Earnings call transcript: Great Elm Group beats Q4 2025 expectations, stock surges

Great Elm Group Inc. reported its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, surpassing analysts’ expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.51, compared to the forecasted $0.40. This 27.5% surprise led to a significant premarket stock jump of 23.73%, with shares trading at $3.18. According to InvestingPro data, the company has shown strong momentum with a 40.66% return over the past six months, though it currently appears overvalued based on Fair Value analysis. The company’s revenue for the quarter was $5.6 million, marking a decline from the previous year’s $8.9 million. However, a notable turnaround in net income from a loss to a gain of $15.7 million positively influenced investor sentiment. InvestingPro analysis reveals the company’s impressive revenue growth of 64.34% over the last twelve months, despite challenges with gross profit margins. Subscribers can access 8 additional ProTips and comprehensive financial metrics for deeper insights.

Key Takeaways

• Great Elm Group’s EPS exceeded expectations by 27.5%.
• Premarket trading saw the stock price rise by 23.73%.
• Revenue fell year-over-year, yet net income showed a substantial improvement.
• The company expanded its real estate and credit platforms.
• Strategic partnerships and capital raises were highlighted as growth drivers.

Company Performance

Great Elm Group demonstrated a strong financial turnaround in Q4 2025, achieving a net income of $15.7 million compared to a net loss of $0.6 million in the previous year. InvestingPro data shows the company maintains strong liquidity with a current ratio of 16.21, indicating robust short-term financial health. A detailed Pro Research Report is available for comprehensive analysis of GEG among 1,400+ US stocks. This improvement was driven by strategic expansions in its real estate and credit sectors, along with successful capital raises. Despite a drop in revenue from $8.9 million to $5.6 million, the company maintained a positive outlook, supported by a 24% increase in book value per share.

Financial Highlights

• Revenue: $5.6 million (down from $8.9 million YoY)
• Earnings per share: $0.51 (exceeding the $0.40 forecast)
• Net Income: $15.7 million (compared to a net loss of $0.6 million previous year)
• Book Value per Share: $2.65 (24% increase YoY)
• Assets Under Management: $759 million (4% increase)
• Cash on Balance Sheet: $31 million ($40 million pro forma after capital raises)

Earnings vs. Forecast

Great Elm Group’s actual EPS of $0.51 significantly beat the forecast of $0.40, marking a 27.5% positive surprise. This result stands out against previous quarters, indicating improved operational efficiency and strategic execution. The revenue of $5.6 million, although lower than the previous year, reflects a strategic focus on profitability over mere top-line growth.

Market Reaction

Following the earnings announcement, Great Elm Group’s stock experienced a notable increase in premarket trading, climbing 23.73% to $3.18. This surge reflects investor optimism, driven by the better-than-expected earnings and strategic initiatives outlined during the call. The stock’s movement contrasts with its 52-week high of $2.56, showcasing significant upward potential.

Outlook & Guidance

Looking ahead, Great Elm Group is targeting $1 billion in real estate assets and considering a potential IPO for Monomoy REIT. With a market capitalization of $81.77 million and management actively buying back shares (per InvestingPro Tips), the company shows commitment to shareholder value creation despite current profitability challenges. The company plans to continue expanding its credit and real estate platforms, aiming to sustain long-term shareholder value. Future revenue forecasts for FY2025 and FY2026 are set at $31.21 million and $48.37 million, respectively, indicating growth expectations.

Executive Commentary

CEO Jason Reese emphasized the record performance of fiscal 2025, stating, "Fiscal 2025 was a record year for Great Elm Group, the strongest in our history." He highlighted the strategic partnerships as transformative, calling the Kennedy Lewis partnership "a game changer." Reese expressed confidence in the company’s growth trajectory, citing new capital and partnerships as key enablers.

Risks and Challenges

• Potential market volatility affecting asset valuations.
• Execution risk in scaling new platforms and partnerships.
• Dependence on favorable economic conditions for real estate expansion.
• Competition in the alternative asset management sector.
• Regulatory changes impacting investment strategies.

Q&A

No questions were posed during the Q&A session of the earnings call, reflecting either comprehensive management disclosures or a lack of immediate analyst concerns.

