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NICHOLAS FINANCIAL INC (NICK)·Q3 2024 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Reported net loss of $11.7 million and basic/diluted EPS of $(1.60); interest and fee income declined 55.8% year over year to $4.95 million as the company moved to sell its loan portfolio and ceased originations .
  • Strategic pivot advanced: finance receivables reclassified to held-for-sale with a $19.5 million valuation allowance; management aims to free capital and utilize NOLs while originations remain discontinued and servicing is outsourced to WPM .
  • Operating expenses fell 59.2% year over year to $4.0 million; across the nine months, the credit facility was fully repaid ($29.1 million) and cash rose by $7.4 million, reflecting deliberate deleveraging .
  • Quarterly trajectory: interest and fee income fell from $6.33 million in Q2 to $4.95 million in Q3; net loss widened (Q2 $(10.5) million → Q3 $(11.7) million); net charge-offs eased from 58.2% in Q2 to 34.8% in Q3, but remained elevated .
  • Potential catalysts ahead: shareholder outcomes and closing of the Loan Portfolio Sale to Westlake; portfolio fair‑value marks and capital redeployment strategy to leverage deferred tax assets/NOLs .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

  • Operating expenses down 59.2% year over year to $4.0 million due to restructuring and outsourced servicing; payroll cut ~77% and branch/admin costs down ~49% .
  • Deleveraging progress: nine-month period saw full pay‑down of $29.1 million credit facility and cash increase of $7.4 million, strengthening liquidity .
  • Strategic plan clarity: management reiterated that selling the loan portfolio should free capital and enable use of net operating losses to drive shareholder returns .

What Went Wrong

  • Elevated credit costs: net charge-off percentage spiked versus prior year to 34.83% (from 16.57%), reflecting macro pressure on consumers’ ability to meet obligations .
  • Revenue compression: interest and fee income declined to $4.95 million (−55.8% YoY) driven by reduced originations and a held‑for‑sale classification .
  • Fair value hit: reclassification to held‑for‑sale triggered a $19.5 million valuation allowance; Q3 included $23.1 million fair‑value and other adjustments .

Financial Results

MetricQ1 2024Q2 2024Q3 2024
Interest and fee income on finance receivables ($USD Millions)$7.083 $6.330 $4.954
Net income (loss) ($USD Millions)$1.556 $(10.485) $(11.661)
Basic EPS ($USD)$0.21 $(1.44) $(1.60)
Operating expenses ($USD Millions)$4.237 $4.295 $4.000
Portfolio yield (%)23.46% 25.40% 28.23%
Net charge-off percentage (%)9.58% 58.20% 34.83%

KPIs – Purchases/Originations

KPIQ1 2024Q2 2024Q3 2024
Contracts purchases ($USD Thousands)$2,720 $2,543 $252
Number of contracts219 209 20
Average APR (%)22.0% 22.3% 21.9%
Average discount (%)6.0% 6.3% 6.6%
Average term (months)50 49 51
Average amount financed ($USD)$12,420 $12,167 $12,600
Direct loans originations ($USD Thousands)$0 $0 $0

Delinquency Snapshot (Total %)

PortfolioQ1 2024Q2 2024Q3 2024
Contracts – Total delinquency (%)19.80% 16.57% 18.33%
Direct Loans – Total delinquency (%)23.00% 15.45% 18.76%

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious Guidance/ContextCurrent Guidance/ContextChange
Loan Portfolio SaleFY2024 Q2–Q3Executed Master Asset Purchase Agreement with Westlake; cease new originations; WPM to continue servicing pending close Finance receivables reclassified to held for sale; $19.5M valuation allowance; originations discontinued; portfolio serviced by third party Maintained/advanced
Provision/Allowance methodologyQ2→Q3CECL provision elevated ($12.4M in Q2); net charge-offs 58.2% Allowance reversed due to held-for-sale classification; fair value and other adjustments of $23.1M; net charge-offs 34.8% Lowered (methodology shift)
Operating expensesQ2→Q3Operating expenses $4.3M Operating expenses $4.0M; payroll down ~77%; branch/admin down ~49% Lowered
OriginationsQ2→Q3Contracts purchases $2.543M; direct loans $0 Contracts purchases $0.252M; direct loans $0; origination discontinued Lowered

No formal quantitative guidance on revenue/margins/tax or dividends was provided in the Q3 press release .

