LIBERTY TAX Service Fiscal 2013 First Quarter Results
UnhappyFranchisee.com – LIBERTY TAX Service Reports Fiscal 2013 First Quarter Results
JTH Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAX), franchisor of Liberty Tax Service, reported a $6.2 million loss for loss for the fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2012.
The press release from JTH Holding Inc. included interesting information regarding the performance of existing Liberty Tax franchise owners, as well as the recruitment of new Liberty Tax franchisees.
Also read:
LIBERTY TAX SERVICE Franchise Complaints
According to the Liberty Tax press release (below):
Liberty Tax has held a record number of franchisee meetings this quarter.
“During the first quarter the Company held a record number of meetings with franchisees planning for the 2013 tax season. “The involvement of our franchisees in our tax season planning is one of the key attributes that separates Liberty from the other national players,” noted John Hewitt, Chairman and CEO.
John Hewitt considers franchisee input the key to Liberty Tax’s success
“The marketplace insights provided by our franchisees allow us to continually enhance our system of doing business, which is a key to our success,” noted Hewitt.
Liberty Tax franchise sales activity is up 27%
The Company reported that its franchise sales season is off to a good start with leads, conference call attendance and seminar visits all up by more than 27% from fiscal 2012. During the previous two years, approximately 10% of the Company’s yearly territory sales and new franchisees closed during the first quarter. “Although the economic climate has reduced the amount of available investment capital for new and existing franchisees, I am very pleased with the interest levels shown during the first quarter by potential new franchisees and the eagerness of our existing franchisees to consider expanding,” said Mr. Hewitt.
JTH Holding lent franchisees $68M at 12% interest, John Hewitt $750,000 at 4.5%
According to UnhappyFranchisee.com commenter Bill:
Looking over the 10K and you see that Liberty tax lent John 750,000 at 4.5% meanwhile they sock it to the franchisees at 12%.
341 Liberty Tax locations (8.8%) closed in 2011
Bill states:
The 10K will also show you the 341 stores closed in 2011 a failure rate of 8.8% based on number of stores open in 2011. 2012 results show the average store did 523 returns. The net average fee was $173.00. The average store revenue was $85,847. These figures are an average. A new store is more likely to have a return count of around 150 to 200 and grow around 15% per year over the next couple of years. For people that already have the tax knowledge, the purchase of any franchise doesn’t make sense if that is the kind of return volume you are going to do.
Are you familiar with the Liberty Tax franchise or JTH Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAX)? Share a comment below.
Here is the company press release, distributed Aug. 29, 2012
JTH Holding Inc : Liberty Tax Service Reports Fiscal 2013 First Quarter Results
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.–Aug. 29, 2012– JTH Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAX)( the “Company”), the parent company of Liberty Tax Service, today reported a net loss for the fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2012, of $6.2 million, or $0.51 per share, compared to a loss of $5.0 million, or $0.44 per share, in the prior year period. Revenues grew 39% to $6.8 million for the fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2012 compared to the prior year period. The Company’s operating expenses in the quarter included approximately $525,000 of costs associated with being a public company that were not incurred in the prior year quarter.
“We are pleased to announce first quarter financial performance, in-line with our expectations,” noted Mark Baumgartner, CFO. “Increased losses in our first and second quarter, when compared to prior periods, are expected as our company prepares for another high growth tax season,” explained Baumgartner.
Traditionally the Company spends a significant portion of the first quarter of its fiscal year planning for the upcoming tax season and kicking off the franchise sales season. During the first quarter the Company held a record number of meetings with franchisees planning for the 2013 tax season. “The involvement of our franchisees in our tax season planning is one of the key attributes that separates Liberty from the other national players,” noted John Hewitt, Chairman and CEO. “The marketplace insights provided by our franchisees allow us to continually enhance our system of doing business, which is a key to our success,” noted Hewitt. The Company plans to host an Investor Day in New York on December 12, 2012, at which time the Company anticipates sharing some of its 2013 plans.
The Company reported that its franchise sales season is off to a good start with leads, conference call attendance and seminar visits all up by more than 27% from fiscal 2012. During the previous two years, approximately 10% of the Company’s yearly territory sales and new franchisees closed during the first quarter. “Although the economic climate has reduced the amount of available investment capital for new and existing franchisees, I am very pleased with the interest levels shown during the first quarter by potential new franchisees and the eagerness of our existing franchisees to consider expanding,” said Mr. Hewitt. The Company plans to provide detailed sales activity in the second and third quarters, when historically, the cumulative closing activity becomes significant.
The Company also announced that its first meeting of stockholders since becoming a public company will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 16, 2012 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The Board of Directors of the Company has established the close of business on September 19, 2012 as the record date for stockholders to vote at the meeting.
Conference Call
At 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on August 29, 2012, the Company will host a conference call for analysts, investors and shareholders. To access the call, please dial the number below approximately 5 to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time:
U.S./Canada
866-713-8307
International
617-597-5307
Passcode:
39414021
The call will also be webcast in a listen-only format. The link to the webcast may be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at www.libertytax.com
A replay of the call will be available beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. eastern on August 29, 2012 and continuing until September 5, 2012, by dialing (888) 286-8010 (U.S./Canada) or (617) 801-6888 (International). The participant passcode is 92585839.
About JTH Holding, Inc.
