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Fortrea Holdings Inc (FTRE) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges and Seizing ...

In This Article:

  • Revenue: $674.9 million, a decline of 5.4% year-on-year.

  • Adjusted EBITDA: $64.2 million, a decrease of 5.9% year-over-year.

  • Adjusted EBITDA Margin: 9.5%, compared to 9.6% in the prior year period.

  • Adjusted Net Income: $20.7 million, an increase of 3% year-over-year.

  • Book-to-Bill Ratio: 1.23 for the quarter.

  • Backlog: Approximately $7.6 billion, a growth of 6.2% over the past 12 months.

  • SG&A Expenses: Increased by 27.6% year-over-year.

  • Net Interest Expense: $22.4 million, a decrease of $12.2 million versus the prior year.

  • Effective Tax Rate: Benefit of 48.3% for the quarter.

  • Cash Flow from Operating Activities: $245.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

  • Free Cash Flow: $217 million for the first nine months of 2024.

  • Days Sales Outstanding: 50 days as of September 30, 2024.

Release Date: November 08, 2024

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Fortrea Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:FTRE) achieved a book-to-bill ratio of 1.23 for the quarter, indicating strong demand and successful project acquisitions.

  • The company has made significant progress in exiting from its former parent, with over 90% of servers and application systems migrated to an independent environment.

  • Fortrea Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:FTRE) has been recognized externally, being named a finalist in Fierce Healthcare's excellence and data-driven DEI award and the CRO of the Year category in the annual script awards.

  • The company reported a solid pipeline of opportunities for the next two quarters, suggesting continued growth potential.

  • Fortrea Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:FTRE) has improved its Net Promoter Scores and customer satisfaction since becoming independent, reflecting enhanced customer relationships and service quality.

Negative Points

  • Revenues declined by 5.4% year-on-year, driven by lower service fee and pass-through revenues.

  • SG&A expenses increased by 27.6% year-over-year, primarily due to professional fees and costs related to exiting the transition services agreement.

  • Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 5.9% year-over-year, impacted by lower service fee revenues and higher SG&A costs.

  • The company faces ongoing challenges in fully exiting the transition services agreement, which is critical for future margin expansion.

  • Fortrea Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:FTRE) has not provided specific guidance for 2025, citing uncertainties related to the timing of TSA exits and the mix of new business awards.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Can you discuss the nature of studies in your clinical pharmacology (clinpharm) unit and whether GLP-1 categories are driving growth? A: Tom Pike, CEO: Our exposure is to large pharmaceutical firms and biotech globally, targeting organizations with strong spending. While we do some work on GLP-1, our exposure is broad across various sophisticated scientific therapies, including an interesting autoimmune compound in the UK.