VH
Venu Holding Corp (VENU)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q1 2025 revenue was $3.50M, down 11% year over year, with a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $18.06M; management attributed softer top-line to a daypart shift at Notes Eatery and slightly weaker performance at Bourbon Brothers and Phil Long Event Center in Colorado Springs .
- Luxe FireSuite and Aikman Club fractional ownership sales reached $38.7M in Q1, including $12.5M from the newly launched structured financing program since late February, bolstering balance sheet assets and development funding; total assets rose 19% q/q to $212.9M and property & equipment rose 33% q/q to $182.9M .
- Guidance reiterated: a development profit expected in 2025 (sale-leaseback of Ford Amphitheater ground) and first operational profitability targeted in 2026 with four major venues online; expansion accelerated via Ryan LLC, with two new public-private partnerships per quarter envisioned .
- Catalysts: formal acquisition of the ~20-acre El Paso site with $8M forgivable loan and incentives, and structured financing expanding the buyer pool (including triple-net investors), plus sponsorship push via Connect Partnership Group; board strengthened by adding ex-Barings CEO Tom Finke .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Record fractional ownership momentum: “over $38,000,000 in fractional ownership sales across our venues… well on our way toward our quarter of a billion dollar goal in 2025” . Structured financing uptake: 32% of buyers opted to finance purchases since launch .
- Strategic partnerships to accelerate expansion and monetization: Ryan LLC to deliver two new public-private partnerships per quarter; Sands Investment Group to market NNN FireSuites targeting 11–12% cap rates; Connect Partnership Group to lead sponsorship sales .
- Asset base and pipeline strengthened: Total assets +$34.5M q/q to $212.9M; property & equipment +$45.7M q/q; El Paso development footprint expanded to 20 acres with incentives and $100M minimum investment commitment .
What Went Wrong
- Revenue declined 11% YoY to $3.50M, with notable softness in restaurant and event center revenues; restaurant revenue fell to $2.04M (from $2.58M), event center revenue to $0.98M (from $1.32M) .
- Operating costs scaled with development stage: total operating costs rose to $22.04M (from $16.91M), including $11.34M in equity-based compensation and $1.38M depreciation/amortization; loss from operations widened to $(18.54)M .
- Cash burn intensified: cash used in operations was $(9.04)M; capex was $(22.05)M; interest expense rose to $(1.05)M as debt and convertible liabilities ramped to fund development .
Financial Results
Quarterly P&L and Margins (Sequential comparison)
Values with * retrieved from S&P Global.
Year-over-Year (Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024)
Note: Prior period EPS is not directly comparable due to differing share classes in Q1 2024 (Class B/C/D) .
Segment Revenue Breakdown
KPIs and Balance Sheet Highlights
Guidance Changes
No formal numeric guidance provided for revenue, margins, OpEx, OI&E or tax rate in Q1 materials .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Q1 posted our biggest quarter yet with over $38,000,000 in fractional ownership sales… we will not look back at our losses this first quarter and apologize. The bulk of these costs were noncash and nonrecurring development expenses.” — JW Roth (Founder/CEO) .
- “Since launching, we have seen more than 32% of our buyers choose to finance… qualified investors can now participate… under a triple net lease structure, offering a projected 11% to 12% cap rate.” — JW Roth .
- “Our total assets increased 19% for the quarter… to $212,882,187… property and equipment increased 33% to $182,906,195.” — Heather Atkinson (CFO) .
- “Q1 top line sales were modestly lower year over year, driven by a daypart shift at Notes Eatery and a slightly softer performance at Bourbon Brothers and Phil Long Event Center.” — Will Hodgson (President) .
Q&A Highlights
- Expansion pace via Ryan LLC: committed to “two new public-private partnerships per quarter,” potentially adding $100–$300M to the balance sheet per agreement, materially accelerating unit growth .
- Structured financing and NNN investor channel: financing increased sales ~32%; NNN investors targeted via Sands, with VENU managing suites to deliver 11–12% cap rates .
- Multi-season design: year-round operations within amphitheaters to increase dwell time, content, and margins; scalable capacity to match artist demand .
- Profitability roadmap: development profit in 2025 via sale-leaseback; operational profitability in 2026 as McKinney, El Paso, Broken Arrow and Ford-related hospitality collections come online .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus coverage appears limited for VENU’s Q1 2025; Primary EPS Consensus Mean unavailable; Revenue Consensus Mean unavailable; EBITDA Consensus Mean unavailable. Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- With limited coverage, estimates likely need to incorporate: lower near-term operating revenue from current venues, rising development-driven OpEx, and strong fractional ownership proceeds that bolster assets but are not recognized as operating revenue .
Actuals vs Consensus (Q1 2025)
Values with * retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Development-led balance sheet growth remains the central story: assets and property & equipment expanded sharply, supported by $38.7M FireSuites sales and El Paso site acquisition/incentive package .
- Near-term P&L pressure reflects non-cash development costs; management reiterates a 2025 development profit and 2026 operational profitability, contingent on execution of multi-season venues and pipeline delivery .
- Structured financing and NNN channel are expanding the buyer pool, potentially sustaining fractional ownership momentum and funding without excessive reliance on debt .
- Sponsorship and monetization levers (Connect Partnership Group) plus dwell-time strategies in hospitality are positioned to lift unit economics as venues open and scale .
- Sequential revenue trend (Q3→Q4→Q1) is down into the seasonal trough; watch Q2/Q3 seasonality, sponsorship recognition, and Ford Amphitheater event cadence for operating leverage .
- Execution risks: capital intensity, cash burn, rising interest expense, and timeline dependencies in PPPs; El Paso PPP amendments raise scope to $100M and 20 acres with clear performance obligations .
- Trading lens: stock likely reacts to evidence of pipeline conversion (new PPP announcements), FireSuites momentum (monthly updates), and clarity on timing/magnitude of 2025 development profit; board addition of Tom Finke signals capital markets discipline .