DIGITAL ALLY, INC ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER 2023 OPERATING RESULTS

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Digital Ally, Inc.
Digital Ally, Inc.

LENEXA, Kansas, Nov. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Ally, Inc. (Nasdaq: DGLY) (the “Company” or “our”), today announced its operating results for the third quarter 2023. An investor conference call is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 (see details below).

All share and price per share information in this press release has been adjusted to reflect the Company’s 1-for-20 reverse stock split, which was effective on February 6, 2023.

Highlights for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023

Total revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2023 were $6,337,699, a decrease of $2,146,454, or (25%), as compared to $8,484,153 for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Overall product revenues were $2,095,237 for the three months ended September 30, 2023, a decrease of $967,136, or (32%), as compared to $3,062,373 for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in product revenues for the period is attributable to the Entertainment Segment’s (the “Entertainment Segment”) efforts to reduce expenses and maximize their margins, thus leading to a significant decrease in product revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the three months in September 30, 2022. Service and other revenues also experienced a decline during the three months ended September 30, 2023, in comparison to the same period in 2022, due to a reduction in marketing expenses within the Entertainment Segment, that resulted in a correlating decline in service revenues for the period. The primary reason for the overall revenue decrease is a decrease of $876,542, or (33%), in service revenues from 2022 levels at the Entertainment Segment, due to the reduction in marketing expenses within the Entertainment Segment throughout the period.

 

 

On September 1, 2021, the Company formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, TicketSmarter, Inc., through which the Company completed the acquisition of Goody Tickets, LLC (“Goody Tickets”) and TicketSmarter, LLC (“TicketSmarter”) (collectively the “TicketSmarter Acquisition”). Goody Tickets and TicketSmarter®, are ticket resale marketplaces with seats offered at over 125,000 live events, offering over 48 million tickets for sale through its TicketSmarter.com platform. Within this Entertainment Segment, the Company also formed Kustom 440, Inc. (“Kustom 440”) in late 2022 to create unique entertainment experiences through concerts, festivals, and private experiences. This segment generated additional revenues totaling $2,903,808 in service and product revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2023, a decrease of $1,472,306, or (34%), as compared to $4,376,114 in service and product revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease is largely due to management’s focus on right-sizing the Entertainment Segment, and working towards profitability; thus, decreasing marketing expenses, directly correlating to a decrease in revenues.


We entered the revenue cycle management business late in the second quarter of 2021 with the formation of our wholly owned subsidiary, Digital Ally Healthcare, Inc. and its majority-owned subsidiary Nobility Healthcare, LLC (“Nobility Healthcare”). Nobility Healthcare completed its first acquisition on June 30, 2021, when it acquired a private medical billing company, and a second acquisition on August 31, 2021 upon the completion of its acquisition of another private medical billing company. On January 1, 2022, Nobility Healthcare completed the acquisition of 100% of the capital stock of a private dental billing company. Additionally, on February 1, 2022, Nobility Healthcare also completed an asset purchase for a portfolio of a medical billing company. These acquisitions further enhanced the Company’s Revenue Cycle Management Operating Segment (the “Revenue Cycle Management Operating Segment”), which provides revenue cycle management solutions to medium to large healthcare organizations throughout the country. These acquisitions, along with the Revenue Cycle Management Operating Segment’s acquisitions that were previously completed in 2021, generated service revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2023 of $1,636,543, a decrease of $378,569, or (19%), as compared to $2,015,112 for the three months ended September 30, 2022.


 

Our healthcare venture is following a roll-up strategy in the medical billing industry. The venture’s acquisition targets include the approximate 6,000 medical billing companies in the United States, most of which are relatively small and closely-held private companies. Each year a portion of these company owners sell because they want to retire or exit the business for other pursuits. The Company saw the opportunity to form the venture and provide the capital to make acquisitions and pursue the medical billing company roll-up strategy at a faster pace. We expect our healthcare venture to continue its track record of providing superior medical billing services and practice management services, as well as executing a profitable roll-up strategy.

 

 

Overall gross profits for the three months ended September 30, 2023 were $1,595,500, an increase of $630,649, or 106%, as compared to $595,500 for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The overall increase is attributable to the consistent focus on the cost of goods sold, particularly surrounding the Entertainment Segment, as well as the enhanced margins within the Video Solutions Segment (the “Video Solutions Segment”), with its newer product offerings. Our goal is to improve our margins over the longer term based on the expected margins generated by our new recent Revenue Cycle Management Operating Segment and Entertainment Segment together with our Video Solutions Segment and its expected margins from our EVO-Fleet, EVO-HD, DVM-800, VuLink, FirstVu Pro, FirstVu II, Shield disinfectants and our cloud evidence storage and management offerings, as they gain traction in the marketplace. In addition, if revenues from the Video Solutions Segment increase, we will seek to further improve our margins from this segment through expansion and increased efficiency utilizing fixed manufacturing overhead components. We plan to continue our initiative to more efficient management of our supply chain through outsourcing production, quantity purchases and more effective purchasing practices.

 

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2023 were $6,374,192, a decrease of $788,331, or (11%), as compared to $7,162,523 for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease was primarily attributable to the reduction in new sponsorships being entered into by the Company.