Full transcript - Great Elm Group Inc (GEG) Q4 2025:

Conference Operator: Greetings and welcome to the Great Elm Group fiscal 2025 earnings and strategic investment call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press 0 on your telephone keypad. I’d now like to turn the conference over to your host, Adam Yates, Managing Director. Thank you. You may begin.

Adam Yates, Managing Director, Great Elm Group: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us for Great Elm Group’s fiscal 2025 earnings and strategic investment conference call. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. If you would like to be added to our distribution list, you can email G-E-G Investor Relations at greatelmcap.com, or you can sign up for alerts directly on our website, www.greatelmgroup.com. The slide presentation accompanying today’s conference call and webcast can be found on our website under Events and Presentations. A link to the webcast is also available on our website, as well as in the press release that was disseminated to announce the quarterly results. Today’s conference call includes forward-looking statements, and we ask that you refer to Great Elm Group’s filings with the SEC for important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements.

Great Elm Group does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements unless required by law. In addition, during today’s call, management will refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable financial measures are included in our earnings release. To obtain copies of our SEC filings, please visit Great Elm Group’s website under Financial Information and select SEC Filing. Today’s comments do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy interest in any investment vehicle managed by Great Elm or its affiliates. Any such offer or solicitation will only be made pursuant to the applicable offering documents for such investment vehicle. On the call today, we have Jason Reese, CEO, Adam Kleinman, President and General Counsel, Nicole Mills, COO, and Keri Davis, CFO. I will now turn the call over to Jason Reese, CEO.

Jason Reese, CEO, Great Elm Group: Good morning and thank you for joining us. Fiscal 2025 was a record year for Great Elm Group, the strongest in our history. We delivered a record $15.7 million of net income from continuing operations in the final quarter and increased book value per share 24% year over year, driving momentum into fiscal 2026, with over $100 million of capital raises completed in July and August across our credit and real estate platforms. In credit, GECC generated record investment income and incentive fees, raised over $75 million of new capital, upsized and reduced the cost of its revolving credit facility, and increased its dividend, highlighting the sustainability of its performance. Our Great Elm Credit Income Fund also delivered top-tier returns. In real estate, we launched Monomoy Construction Services, rounding out our fully integrated platform.

MCS is already contributing meaningful revenue, expanding its pipeline and positioning us to scale rapidly while serving our industrial outside storage tenants and customers. Finally, just after year-end, we executed on three value-creating initiatives. First, in July, we entered a strategic partnership with Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, who invested in both Great Elm Group and Monomoy REIT, committing up to $150 million to accelerate our real estate platform growth. In August, we completed two significant capital raises at Great Elm Group and GECC that provide meaningful new growth capital and expertise across our core businesses. We believe fiscal 2025 was an inflection point as we delivered record results, scaled both credit and real estate, and secured new capital and partnerships to fuel our next phase of growth.

With momentum in both businesses and the strongest foundation in our history, we are well positioned to drive meaningful growth and create lasting value for our shareholders. Let me now walk through the details of our performance and strategy. Net income from continuing operations was $15.7 million in the fourth quarter, a significant improvement over last year. Excluding one-time property sales, revenue in the quarter grew over 140% over the prior year period, led by record management and incentive fees at GECC and new contributions from Monomoy Construction Services. Book value per share rose approximately 24% year over year to $2.65 as of June 30. Book value as of June 30, pro forma for the two Great Elm Group issuances in July and August, remained solid at $2.58 per share.

We also closed the year with strong balance sheets, including $31 million of cash to support our expanding businesses, for over $40 million on a pro forma basis after the two issuances. In addition, our board expanded our stock purchase program by $5 million in July, bringing the total program size to $25 million. Through August, we have repurchased 5.1 million shares for $9.3 million at an average of $1.85 per share, leaving $15.7 million in remaining program capacity. Repurchasing shares at a discount to book value has been directly accretive, contributing to the step-up in book value we delivered over the past year. We view these repurchases as an attractive use of capital, underscoring our confidence in long-term shareholder value. A key driver to profitability this year was the unrealized gains from our CoreWeave-related investment, which added more than $11 million to earnings.

