Senstar Technologies Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
April 23, 2025

There are 5 speakers on the call.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to Senstar Technologies Fourth Quarter and Full Year twenty twenty four Results Conference Call. All participants are at present in a listen only mode. Following management's formal presentation, we will have a question and answer session. Instructions will be given at that time.

Operator

As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the call over to Kim Rogers of Hayden IR. Thank you, you may begin.

Speaker 1

Thank you, Sherry. Welcome and thank you for joining us today. I want to thank the management of Sunstar Technologies for hosting today's call. With us on the call today from the company are Mr. Fabienne Aubert, CEO and Ms.

Speaker 1

Alicia Kelly, CFO. Before we start, I'd like to point out that this conference call may contain projections or other forward looking statements regarding future events or the company's future performance. These statements are only predictions and SENSTAR cannot guarantee that they will in fact occur. SENSTAR does not assume any obligation to update that information. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected, including as a result of changing market trends, reduced demand, and the competitive nature of the security systems industry, as well as other risks identified in the documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Speaker 1

In addition, during the course of the conference call, we will describe certain non GAAP financial measures, which should be considered in addition to and not in lieu of comparable GAAP financial measures. Please note that in our press release, we have reconciled our non GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures in accordance with Reg G requirements. You can also refer to our website at www.sunstartechnologies.com for the most directly comparable financial measures and related reconciliations. With that, I will now hand the call over to Sunstar Technologies CEO, Fabien Hobert. Fabien, please go ahead.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Kim. Thank you for joining us today to review our fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results. Starting with an overview of this quarter's performance, our revenue increased by 14.5% compared to Q4 twenty twenty three, driven by solid growth across our core geographies, with The USA and EMEA markets expanding by 4344%, respectively. During the quarter, we also achieved major wins across the telecom data centers, airports, and correction verticals, which served as important tailwinds for the business heading into 2025. Similar to the prior quarter, gross margin was strong at 64.5%, representing a 7.9 percentage points increase versus Q4 twenty twenty three.

Speaker 2

The improvement in the quarter was primarily driven by the combination of the balanced solution mix, pricing adjustments, our continued streamlining of cost saving initiatives, and normalization in supply chain of the components market. As previously communicated, our gross margin levels are in line with our expectation to deliver a gross margin of 60% or better. While we remain focused on diligent expense management, operating expenses increased by 7% compared to Q4 twenty twenty three, primarily due to higher costs driven by recent headcount additions in both the general and administrative and sales and marketing functions. The combination of revenue growth and growth margin expansions, in tandem with diligent investments to drive sales, led to a significant increase in our profitability. Accordingly, EBITDA in the quarter reached $1,600,000 versus the $500,000 in the year ago quarter, while net income improved from $400,000 to 1,600,000.0 We continue to experience strong growth in The U.

Speaker 2

S. And EMEA, and our core verticals have remained as significant growth contributors on the company overall. Our performance this quarter reflects both the six sixty four execution of our strategic focus on high potential sectors and the continued customer adoptions of our tailored solutions. Turning to our fiscal year of 2024 results. Total revenue increased by 9% to $35,800,000 driven by strong performance in our USA, EMEA and APAC markets.

Speaker 2

We experienced a healthy growth rate from our targeted verticals, with notable strength in the corrections, utility, and transportation verticals, along with a great performance in data centers and renewable energy. We continue to focus our efforts on data centers among globally recognized names, which supported an over 30% growth in the utility verticals in 2024. Growth margin for 2024 expanded for 6.6 percentage points to 64.1% from 57.5% in 2023. The increase in gross margin was driven by price adjustment, streamlining initiatives, and the stabilization of supply chain following a period of constraints related to COVID. Based on streamlining initiatives that we began in 2023, we are continuing to optimize our cost structure and delivered a 5% decline in operating expenses for the year of 2024.

Speaker 2

As a result of this powerful combination of revenue growth, gross margin expansion, and lower operating expenses, our profit trajectory shows a meaningful improvement. For the full year of 2024, EBITDA reached $4,600,000 compared to EBITDA loss of 300,000 in 2023, and net income improved by $3,900,000 to $2,600,000 versus net loss of $1,300,000 in 2023. Our capital structure remains healthy, with a cash balance of $20,500,000 along with no debt as of 12/31/2024. Now turning to vertical sales. Correctional facilities.

Speaker 2

We achieved important wins in the correction verticals, driven by steady demand for our advanced security technologies that ensure public safety, mainly in The USA. Our customer and the broader market see value in reliable, intelligent threat detections that adapt to complex environments. Leveraging on the power of AI, our multi sensor product is an example of our advanced perimeter solutions and is uniquely suited to address the modern needs of complex facilities such as correctional institutions. Our offerings have helped strengthen our competitive positioning in a trusted partner, leading to an increase in contract wins, particularly in The US market. Utilities.

Speaker 2

The growth trajectory of these verticals remains one of our strongest, and we experienced a significant breakthrough with data centers across all our core markets in 2024. The EMEA, US, and APAC regions showed notable strength with broad based demand across data centers, telecom infrastructure, solar farms, energy generation. As the utility sector accelerates investments in securing critical infrastructures, we are strategically positioned to capture a growing share of the market. Our technology is showing increased adoption by operators of these high value assets, which demonstrates the scalability and ingenuity of our solutions. Transport.

