Release Date: March 13, 2025
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
- Heritage Global Inc (HGBL, Financial) maintained profitability across all business units throughout 2024 despite challenging conditions.
- The company reported a strong cash flow position with $9 million for the year and $2 million in Q4.
- Heritage Global Inc (HGBL) has near zero debt, providing financial flexibility.
- The company is experiencing a robust and growing market for auctions, driven by high default volumes and increased demand for used equipment.
- Heritage Global Inc (HGBL) has expanded its warehouse and staffing to meet anticipated demand, positioning itself for growth in 2025.
Negative Points
- The industrial assets division saw a decline in operating income, reporting $800,000 in Q4 2024 compared to $1.6 million in the prior year.
- The financial assets division's brokerage business recorded a decrease in operating income from $2.7 million in Q4 2023 to $1.7 million in Q4 2024.
- The company recorded a net loss of $200,000 in Q4 2024, partly due to a $1.3 million adjustment to the income tax valuation allowance.
- Heritage Global Inc (HGBL) faced challenges with delayed projects in Q3 and Q4, impacting larger deal closures.
- The company's stock is perceived as undervalued, trading at a lower P/E ratio compared to peers, which may affect investor sentiment.
Q & A Highlights
Q: Did you increase any provisions on the loan book, and how does this relate to the tax asset side?
A: We have not significantly changed the reserve against the loan book. The tax evaluation allowance changed due to lower forecasts for 2025, primarily because of the loan book's non-accrual status. - Brian Cobb, CFO
Q: What needs to happen for the financial asset business to grow, given the favorable macro backdrop?
A: There's a timing issue between defaults and charge-offs. With defaults increasing, we expect more charge-offs, which is our market. We are optimistic about the next 6 to 24 months due to this expected increase in product flow. - Ross Dove, CEO
Q: Can you discuss your increased capacity to serve the industrial market?
A: We acquired a new building for more space to relocate assets and expanded our team to analyze and value assets. We are preparing for a wave of plant closings and anticipate being very busy. - Ross Dove, CEO
Q: What types of assets do you anticipate building up in the NLEX business?
A: We are focusing on defaults in credit cards and auto loans, as higher default rates lead to more charge-offs. We see more sellers entering the market due to pressure to alleviate non-performing loans from their balance sheets. - Ross Dove, CEO
Q: How do you plan to finance potential M&A deals?
A: We prefer not to use our stock due to its low price. We would use a combination of debt and equity, with $15 million-plus cash in the bank and a $10 million credit line. - Ross Dove, CEO
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