This $5 million investment made in May 2024, sourced through a strategic relationship, is a notable example of how we can use Great Elm Group’s balance sheet and extensive network to capture unique opportunities that are not broadly available in the market. Our returns in CoreWeave have translated to significant gains for our shareholders, and while these are currently unrealized gains, they highlight our ability to create value by selectively deploying capital into high-conviction investments. Importantly, we view these types of investments as complementary to our recurring fee revenue business in credit and real estate. Strategic, high-conviction opportunities such as the CoreWeave investment not only enhance our return profile but also give us a differentiated engine of growth and value creation for shareholders. Turning now to credit, this business was our biggest driver of growth in 2025.

GECC delivered the best year in its history, generating record management and incentive fees for Great Elm Group as well as its highest ever total investment income, with more than 90% coming from cash income. Net investment income exceeded its quarterly distribution, supporting a 6% increase in GECC’s dividend to $0.37 per share. Over the fiscal year, GECC also completed four capital raises, totaling over $75 million, and launched a $100 million at-the-market equity program, providing capital for growth. Just after year-end, GECC upsized its revolving credit facility from $25 million to $50 million, with room to expand further, while also reducing its borrowing cost by 50 basis points. These capital raises, combined with enhancing financial flexibility and record performance, position us to drive fee revenue growth from GECC, scale our credit platform, and increase contributions to Great Elm’s overall earnings trajectory.

Meanwhile, our Great Elm Credit Income Fund continued its outstanding performance, posting net returns of 21% for the six months ended June 30, driven by unrealized appreciation in its CoreWeave-related investments, following 12% net returns in calendar 2024. Taken together, our credit business is scaling rapidly, generating recurring cash flow, enhancing profitability, and positioning Great Elm for sustained long-term fee growth. Now to real estate, where we achieved a major milestone this year with the launch of Monomoy Construction Services, or MCS, in February. We created MCS by acquiring our long-term partner, Greenfield CRA, and combining it with our existing construction management business. The launch of MCS added in-house construction and pre-development capabilities to our existing asset management and development businesses to complete a fully integrated end-to-end real estate platform to serve our ILS tenants and customers.

The integration brings three clear advantages: accelerating development timelines, capturing construction margins in-house, and providing turnkey solutions that deepen tenant relationships. In its first few months, MCS contributed nearly $1 million in revenue and has already grown its project pipeline by more than 50%. Looking ahead, we expect MCS to more than double its revenue in fiscal 2026, and we believe it will be a central driver of our long-term goal of scaling real estate revenues. Beyond MCS growth, our broader Monomoy platform advanced significantly during the quarter. Monomoy CRA delivered stable fee revenue, contributing approximately $800,000 for the fourth quarter. Monomoy REIT executed on both acquisitions and dispositions, acquiring a $1.3 million property at an attractive cap rate and realizing on a $15.3 million sale versus a $9.2 million purchase price.

We also strengthened the REIT’s capital position by expanding its warehouse facility from $25 million to $50 million at an improved interest rate. Meanwhile, Monomoy BTS advanced its development pipeline, placing a second property under contract for sale, continuing construction on a third, gathering specifications on a fourth, and capturing new tenant-driven opportunities nationwide. Finally, I would like to provide a detailed overview of the important strategic capital raises and partnerships we closed over the last few weeks. Our partnership with Kennedy Lewis Investment Management and our August transactions with Woodstead Value Fund and Booker Smith. On July 25, we entered a strategic partnership with Kennedy Lewis, an institutional alternative investment firm managing over $30 billion in assets.

As part of the partnership, Kennedy Lewis purchased 4.9% of Great Elm’s common stock and will invest up to $150 million in Monomoy REIT to accelerate the expansion of our real estate platform under the Monomoy brand. In addition to these investments, Kennedy Lewis appointed representatives to the boards of both Great Elm Group and Monomoy REIT. The structure of this transaction included a $100 million term loan to Monomoy REIT with an option for an additional $50 million in the future, a 15% profits interest with the potential to increase to up to 20% based on additional capital investment in our newly formed Great Elm Real Estate Ventures subsidiary, which now houses Greenfield CRA, our investment manager, Monomoy BTS, our developer, and Monomoy Construction Services, our construction manager. As mentioned, a strategic equity investment in Great Elm itself. This partnership is a game changer.

