Earnings call transcript: GEE Group Q1 2025 faces revenue decline amid market challenges

GEE Group Inc. reported a decline in revenue for Q1 2025, reflecting ongoing challenges in the staffing industry. The company posted consolidated revenues of $26 million, down 15% year-over-year, continuing the trend of declining revenue which reached -21% over the last twelve months according to InvestingPro data. Despite a strong liquidity position, GEE Group recorded a net loss of $700,000, or $0.01 per diluted share. The company's stock saw a modest increase of 1.1%, closing at $0.2355, as investors reacted to the company's strategic focus on AI and cost-cutting measures. The stock has experienced significant volatility, trading between $0.20 and $0.51 over the past 52 weeks.

Key Takeaways

• Revenue fell 15% year-over-year to $26 million.
• Net loss of $700,000, or $0.01 per diluted share.
• Stock price increased by 1.1% amid strategic initiatives.
• Acquisition of Hornet Staffing Inc. to bolster capabilities.
• Continued focus on AI integration and cost efficiency.

Company Performance

GEE Group's performance in the first quarter of 2025 reflects the broader challenges facing the staffing industry. The company reported a 15% decline in both revenue and gross profit, with gross margins holding steady at 31.9%. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company maintains a strong current ratio of 4.7, indicating robust liquidity with assets well exceeding short-term obligations. The staffing industry has been impacted by macroeconomic uncertainties and post-pandemic hiring corrections, particularly in the IT and accounting/finance sectors.

Financial Highlights

• Revenue: $26 million, down 15% year-over-year.
• Gross profit: $8.3 million, down 15%.
• Gross margin: 31.9%.
• Net loss: $700,000, or $0.01 per diluted share.
• Adjusted EBITDA: Negative $300,000.
• Cash position: $19.7 million with a $7 million undrawn credit facility.

Outlook & Guidance

GEE Group remains cautiously optimistic about market recovery in 2025. InvestingPro data reveals that analysts expect sales growth in the current year, with revenue forecast to grow by 0.43%. The company plans to continue its merger and acquisition activities, focusing on expanding consultative services and exploring recurring revenue streams. The integration of AI technologies is expected to enhance operational efficiency and drive future growth. InvestingPro subscribers have access to 8 additional key insights about GEE Group's financial health and growth prospects through comprehensive Pro Research Reports.

Executive Commentary

CEO Derek Dewan expressed confidence in the company's strategic direction, stating, "We are moving aggressively not only to prepare for a more conducive and growth-oriented labor market, but also to restore growth." CFO Kim Thorpe highlighted the transformative potential of AI, comparing it to the advent of the microcomputer: "AI is coming along a lot like the microcomputer did. It's new technology and it's been put out there and really there'll be a lot of individual innovation involved."

Risks and Challenges

• Macroeconomic uncertainty affecting hiring trends.
• Industry-wide downturn impacting revenue growth.
• Integration challenges with recent acquisitions.
• Potential delays in AI implementation.
• Competitive pressures from larger staffing firms.

GEE Group's focus on strategic acquisitions and AI integration positions it for potential recovery, but the company must navigate significant industry and macroeconomic challenges to achieve its growth objectives.

Full transcript - GEE Group Inc (JOB) Q1 2025:

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Hello and welcome to the GEE Group fiscal twenty twenty five first quarter ended December. I'm Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GEE Group. I will be hosting today's call. Joining me as a co presenter is Kim Thorpe, our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Thank you for joining today. It is our pleasure to share with you GE Group's results for the fiscal first quarter ended 12/31/2024 and provide you with our outlook for the remaining fiscal year of 2025 in the foreseeable future. Some comments Kim and I will make may be considered forward looking, including predictions, estimates, expectations and other statements about our future performance. These represent our current judgments of what the future holds and are subject to risks and uncertainties, but actual results may differ materially from our forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described below under the caption Forward Looking Statements Safe Harbor and in Thursday's earnings press release and our most recent Form 10 Q, 10 K and other SEC filings under the captions, cautionary statement regarding forward looking statements and forward looking statements safe harbor.

We assume no obligation to update statements made on today's call. Throughout this presentation, we will refer to periods being presented as this quarter or the quarter, which refers to the three month period ended 12/31/2024. Likewise, when we refer to the prior year quarter, we are referring to the comparable prior three month period ended 12/31/2023. During this presentation, we also will talk about some non GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations and explanations of the non GAAP measures that we will address today are included in the earnings press release.