JTH Holding, Inc. is the parent company of Liberty Tax Service. Liberty Tax Service is the fastest-growing retail tax preparation company in the industry’s history. Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, a pioneer in the tax industry, Liberty Tax Service has prepared over 10 million individual income tax returns. With 43 years of tax industry experience, Hewitt stands as the most experienced CEO in the tax preparation business, having also founded Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. Liberty Tax Service is the only tax franchise on the recently released Forbes “Top 20 Franchises for the Buck.”
| JTH Holding, Inc. | ||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||||
| Unaudited, amounts in thousands | ||||||
| July 31 | April 30 | |||||
| 2012 | 2012 | |||||
|
Assets |
||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 2,228 | $ | 19,848 | ||
| Receivables, net | 73,129 | 76,776 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 8,393 | 5,655 | ||||
|
Total current assets |
83,750 | 102,279 | ||||
| Property, equipment, and software, net | 25,462 | 23,948 | ||||
| Notes receivable, excluding current portion, net | 37,544 | 35,863 | ||||
| Goodwill | 1,913 | 1,913 | ||||
| Other intangible assets, net | 25,483 | 22,158 | ||||
| Other assets, net | 2,589 | 2,580 | ||||
| Total assets | $ | 176,741 | $ | 188,741 | ||
|
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity |
||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||
| Current installments of long-term debt | $ | 3,174 | $ | 2,736 | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 7,301 | 14,170 | ||||
| Due to area developers | 15,859 | 21,893 | ||||
| Income taxes payable | – | 6,689 | ||||
| Other current liabilities | 4,452 | 4,492 | ||||
|
Total current liabilities |
30,786 | 49,980 | ||||
| Long-term debt, excluding current installments | 25,756 | 26,249 | ||||
| Revolving credit facility | 11,078 | – | ||||
| Other non-current liabilities | 13,839 | 12,310 | ||||
|
Total liabilities |
81,459 | 88,539 | ||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||
| Class A preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share | – | 2,129 | ||||
| Special voting preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share | – | – | ||||
| Class A common stock, $0.01 par value per share | 121 | 103 | ||||
| Class B common stock, $0.01 par value per share | 9 | 9 | ||||
| Exchangeable shares, $0.01 par value | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 6,708 | 3,182 | ||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes | 493 | 676 | ||||
| Retained earnings | 87,950 | 94,102 | ||||
|
Total stockholders’ equity |
95,282 | 100,202 | ||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 176,741 | $ | 188,741 | ||
| JTH Holding, Inc. | ||||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Income Statement | ||||||||
| Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except per share and share data | ||||||||
| Three months ended July 31, | ||||||||
| 2012 | 2011 | |||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||
| Franchise fees, net | $ | 2,411 | $ | 1,203 | ||||
| Royalties and advertising fees | 1,007 | 1,018 | ||||||
| Financial products | 302 | 159 | ||||||
| Interest income | 2,659 | 2,021 | ||||||
| Tax preparation fees, net of discounts | 216 | 156 | ||||||
| Other revenue | 191 | 311 | ||||||
|
Total revenues |
6,786 | 4,868 | ||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||
| Employee compensation and benefits | 6,666 | 5,650 | ||||||
| General and administrative expenses | 5,616 | 3,844 | ||||||
| Advertising expense | 2,560 | 1,790 | ||||||
| Depreciation, amortization, and impairment charges | 1,891 | 1,622 | ||||||
|
Total operating expenses |
16,733 | 12,906 | ||||||
|
Loss from operations |
(9,947 | ) | (8,038 | ) | ||||
| Other income (expense): | ||||||||
| Foreign currency transaction gains | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Interest expense | (292 | ) | (312 | ) | ||||
|
Loss before income taxes |
(10,237 | ) | (8,348 | ) | ||||
| Income tax benefit | (4,085 | ) | (3,369 | ) | ||||
| Net loss | $ | (6,152 | ) | $ | (4,979 | ) | ||
| Net loss attributable to common stockholders | ||||||||
| Basic and Diluted | $ | (0.51 | ) | $ | (0.44 | ) | ||
| Weighted-average shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Basic and Diluted | 12,170,977 | 11,361,258 | ||||||
| JTH Holding, Inc. | ||||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | ||||||||
| Unaudited, amounts in thousands | ||||||||
| Three months ended July 31, | ||||||||
| 2012 | 2011 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (16,217 | ) | $ | (11,384 | ) | ||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | ||||||||
| Issuance of operating loans to franchisees | (9,956 | ) | (7,985 | ) | ||||
| Payments received on operating loans from franchisees | 999 | 1,134 | ||||||
| Purchases of assets from franchisees | (1,329 | ) | (285 | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of customer lists and other assets | 350 | 87 | ||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (1,976 | ) | (3,267 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (11,912 | ) | (10,316 | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from the exercise of stock options | 1,592 | 21 | ||||||
| Repurchase of common stock | (843 | ) | (1,654 | ) | ||||
| Repayment of long-term debt | (1,561 | ) | (704 | ) | ||||
| Borrowings under revolving credit facility | 11,078 | 28,597 | ||||||
| Repayments under revolving credit facility | – | (4,145 | ) | |||||
| Payment for debt issue costs | (8 | ) | – | |||||
| Tax benefit of stock option exercises | 269 | 458 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 10,527 | 22,573 | ||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, net | (18 | ) | (1 | ) | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | (17,620 | ) | 872 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 19,848 | 1,662 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 2,228 | $ | 2,534 | ||||
| Supplementary cash flow data: | ||||||||
| Cash paid for interest, net | $ | 282 | $ | 221 | ||||
| Cash paid for taxes, net | 6,364 | 6,968 | ||||||
JTH Holding, Inc.
Mark F. Baumgartner, 757-493-8855
investorrelations@libtax.com
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