Kennedy Lewis brings not only capital but also a proven track record of scaling institutional real estate platforms. Their success with the launch and IPO of Millrose Properties, a $5 billion REIT spun out from Lennar Corporation, serves as a powerful example of their ability to transform institutional platforms into market-leading public companies. With their support and the current favorable economic backdrop, we are well positioned to supercharge Monomoy REIT’s growth toward our target of $1 billion in assets and a potential future IPO, as well as to accelerate the expansion of our broader real estate platform under the Monomoy brand.

On August 25, we announced two additional strategic investments, providing significant new growth capital to expand our assets under management and improve profitability. At Great Elm Group, Woodstead Value Fund purchased 4 million newly issued shares of Great Elm Group common stock at $2.25 per share, raising $9 million in equity capital. Alongside the investment, Booker Smith, a seasoned credit and real estate investor, joined the Great Elm board to support our core verticals. Great Elm also issued Woodstead 10-year warrants for an additional 1 million shares of GEG common stock struck at $3.50 and 1 million shares of GEG common stock struck at $5. These warrants served to further align Woodstead with GEG’s shareholders. In a separate transaction, GECC sold 9.9% of its outstanding common stock, or 1.3 million newly issued shares, at $11.65 per share to an affiliate of Booker Smith.

This issuance provides GECC with $15 million of equity capital to be levered to pursue attractive investment opportunities. The fresh capital investments from Woodstead and Booker Smith not only strengthen our balance sheet but also position us to scale our credit and real estate platforms. The addition of Booker Smith as a GEG Director further deepens the experience and strategic relationships of our board. In summary, fiscal 2025 was transformative. We delivered record financial results, scaled both our credit and real estate platforms, and further strengthened our balance sheet. We also launched Monomoy Construction Services and forged strategic partnerships that position us for continued growth. We enter fiscal 2026 with strong momentum, a solid balance sheet, and confidence in our ability to deliver sustained long-term value to our shareholders. With that, I’ll turn it over to Keri.

Keri Davis, CFO, Great Elm Group: Thank you, Jason. I will provide a brief overview of the quarter and, of course, welcome all of you to review our filings in greater detail or reach out to our team with any questions. Fiscal fourth quarter revenue was $5.6 million compared to $8.9 million for the prior year period. Revenue in the prior year period benefited from Monomoy BTS Construction Management’s first Silk Suit property sale, which generated approximately $6.6 million. Excluding this sale, revenue growth over the prior year period was over 140%, or $3.3 million, primarily driven by record management and incentive fees paid by GECC and revenue contributed from Monomoy Construction Services launched in February of this year. Assets under management in fee-paying AUM totaled approximately $759 million and $553 million, up 4% and 5% respectively from the prior year quarter end. Great Elm Group Inc.

generated net income from continuing operations of $15.7 million for the quarter as compared to net loss from continuing operations of $0.6 million for the prior year period. The increase in net income was primarily driven by the unrealized gains on Great Elm Group Inc.’s CoreWeave-related investment that Jason previously reviewed, as well as strong GECC investment performance. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $1.5 million compared to $1.2 million in the prior year period. As of June 30th, we had approximately $31 million of cash on our balance sheet to deploy across our growing alternative asset management platform. Please refer to slide six that provides an overview of our financial position and highlights our book value per share of approximately $2.65, more than a 24% increase from March 31st, 2023.

As Jason mentioned previously, incorporating the two share issuances in July and August, book value per share as of June 30th is $2.58 per share, and cash exceeds $40 million on a pro forma basis. This concludes my financial review of the quarter. With that, we will turn the call over to the operator to open for questions.

Conference Operator: Thank you. If you’d like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you’d like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment, please, while we poll for questions. Once again, it’s star one to ask a question at this time. We’ll pause just a moment longer. Mr. Reese, there are no questions at this time. I’ll turn the floor back to you for any final comments.

Jason Reese, CEO, Great Elm Group: Thank you again for joining us today. Fiscal 2025 was a landmark year for Great Elm Group. We’ve continued growth across all facets of our businesses, and we have positioned the company to drive growth in fiscal 2026 and beyond. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress. Thank you for your time and continued support.

Conference Operator: Thank you. This concludes today’s conference call. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

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