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NEOGENOMICS INC (NEO)·Q4 2024 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q4 2024 revenue rose 11% year-over-year to $172.0M; adjusted gross margin reached 48.0%, the highest in 20 quarters, with adjusted EBITDA of $11.9M .
- Clinical KPIs remained strong: tests performed up 9% YoY to 321,679 and average revenue per test increased 5% to $465 .
- Management reaffirmed FY2025 guidance: revenue $735–$745M, adjusted EBITDA $55–$58M, GAAP net loss $(85)–$(76)M; Q1 expected to be ~23% of full-year revenue and 8–10% of FY adjusted EBITDA, reflecting front‑loaded investments and back‑half growth .
- Stock-relevant catalysts: accelerating NGS adoption (Q4 +24%; FY +34%), impending clinical launch of PanTracer liquid biopsy (H1 2025) and HRD expansion, plus long‑range plan targeting 12–13% annual revenue growth and 100–150 bps yearly gross margin expansion .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Highest adjusted gross margin in five years (48.0%) and sixth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA, supported by automation, mix shift to higher-value tests and RCM initiatives .
- Robust NGS growth: +24% in Q4 and +34% for FY; NGS now represents over 30% of total revenue, underpinning AUP gains and margin expansion .
- Strong balance sheet and liquidity: cash and marketable securities of $387M; plan to retire May 2025 convertible notes ($201M principal) with cash on hand .
- “Adjusted gross margins improved to 48%, the highest in 20 quarters or 5 years” — CEO Chris Smith .
- “We still intend to pay off our May 2025 convertible notes… using existing cash and marketable securities” — CFO Jeff Sherman .
What Went Wrong
- Advanced Diagnostics softness in Q4 due to lack of customary pharma year-end “budget flush” and constraints on new RaDaR contracts, tempering revenue in that segment .
- GAAP net loss of $15.3M (vs. $14.3M in Q4 2023) amid higher compensation, technology costs, and depreciation; operating expenses up 11% YoY to $95.7M .
- Ongoing MRD litigation: preliminary and permanent injunctions on RaDaR 1.0; trial on RaDaR 1.1 patents scheduled for October 2025, creating near‑term uncertainty for new MRD revenues .
Financial Results
Quarterly Trend (Q2 → Q3 → Q4 2024)
Year-over-Year (Q4 2023 vs Q4 2024)
Segment Breakdown (structure change in Q4)
Note: In Q4 2024, the company streamlined operations and combined Clinical Services and Advanced Diagnostics under a single segment .
KPIs
Q4 2024 vs Estimates (S&P Global)
Consensus estimates were unavailable at the time of query.
Guidance Changes
Additional color: Management expects Q1 to be ~23% of FY revenue and 8–10% of FY adjusted EBITDA given front‑loaded investments and back‑end ramp, consistent with historical seasonality .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We have now grown revenue double-digits for 9 consecutive quarters and… turned around adjusted EBITDA from a negative $48 million in 2022 to a positive $40 million in 2024.” — CEO Chris Smith .
- “We… drove over 240 basis points of gross margin improvement in the second half and full year of 2024 versus prior year.” — CFO Jeff Sherman .
- “We believe the company has the potential to continue to grow the NGS business by 25% annually… we see about 100 to 150 basis points of [gross margin] expansion each year.” — CEO Chris Smith (long‑range plan) .
- “We saw 24% growth in NGS in the quarter and 34% for the year. NGS now represents over 30% of our total revenue.” — CEO Chris Smith .
- “We will launch NEO PanTracer liquid biopsy… in the first half of this year… and an upgrade to our Neo Comprehensive NGS panel to include HRD.” — CIO Andrew Lukowiak .
Q&A Highlights
- Guidance cadence: Q1 to represent ~23% of FY revenue and 8–10% of FY adjusted EBITDA; investments in sales/R&D in H1 enable H2 acceleration .
- AUP drivers: Expect similar volume/AUP mix to 2024; ~60% of AUP increase driven by NGS, balance from price/mix/RCM .
- PanTracer economics/strategy: High‑value test expected to be gross margin accretive; includes TMB/MSI; concurrent tissue+liquid testing to drive share in community oncology .
- MRD roadmap: CLIA validation for RaDaR 1.1 targeted late Q1/early Q2; plan to run 1.1 for surveillance and next‑gen for higher sensitivity settings; jury trial in Oct 2025 .
- Pharma/ADx outlook: No traditional Q4 budget flush; expect modest growth in pharma, better in Oncology Data Solutions (informatics) .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus for Q4 2024 revenue and EPS was unavailable at time of query; thus, we cannot quantify beat/miss versus Street. Management’s reaffirmed FY2025 guidance ($735–$745M revenue; $55–$58M adjusted EBITDA) and back‑half weighting suggest potential for estimate revisions toward H2 contributions as PanTracer and HRD enhancements roll out .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Mix shift to NGS is durable: Q4 +24% and FY +34% with NGS >30% of revenue; supports continued AUP and margin expansion .
- Margin trajectory intact: Adjusted gross margin hit 48.0% (20‑quarter high); management targets 100–150 bps annual gross margin expansion and 250–300 bps annual adjusted EBITDA margin improvement long term .
- Near‑term growth cadence: Expect softer Q1 and back‑half acceleration tied to sales force ramp and new product launches (PanTracer; HRD expansion) .
- Liquidity and de‑risking: $387M cash/marketable securities and intention to retire May 2025 convert with cash strengthen balance sheet and reduce financing risk .
- ADx/informatics is a watch item: Q4 softness due to lack of budget flush and RaDaR constraints; management expects modest pharma growth and better momentum in data solutions .
- Litigation overhang persists but execution plan in place: CLIA validation path for RaDaR 1.1 and next‑gen MRD, with trial scheduled Oct 2025; strategy to segment use cases by sensitivity/cost .
- Commercial execution improving: Expanded sales resources (~140 reps), stronger interfaces (3x), and higher NPS should sustain share gains in community oncology .