Our presentation of financial amounts and related items, including growth rates, margins and trend metrics are rounded or based upon rounded amounts. For purposes of this call and all amounts, percentages and related items presented are approximations accordingly. For your convenience, our prepared remarks for today's call are available in the Investor Center of our website, www.geeegroup.com. Now on to today's prepared remarks. Beginning in the second half of twenty twenty three, throughout 2024 and so far in 2025, we have encountered and continue to face very difficult and challenging conditions in the hiring environment for our staffing services.

These have stemmed from what is now acknowledged as over hiring that took place in 2021 and 2022 and the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and the macroeconomic uncertainty, interest rate volatility and inflation that followed. These conditions have produced a near universal cooling effect on U. S. Employment, including businesses use of contingent labor and the hiring of full time personnel. Since 2023, many client initiatives such as IT projects and corporate expansion activities requiring additional labor in general have been put on hold.

Instead, many of these businesses we serve have implemented and proceeded with layoffs and hiring freezes and in many cases have focused on retaining their existing employees rather than adding new employees. These conditions have continued to negatively impact job orders for both temporary help and direct hire placements. Thus, our financial results for the twenty twenty five fiscal first quarter ended 12/31/2024 have been impacted by these conditions. Consolidated revenues were $26,000,000 for the quarter ended 12/31/2024. Gross profits and gross margins were $8,300,000 and 31.9% respectively for the quarter.

Consolidated non GAAP adjusted EBITDA was a negative $300,000 for the quarter. We reported net loss of $700,000 dollars or $0.01 per diluted share for the quarter. We are taking aggressive actions to improve our financial results. As recently announced, we are taking this opportunity to ramp up our M and A activities and at the same time streamline our operations. Last fall, we eliminated an estimated $3,000,000 in annual SG and A costs and continue to look for cost reduction opportunities on a routine basis and expect to eliminate more expenses.

In addition to these near term initiatives, we are working closely with our frontline leaders in the field across all of our verticals to help them continue to aggressively pursue new business as well as opportunities to grow and expand existing client revenues. We are beginning to see some positive results. When an anticipated recovery does occur in the future, I am very confident we are positioned to meet the increased demand from existing customers and win new business. I am also happy to report that we are now well underway formulating and executing on our recently enhanced strategic plans, which include making practical investments to grow both organically and through mergers and acquisitions. At the same time, rest assured that we will always manage our business prudently maintaining a solid cash position with available attractive financing.

On 01/03/2025, we acquired Hornet Staffing Inc. Hornet provides staffing solutions to market serving large scale blue chip companies in the information technology professional and customer service staffing verticals. It has an experienced offshore recruiting team, which will be utilized across all GEE Group verticals to gain more efficiency and reduce recruiting costs. We expect the Hornet acquisition to enhance our ability to compete more effectively anticipated helping to secure new business from Fortune 1,000 and other large users of contingent and outsourced labor. Hornet's workforce solutions include significant expertise and working with managed service providers, MSP and Vendor Management Systems, VMS.

Hornet's initial post acquisition results will be reflected in our consolidated financial statements beginning 01/03/2025, the closing date of the transaction and are accretive to earnings. As you know, we paused share repurchases on 12/31/2023, having repurchased just over 5% of our outstanding shares as of the beginning of the program. Share repurchases always will be considered as an alternative component of our capital allocation strategy and a bonafide alternative use of excess capital in the future if and when considered prudent. Before I turn it over to Kim, I want to reassure everyone that we fully intend to successfully manage through the challenges and headwinds outlined previously and restore growth and profitability as quickly as possible. GEE Group has a strong balance sheet with substantial liquidity in the form of cash and borrowing capacity.

The company is well positioned to grow internally and to be acquisitive. We also continue to believe that our stock is undervalued and especially so based upon recent trading levels very near and even slightly below tangible book value and that there's a good opportunity for upward movement in the share price once we are able to operate again in a more normal economic and better labor market conditions. Finally, I once again wish to thank our dedicated employees and associates. They work extremely hard every day to ensure that our clients get the very best service. They are a key factor in our prior achievements and an important driver of our company's future success.

At this time, I'll turn the call over to our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kim Thorpe, who will further elaborate on our fiscal twenty twenty five first quarter results. Ken?

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: Thank you, Derek, and good morning. As Derek reported, consolidated revenues for the quarter were $26,000,000 down 15% from the comparable prior year quarter. Consolidated contract staffing services revenues for the quarter were $23,500,000 down 15% from the comparable prior quarter. Professional contract services revenues were 21 I'm sorry, consolidated contract services revenues for the quarter were $23,500,000 down 15%. Professional contract services revenues were $21,500,000 for the quarter, which represents 91% of all contract services revenue and 83% of total revenue and decreased $3,600,000 or 14% as compared with the prior year quarter.