Recent Developments

In June 2023, the Company, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Clover Leaf Capital Corp., a Delaware corporation (Nasdaq: CLOE) (“Clover Leaf”), CL Merger Sub, Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Clover Leaf (“Merger Sub”), Yntegra Capital Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, in the capacity as the representative from and after the Effective Time (as defined in the Merger Agreement) for the stockholders of Clover Leaf in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, and Kustom Entertainment, Inc., a Nevada corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, with a focus and mission to own and produce events, festivals, and entertainment alongside its evolving primary and secondary ticketing technologies (“Kustom”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the “Closing”), Merger Sub will merge with and into Kustom, with Kustom continuing as the surviving corporation in the Merger and a wholly owned subsidiary of Clover Leaf. Upon the Closing, which is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions (including the approval of Clover Leaf’s shareholders), the common stock of the combined company is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under a mutually agreed new ticker symbol that reflects the name “Kustom Entertainment.” 

In October 2023, Kustom Entertainment and Clover Leaf announced the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-4 by Clover Leaf with the SEC on October 4, 2023, relating to the previously announced proposed business combination between Kustom Entertainment and Clover Leaf.


On October 17, 2023, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) appointed D. Duke Daughtery as a member of the Board, effective immediately, to hold office until the next meeting of shareholders of the Company at which directors are being elected or as set forth in the Company’s bylaws.

 

 

On October 26, 2023, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) by and between the Company, Digital Ally Healthcare (together with the Company, the “Borrower”), and Kompass Kapital Funding, LLC, a Kansas limited liability company (“Kompass”). In connection with the Loan Agreement, on October 26, 2023, the Company entered into a Mortgage, Assignment of Leases and Rents, Security Agreement and Fixture Filing (the “Mortgage”) by and between the Company, as grantor, and Kompass, as grantee, and issued a Revolving Note (the “Revolving Note”) to Kompass. The gross proceeds to the Company are $4,880,000 before repaying those certain Senior Secured Convertible Notes issued on April 5, 2023 in the aggregate amount of $3,162,500 and paying customary fees and expenses. 

Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, Kompass agreed to make the revolving loans (the “Revolving Loans”) available to the Borrower as the Borrower may from time to time request until, but not including, October 26, 2025, and in such amounts as the Borrower may from time to time request, provided, however, that the aggregate principal balance of the Revolving Loans outstanding at any time shall not exceed the lesser of $4,880,000.00 or an amount equal to eighty percent of the value of the mortgaged property, which consists of the real property owned by the Company (the “Mortgaged Property”). Under the Loan Agreement, the Revolving Loans made by Kompass may be repaid and, subject to customary terms and conditions, borrowed again up to, but not including October 26, 2025, unless the Revolving Loans are otherwise accelerated, terminated or extended as provided in the Loan Agreement. The Revolving Loans shall be used by the Borrower for the purpose of working capital and to retire existing debt. Under the Loan Agreement, the borrower is required to provide written notice to Kompass prior to creating, assuming or incurring any debt or becoming liable, whether as endorser, guarantor, surety or otherwise, for any debt or obligation of any other party. While obligations remain outstanding under the Loan Agreement, the Borrower is required to maintain a minimum balance of $97,600 in a reserve account. Under the Loan Agreement, the Borrower is prohibited from creating, assuming, incurring or suffering or permitting to exist any lien of any kind or character upon the collateral, which consists of the Mortgaged Property and the Company’s interest in the Capital Reserve Account. The Loan Agreement contains customary covenants, representations and warranties by the Borrower. 

Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Company issued the Revolving Note to Kompass whereby the Company and Digital Ally Healthcare jointly and severally promise to pay to the order of Kompass the lesser of (i) $4,880,000.00, or (ii) the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Loans outstanding under and pursuant to the Loan Agreement at the maturity or maturities and in the amount or amounts stated on the records of Kompass, together with interest (computed on the actual number of days elapsed on the basis of a 360 day year) at a floating per annum rate equal to the greater of (i) the Prime Rate plus four percent or (ii) eight percent, on the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Loans outstanding from time to time as provided in the Loan Agreement. 

The Company entered into the Mortgage to secure its obligations under the Loan Agreement. The property mortgaged under the Mortgage consists of the Mortgaged Property. The Mortgage contains customary covenants, representations and warranties by the Company.

Management Comments

Stanton E. Ross, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Ally, stated, “We are very pleased to report over $6.3 million in quarterly revenues for the third quarter of 2023, along with greatly improved gross profits compared to the third quarter of 2022. We are pleased to see the continued success and traction in the marketplace with our new video products, particularly the EVO-HD, FirstVu Pro, and QuickVu docking stations, which are continuing to build upon our existing subscription plans and deferred revenue. It is exciting to see our deferred revenue balance approaching the $10 million mark, as our contract liabilities went from approximately $7.2 million at September 30, 2022, to nearly $9.9 million at September 30, 2023. We continue to build excitement around the momentum being gained in our Digital Ally Healthcare venture, as Nobility Healthcare, LLC continues to right-size and maximize the profitability of the four completed acquisitions. The numerous medical billing company acquisitions that we have already completed demonstrate our roll-up strategy is effective and attractive to potential targets. We look forward to seeing the growth potential of this venture come to fruition and continue throughout 2023 and beyond.”