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

No Q3 FY2024 earnings call transcript was available in our document catalog; themes below reflect press releases.

TopicPrevious Mentions (Q1 & Q2)Current Period (Q3)Trend
Operating strategy & restructuringQ1: Returned to profitability via restructuring and cost reductions ; Q2: Announced asset sale to Westlake and ceased new originations Receivables moved to held-for-sale; valuation allowance recorded; originations discontinued; third‑party servicing Transitioning away from legacy auto finance; pivot to capital redeployment
Servicing model (WPM)WPM servicing established in Dec 2022; continued Portfolio serviced by third party while originations discontinued Stable outsourced servicing
Credit performanceQ1 net charge‑offs 9.58% ; Q2 net charge‑offs 58.20% Net charge‑offs 34.83%; consumers under pressure Elevated but moderating vs Q2
Capital & leverageQ1 debt down $13.9M ; Q2 debt down $25.3M; cash modestly up Nine months: credit facility fully repaid ($29.1M); cash up $7.4M Deleveraging progressing
Strategic alternatives/NOLsExploring use of proceeds/NOLs post-sale Intent to maximize deferred tax asset value and redeploy capital Continued emphasis on tax assets and M&A/investment

Management Commentary

  • “We are pleased to announce income of $1.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023… The focus has been to reduce operating expenses and free up capital permitting the Company to allocate excess capital to increase shareholder returns.” — Mike Rost, CEO (Q1 FY2024 press release) .
  • “The Company has agreed to sell substantially all of the Company’s assets to Westlake… for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $65.6 million…” (Q2 FY2024 press release) .
  • “Management believes the Loan Portfolio Sale will free up capital and permit the Company to allocate excess capital and utilize net operating losses to increase shareholder returns…” (Q3 FY2024 press release) .

Q&A Highlights

No public Q3 FY2024 earnings call transcript was located; therefore, there are no Q&A highlights to report for this quarter [Search showed none; ListDocuments returned none for earnings-call-transcript in period] [SearchDocuments] [ListDocuments].

Estimates Context

S&P Global/Capital IQ consensus estimates for NICK were unavailable due to missing CIQ mapping; as a result, comparisons to Wall Street consensus for Q3 FY2024 could not be performed [SpgiEstimatesError].

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • The quarter’s core story is the pivot: reclassification of receivables to held‑for‑sale and $19.5 million valuation allowance mark a decisive step toward an asset sale and capital redeployment strategy leveraging NOLs .
  • Revenue pressure and losses reflect intentional runoff and fair‑value accounting effects; interest and fee income fell to $4.95 million while net loss reached $(11.7) million .
  • Cost structure improvement is tangible: operating expenses reduced to $4.0 million with deep cuts in payroll and branch/admin costs, supporting liquidity amid portfolio runoff .
  • Credit metrics remain the swing factor: net charge‑offs moderated to 34.83% from 58.20% in Q2, but still high; this will influence portfolio marks and near‑term earnings variability until the sale closes .
  • Balance sheet actions de‑risked the profile: nine‑month full repayment of the $29.1 million credit facility and higher cash offer flexibility ahead of strategic decisions .
  • Near‑term trading hinges on milestones: shareholder approvals, closing and terms of the Westlake sale, and any updates on redeployment/acquisition plans tied to maximizing deferred tax assets .
  • Without consensus estimates, framing and timing of sale execution and capital allocation updates will be the primary narrative drivers for the stock pending clearer forward metrics [SpgiEstimatesError].