Industrial contract services revenue was $2,000,000 for the quarter, which represents 9% of all contract services revenue and 8% of total revenue and decreased $500,000 or 20% as compared with the prior year quarter. Direct hire revenues for the quarter were $2,500,000 down 18% as compared with the prior year quarter. Our top line performance was directly impacted by the difficult economic and labor conditions facing us and the staffing industry referenced by Derek in his opening remarks. Gross profit for the quarter was $8,300,000 down 15% as compared with the prior year quarter. Consolidated gross margins were 31.931.8% for the quarter and the prior year quarter respectively.

The small increase in our consolidated gross margin is mainly attributable to changes in the mix of our contract services businesses favoring higher spread temporary placements and margins offset to some extent by lower perm or direct hire revenue. Our gross margin for professional contract services was 25.2% for the quarter compared with 25% for the prior year quarter, an increase of 20 basis points. Our gross margin for the industrial contract services business was 18.5% for the quarter compared with 16% for the prior year quarter, an increase of two fifty basis points. Again, these increases are mainly due to the focus on higher margin businesses previously mentioned. Selling, general and administrative expenses or SG and A for the quarter were $8,800,000 down 17% as compared with the prior quarter.

The ratio of SG and A to revenues were 31.9% for the quarter compared to 34.6% for the prior quarter. The improvement in SG and A expenses as a percentage of revenues during the fiscal twenty twenty five first quarter was primarily the result of cost reduction initiatives taken during the prior sequential quarter to decrease fixed SG and A expenses, including fixed personnel related expenses, occupancy costs, job boards and applicant tracking systems and the like that are not driven by revenues. We reported a net loss for the quarter of July or a loss of a $0.01 per diluted share as compared with a net loss of $1,600,000 or also approximately $0.01 per diluted share for the prior year quarter. Our adjusted net loss for the quarter was $600,000 as compared with adjusted net loss of $1,000,000 for the prior quarter. The reduction in net loss is mainly due to the improvement in SG and A expenses as well as decreases in amortization and depreciation expense.

Adjusted net loss is a non GAAP financial measure. EBITDA, which also is a non GAAP financial measure for the quarter was negative $600,000 compared with negative $900,000 for the prior year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA, which also is a non GAAP financial measure for the quarter was a negative $300,000 as compared with negative $200,000 for the prior year quarter. Our current or working capital ratio as of 12/31/2024 was 4.7:one, up from 4.2:one as of 12/31/2023. Our liquidity position as of 12/31/2024, remained very strong with $19,700,000 in cash, an undrawn ABL credit facility with availability of $7,000,000 net working capital of $26,000,000 and no outstanding debt.

Our net book value per share and our net tangible book value per share were $0.76 and $0.34 respectively as of 12/31/2024. Our net book value per share and net tangible book value per share were $0.93 and $0.33 respectively as of 12/31/2023. The decrease in net book value per share was primarily the result of a non cash impairment charges taken in the fiscal third quarter ended 06/30/2024. These had no effect on our cash position, tangible assets, net working capital or net tangible book value. In conclusion, while we're disappointed with our results and remain cautious in our near term outlook, we also remain optimistic and prepared for the long term.

Our management team and field leadership are very experienced in managing through difficult times such as the business interruption attributable to recent COVID pandemic and previous cycle cyclical downturns affecting the labor markets. Collectively, we have demonstrated that our company can generate substantial earnings consistently under more favorable macroeconomic conditions and a more conducive demand environment for the staffing industry overall. Having completed our acquisition of Horia this quarter, we also intend to continue to pursue other acquisition opportunities, taking advantage of the current environment to develop new platforms for profitable growth. Before I turn it back over to Derek, please note that reconciliations of G Group's non GAAP financial measures talked about today with their GAAP counterparts can be found in the supplemental schedules included in our earnings press release. Now, I'll turn the call back over to Derek.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Thank you, Kim. Despite macroeconomic headwinds and staffing industry challenges impacting the demand for our services, we are aggressively managing and preparing our business to mitigate losses, restore profitability and be prepared for an anticipated recovery. What we hope you take away from our earnings press release and our remarks today and from our strategic announcements is that we are moving aggressively not only to prepare for a more conducive and growth oriented labor market, but also to restore growth by continuing with the execution on both organic and M and A growth plans and initiatives. We will continue to work hard for the benefit of our shareholders, including consistently evaluating strategic uses of GEE Group's capital to maximize shareholder returns. We are very pleased with our recent acquisition of Hornet Staffing and the value and opportunities it brings and have identified other acquisition opportunities that we believe can offer additional growth and profitability platforms for us.

