 $481 $466

Segment (Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024) – Home deliveries, revenue, ASP

RegionHomes 2025Homes 2024Revenue 2025 ($000s)Revenue 2024 ($000s)ASP 2025 ($000s)ASP 2024 ($000s)
Arizona185 183 78,895 78,741 426 430
California65 146 49,010 131,894 754 903
Colorado29 17 12,735 8,854 439 521
Florida238 157 110,591 72,355 465 461
Texas126 2 48,142 748 382 374
Total643 505 299,373 292,592 466 579

Key KPIs and Balance Sheet

KPIQ1 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
Net New Orders (homes)611 636 679
Net New Orders ($M)$336.9 $289.8 $317.8
Monthly Absorption (per community)3.3 2.7 3.0
Backlog (homes)623 390 426
Backlog ($M)$380.0 $212.4 $230.8
Backlog ASP ($000s)$610 $545 $542
Cancellations (% of gross orders)10% 14% 9%
Lots Owned/Controlled (total)10,349 10,944 10,516
Liquidity ($M)$241.8 $256.3
Total Debt ($M)$725.4 $727.5
Debt/Capital (%)51.8% 52.1%
Net Debt/Capital (%)47.7% 48.3%
EBITDA ($M)$12.6 $27.3 $6.2
Adjusted EBITDA ($M)$17.0 $38.6 $13.5

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious GuidanceCurrent/ActualChange
New home deliveriesQ1 2025600–700 homes 643 (actual) Met/in line
Delivery ASPQ1 2025$475K–$500K $466K (actual) Below (mix)
Home sales gross margin (GAAP)Q1 202513%–14% 13.0% (actual) In line (low end)
Adjusted home sales gross marginQ1 202518%–19% 20.0% (actual) Raised/above
New home deliveriesFY 20253,000–3,400 No update provided in Q1 materialsMaintained (no update)
Delivery ASPFY 2025$500K–$525K No update provided in Q1 materialsMaintained (no update)
Home sales gross margin (GAAP)FY 2025~15% No update provided in Q1 materialsMaintained (no update)
Adjusted home sales gross marginFY 2025~20% No update provided in Q1 materialsMaintained (no update)
Tax rateFY 202525%–26% (Q4 call) No update in Q1; Q1 call did not reiterate a rateMaintained (implied)
Incentives levelQ2 20257%–9% expected (color) New color (operating)

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicPrevious Mentions (Q3 2024, Q4 2024)Current Period (Q1 2025)Trend
Incentives and mortgage rate buydownsQ3: incentives just below 6%; competitors advertising 3.99% rates; watching 10‑yr treasury . Q4: incentives “just over 8%,” ~+280 bps QoQ as 10‑yr rose; GAAP GM slightly below plan .Incentives ~9.6% of gross home sales; 10‑yr volatility; Q2 incentives expected 7%–9% .Elevated but stabilizing QoQ
Shift toward build‑to‑orderQ3: gentle pivot back to dirt sales, ~20–30% presales . Q4: targeting 50/50 spec vs build‑to‑order; spec reduction to improve margins/cash .67% of Q1 deliveries sold in‑quarter; strategy to return to 50/50 over time .Ongoing pivot
Supply chain, tariffs, laborQ4: no material impact from tariffs; labor availability strong .No tariff or labor impact to date; build times at/near pre‑COVID .Benign
Land‑light strategy & lotsQ4: ~44% owned/56% controlled; goal ~25/75 by end 2026 .10,516 total lots; 45% owned/55% controlled at Q1 end .Progressing
Purchase accounting amortizationQ4: ~$21–22M expected through 2025; $7.9M in Q4 .~$5.6M amortized in Q1 (~1.9% GM impact) .Continuing headwind
Regional mix and ASPQ3/Q4: mix toward TX/CO lowered ASP; CA volume down .ASP down 20% YoY to $466K on mix shift to TX/FL/CO .Mix‑driven ASP pressure

Management Commentary

  • “We continue to balance pace versus price at each of our communities with a slight lean towards pace… We also made the strategic decision to sell through some of our spec home inventory… Our goal is to return to a 50‑50 split between specs and build‑to‑order closings over time.” – John Ho, CEO .
  • “Discounts and incentives… represented 9.6% of our gross home sales revenue… drove our home sales gross margin before inventory impairments to 13.5%… purchase price accounting in the quarter represented another 1.9% impact.” – Chris Porter, CFO .
  • “Build conditions continue to be favorable… We have not seen any impact from the announced tariffs or the increased scrutiny on migrant labor so far.” – Mike Forsum, President & COO .
  • “We expect incentive levels to remain elevated through 2025 with the actual costs fluctuating with the overall mortgage rate environment… anticipate [Q2] incentive levels to be in the 7% to 9% range.” – Chris Porter, CFO .

Q&A Highlights

  • The Q1 2025 call did not include a Q&A session due to the pending acquisition by New Home Co.; management delivered prepared remarks only .
  • For context from prior quarter (Q4 2024): themes included incentive trajectory and mix (expected 7–8% incentives in Q1; later stated at ~9.6%), land cost and tariffs (no notable tariff impact; disciplined land market), backlog conversion cadence, and purchase accounting amortization outlook ($20–23M in 2025) .

Estimates Context

  • Wall Street consensus (S&P Global) for Q1 2025 EPS and revenue was unavailable via our SPGI connection at this time; therefore, results are not compared to S&P consensus in this report. Coverage may be impacted by the announced acquisition and subsequent tender/merger process .
  • Where relevant, we benchmarked actuals to company guidance (see Guidance Changes). Values retrieved from S&P Global were unavailable for LSEA due to missing mapping; no S&P estimates are shown.

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Mixed quarter: Strong volume (+27% deliveries) and order momentum (+11%) but GAAP profitability under pressure from incentives, interest in cost of sales, and purchase accounting; adjusted gross margins remained solid at 20.0% .
  • Mix and ASP: The portfolio is rapidly diversifying toward Texas and Florida, supporting volume but lowering ASP and reported gross margins; the build‑to‑order pivot should help recapture margin over time .
  • Execution vs guidance: Q1 deliveries met guidance, GAAP gross margin landed inside range, and adjusted gross margin exceeded—offset by ASP below the guided range on mix .
  • Balance sheet/liquidity: Liquidity improved to $256.3M; leverage stable (Debt/Cap ~52.1%, Net Debt/Cap ~48.3%), providing flexibility to manage incentives and land spend .
  • Forward margin bridge: Expect incentives to remain elevated (7%–9% in Q2), but higher presales share, steady build times, and cost actions support margin stabilization; purchase accounting amortization persists through 2025 .
  • Strategic overhang/catalyst: The $11.30/share all‑cash sale to New Home Co. (≈61% premium) is the near‑term stock driver; operating updates may be secondary as the deal moves toward expected Q3 2025 close .
  • Watch items: Incentive intensity vs 10‑yr rate moves, pace/price trade‑offs to protect margins, Texas integration tailwinds, and backlog rebuild given lower YoY backlog dollars .

Additional Relevant Press Releases (Q1 timeframe)

  • May 12, 2025: New Home Co. to acquire Landsea Homes for $11.30/share, ~61% premium; combined top‑25 national builder .
  • May 13, 2025: Tender offer/consent solicitation launched for 8.875% Senior Notes due 2029, conditioned on merger close .

Notes: All company metrics above are sourced from Landsea’s Q1 2025 press release and 8‑K, Q1 2025 earnings call transcript, and prior quarter materials as cited. Estimates from S&P Global were unavailable for LSEA at the time of this analysis; no S&P consensus comparisons are presented.