Louisville, Colorado, March 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CEA Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: CEAD, CEADW) (“CEA Industries” or the “Company”), is reporting results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Full Year 2023 Financial Summary (in $ thousands, excl. margin items):
FY 2023
FY 2022
Revenue
$
6,911
$
11,283
Gross Profit
$
542
$
1,145
Gross Margin
7.8
%
10.1
%
Operating Expenses
$
3,495
$
6,869
Net Income/(Loss)
$
(2,912
)
$
(5,497
)
“We continue to operate under the lean cost structure implemented during 2023, with a focus on expense reduction and capital preservation, as we manage through our remaining backlog,” said Tony McDonald, Chairman and CEO of CEA Industries. “Subsequent to year-end we enacted additional headcount reductions, which we anticipate will result in annualized cost savings of ~$230,000, in support of our ongoing efforts to optimize our operating expense profile.”
Mr. McDonald continued: “As previously announced on August 14, 2023, the Board of Directors remains steadfast in their examination of strategic alternatives, including a sale, merger, or other potential strategic or financial transaction. We will provide updates on any material developments that result from this process.”
Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $0.3 million compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily attributed to lower bookings over the last twelve months.
Net bookings in the fourth quarter of 2023 were $0.1 million compared to $0.2 million in the year-ago period. The Company’s quarter-end backlog was $0.4 million compared to $5.6 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease in the Company’s net bookings and backlog for the fourth quarter of 2023 was primarily driven by fewer capital expenditures by cannabis operators in the markets served by the Company, in addition to a reduced sales effort.
Gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $(0.3) million compared to $0.2 million for the same period in 2022. Gross margin was (113.8%) compared to 10.3% in the prior year period. The decrease in gross margin was primarily driven by lower revenue and fixed costs becoming a larger percentage of revenue. Fixed costs include the cost of services, engineering, manufacturing, and project management.
Operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023 decreased 51% to $0.7 million compared to $1.4 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily driven by reduced personnel and marketing costs and lower product development expenses.
Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2023 improved to $1.0 million or $(0.12) per share, compared to a net loss of $1.3 million or $(0.18) per share for the same period in 2022.
Cash and cash equivalents were $12.5 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $18.6 million on December 31, 2022, while working capital decreased by $2.6 million during this period. At December 31, 2023, the Company remained debt free.
About CEA Industries Inc.
CEA Industries Inc. (www.ceaindustries.com) provides a suite of complementary and adjacent offerings to the controlled environment agriculture industry. The Company’s comprehensive solutions, when aligned with industry operators’ product and sales initiatives, support the development of the global ecosystem for indoor cultivation.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. These statements reflect our current beliefs, and a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in this press release, including the factors set forth in “Risk Factors” set forth in our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and subsequent filings with the SEC. Please refer to our SEC filings for a more detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties associated with our business prospects and the prospects of our existing and prospective customers; the inherent uncertainty of product development; regulatory, legislative and judicial developments, especially those related to changes in, and the enforcement of, cannabis laws; increasing competitive pressures in our industry; and relationships with our customers and suppliers. Except as required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The reference to CEA’s website has been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our financial results on U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) basis, we use non-GAAP measures including net bookings and backlog, as well as other significant non-cash expenses such as stock-based compensation and depreciation expenses. We believe these non-GAAP measures are helpful in understanding our past performance and are intended to aid in evaluating our potential future results. The presentation of these non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to our GAAP results and are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information prepared or presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way to view aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business.