Now, Kim and I would be happy to answer your questions.

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: Derek, we have a question from one of our investors on the call or interested parties. What is the company doing to drive sales and motivate the sales teams in a down cycle such as the one we're in now?

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: That's very important because sales really drives the business and revenue growth. So each of our vertical leaders meets regularly with our management team and the field and they identify targets. They discuss progress made on new customers that talk about penetration and plans to increase business from existing customers. And then the third leg on the stool is the cross selling opportunities amongst the verticals. And there's good communication between each of the vertical leaders like IT and accounting and finance.

In addition, we've brought the Hornet team into the fold and there has been collaboration there gaining new business, particularly for the vendor management system and MSP accounts. So we are aggressively pursuing new business, both new customers and from existing customers in a very strategic and organized fashion with regular follow-up. In addition, we've revamped our commission structure and our profit sharing structure in order to motivate our salespeople and recruiters as well who participate in that plan to move into higher production that actually rewards them better percentage wise than if they were had lower production. So we put in incentive compensation plans that we believe are robust and extremely competitive in the industry. Kim, do you want to add anything to that?

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: No, I mean, I think that covers the main part. We are helping the field based on input that we received from communications with other members of the industry as to where the verticals are, what are the positions that are doing the hiring right now or are being there are job orders for and we're trying to help the field sort through those kind of things. But it's a very intense communication process like Derek mentioned.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: I want to add that we are going to and in the process of integrating AI agents to target new customers and also to make contact with them to gain new business. In addition, we are exploring and are testing AI recruiting tools to automate more of that process, which would decrease costs and increase time to market a candidate and place a candidate. So those are tools that will aid in revenue growth as well. The next question is, can you comment on the rather unusual trading that occurred upon the announcement of the Hornet acquisition and your understanding of what occurred? When we announced the Hornet acquisition, the trading volume, Kim, do you remember what we hit?

Was it $85,000,000 or more? I

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: thought it was over $100,000,000 1 hundred and 90 5 million

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: dollars Yes. Yes. We had 109,000,000 shares outstanding and we traded actually more than the total outstanding shares. I think it was significantly more. So and the price doubled in the process.

So the question is, how did that happen and how could that happen? We explored that with the exchanges and the New York Stock Exchange. We had one of our larger shareholders and directors actually had someone explore that as well. And it is possible to print that type of volume with multiple trades back and forth. But it was very, very hard with electronic trading to identify the source of that activity.

So we're still looking at it, but I doubt that we'll be able to really put our finger on it. I would call it an aberration for sure. It happened one other time, a couple of years back when we renegotiated our outstanding debt and settled it for less than face. But then Ken, when was that back in 2020?

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: That was in 2020 and we traded up to 80 something million shares in one day, I believe.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Right. Right. So

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: at that time, we had about 18,000,000 shares outstanding.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Yes. So it was even more pronounced. But we do watch that. We make inquiry of both the exchange FINRA and otherwise. And then we've had some tracking of it.

But I can't explain completely what occurred and who made the trades because it was just hard to get that information at this point. Next (LON:NXT) question. Could you update us on the use and impact of generative AI on your business, both in your ability to use it internally to benefit operations and also any impact on the competition front and such as customer competitors and so forth. Okay. So I mentioned AI agents in connection with sales targeting of both new and existing customers and contact management.

In addition for recruiting, that's another application. Both of these will be installed in our day to day environment, tech environment. It will also be integrated with our applicant tracking systems and to the extent necessary our ERP systems. But we are pursuing it aggressively. I'm a firm believer in the use of AI to not only compete, but to do it to increase speed and to also lower costs.

We use ChatGPPT now for several things, but those other tools that I mentioned are in beta. And I've tested some personally and I'm bringing it to corporate into the field for further evaluation. And I think by the next quarter, hopefully we can announce what we've done and that we've moved forward aggressively on the implementation phase. So and I've shared knowledge with my peer group at the highest levels and feel very confident of our strategy and where we're going with it. Kim, do you want to add anything since you're involved in that as well?

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: Yes. I mean, to some extent AI is coming along a lot like the microcomputer did. It's new technology and it's been put out there and really there'll be a lot of individual innovation involved. We've been using it here for a couple of years now. For example, just for one application my department does, we use it to write a lot of regulatory composition and things of that nature, because it not only is fairly accurate, although we have to review it obviously, it also is quick.

So it helps us be more productive in those types of things. But it's really being innovated at the grassroots level largely across the business right now.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Okay. And then another question is, is everyone in the industry struggling? What are the outperforming companies doing? And I have met with several of the peer group, both large and small and in different verticals. So I'll break it down by size and vertical because I think that's relevant.

And then also direct hire versus contract staffing, both of which are impacted slightly differently. Both direct hire and contract staffing have been impacted by stagnant labor markets for staff the staffing industry. Within the verticals, IT took a pretty big hit, which historically it's weathered downturns much better than the other verticals. And you've seen a lot of layoffs in the IT space. You see it from Meta (NASDAQ:META), Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), other tech companies, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO), you name it.

And this is kind of a correction in the overhiring that Kim mentioned in his presentation that occurred post pandemic. We believe that that's leveling off in that space. And accounting and finance has been hit as well. That's another one of our larger verticals, in particular the perm portion or the direct hire portion. If you look at industrial staffing, which we have a little bit of that, that also has been hit, but it's been mixed.

And in general, you can make the comment that the whole industry has been impacted. However, the question said, there are some performers that are doing a bit better than others. And I would say that the customer base of that competitor is not as impacted by layoffs, other industry is faring better. There's a pickup in oil and gas going on. We hope to take advantage of that, particularly in the Houston market.

The banking sector got hit. We're pretty heavy in there, but we're starting to see a leveling off. And I look at comparative data of both the peer group and then our own data internally to see whether we flattened out, how far down we are, are we moving upward. And there's some volatility week to week. And if you look at what's called the Bullhorn Staffing Index, which is an industry statistic or statistics that are put out weekly, you're starting to see the down portion on a comparative basis is changing downward.

Meaning, instead of 12% down in professional staffing and 13% down and everything else, you're starting to see that go into single digits on a week to week basis. So we are mirroring that, but flatness, first you got to find the bottom and we're very hopeful that we found that. And now we're starting to see some upward movement in headcount and billable consultants. And the per business, which is more, what I want to call lumpy, is still moving in the right direction. So I'll tell you the healthcare segment, something we looked into, nurse staffing in particular got hit hard and I think that bottom has not been reached yet.

Allied staffing, which includes speech pathologists, audiologists, physical therapists and other what we call allied health support has done better and is moving upward. So there's pockets of success. Now look at the big companies, you see Adecco (SIX:ADEN), Manpower, Robert Half (NYSE:RHI), Ronstadt and others. There's spotty performance there. Some of their sectors and they're global, so they have foreign operations as well.

Clearly, global has been hit. So they've had mixed results overseas and in The U. S. Some of their verticals are performing a bit better than others, but they're typically down on a comparative basis across the board. And Robert Hass, but for its Protiviti consulting unit has been down.

I would say too that part of our strategy going forward is to upscale some of our business into more of a consultative nature and move up the food chain with statement of work type projects and so forth. ASGN (NYSE:ASGN) is a competitor that has IT staffing, but has moved up the food chain, as I call it, with a consultative approach with some of their business units. They do have a heavy federal government business and they're hopeful that they won't be impacted by the cuts that are going on now. But in general, moving up what I call the food chain and having a time and materials consultative practice as part of your vertical, be it IT or accounting and finance will be the trend for enhanced performance. And one way to get there is through acquisition, as well as trying to build internally, but the faster route would be to acquire in that space.

In addition, putting a recurring revenue stream into our business model is something that we're looking forward to doing. So we anticipate moving aggressively on those two fronts. Jim, do you want to add anything to that? Okay. Let's see what the next question is.

Kim, do you want to take the next question?

Kim Thorpe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, GEE Group: Yes. Derek, I believe, isn't that the last question? I don't I'm not showing another question.

Derek Dewan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GEE Group: Well, it's just it's basically talking about industry and competitors, which is the same as the prior question. So we covered it pretty good. But I can tell you, there's cautious optimism in the peer group for a leveling off and upward movement. We're not going to see a hockey stick, but we do feel that we're going to be climbing the steps upward as we move further into 2025. The other thing is we're adjusting our cost structure to the current environment.

So we've realized some good benefits from the cuts we've made and reductions in costs, but we will do more. And I think it's a constant evaluation of where best to spend our dollars. Right. That pretty much concludes our call for today. Thank you for getting on and we'll talk to you next quarter.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.