Speaker 2

In Q4 twenty twenty four, we accomplished major wins in the transport sector, with a steady flow of demand for upgraded airport infrastructure across a variety of our core markets. The EMEA and APAC region in particular are expanding rapid developments in transport infrastructure, and our technology is uniquely positioned to address this market's increasing need for securing monitoring systems. In addition to EMEA and APAC, we're continuing to prioritize a broad base of geographies where modern transportation security initiatives are aligned with our innovative and secure solution. Energy, the vertical was pressured under 2024 with revenue declining versus 2023. However, our energy offering remains in a competitive position, as it enables companies to unlock operational efficiencies while protecting critical assets.

Speaker 2

The EMEA market was the strongest performing region with this vertical in 2024, while North America showed encouraging trends as well. We're optimistic about the trend in the energy industry and remain focused on capturing opportunities that will have a positive contribution in the quarters ahead. In terms of product updates, I'm pleased to share that MultiSensors is experiencing positive initial indicators with continued sales in Q4 twenty twenty four. This has become the cornerstone of our perimeter technology solution, and initial customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly for those in critical infrastructure and high security sectors. As demand grows for comprehensive real time situational awareness, multi sensor positions us well for continued growth in both domestic and international markets.

Speaker 2

Our strategy remains focused on business development to expand global market share across key verticals. We're pleased to report a growing share of our sales is being driven by new customers, reflecting successful outreach and acquisition efforts. We recently hired a new business development team that is already well established on three major continents to sustain this progression. The business development team has a proven track record and their incentives are in full alignment with the company to improve the revenue ratio of new customer sales. We aim to bring on new end users in existing markets while also acquiring customers in new regions.

Speaker 2

Likewise, our investments in key territories are coming to fruition, as evidenced by the double digit growth in The USA and EMEA markets. In conclusion, we're encouraged by our performance in twenty twenty four, marked by strong revenue growth, material improvement in profitability, and market share gains across our key verticals. The sensor team remains dedicated to successfully executing our growth strategy, capturing market share and delivering value to our customers. We're committed to expanding upon these wins as we continue delivering value for our shareholders and generating sustainable long term growth. Now I will pass the call to our CFO, Alicia Kelly.

Speaker 2

Alicia, please go ahead and review the financial results.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Fabian. I'll begin with the results for the quarter. Our revenue for the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four was $10,200,000 an increase of 14.5% compared with $8,900,000 in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty three. We saw robust sales growth in The U. S.

Speaker 3

Of 43%. Growth was experienced in all four of our key verticals, but the most significant growth was reported from utility sales driven by a large breakthrough in data centers across all regions. EMEA also reported an increase in sales of 44% in Q4 versus the same period last year. Incremental sales were reported in the Corrections, Renewable Energy and Transportation segment. The geographical breakdown as a percentage of revenue for the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four compared to the year ago quarter is as follows: North America, 40 2 Percent versus 36% EMEA, forty six % versus 36% APAC, eleven % versus 14% Latin America, two % versus 11% and all other regions were immaterial for Q4 of twenty twenty four and less than 3% in Q4 of twenty twenty three.

Speaker 3

Fourth quarter gross margin was 64.5%, up compared to 56.6% in a year ago quarter. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to product mix and price increases. Our operating expenses were $5,100,000 up 7% compared to $4,800,000 in the prior year fourth quarter. The increase was driven by headcount investments in G and A, marketing, as well as sales. Strong revenue and a sizable increase in gross margin drove an increase in our operating income for the fourth quarter to 1,500,000.0 a significant increase compared to $262,000 in the year ago period.

Speaker 3

Financial income was $463,000 in the fourth quarter of the year compared to $34,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. This is mainly a non cash accounting effect we regularly report due to the adjustments to the valuation of our monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our operating entities in the group in accordance with GAAP. Net income attributable to Senstar Technologies shareholders in the fourth quarter was $1,600,000 or $07 per share compared to $433,000 or $02 per share in the fourth quarter of last year. The company's EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $1,600,000 compared to $450,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. Added to Sunstar's operational contribution are the public platform expenses and amortization of intangible assets from historical acquisitions.

Speaker 3

The corporate expenses for the fourth quarter were approximately $700,000 Turning now to the results for the full year. Revenue for the full year 2024 was $35,800,000 an increase of 9% compared with $32,800,000 in 2023. Sales grew 15% in The U. S. Compared to 2023 and EMEA also reported an increase in sales of 11% in 2024 compared to last year.

Speaker 3

The geographical breakdown of the percentage of revenue for 2024 compared to 2023 is as follows: North America, 40 5 Percent in each period EMEA, 30 6 Percent versus 35% APAC, fifteen % versus 12% Latin America, three % versus seven percent and all other regions less than 1% in both periods. 2024 gross margin was 64.1%, up compared with 57.5% in 2023. An improvement in gross margin was largely attributed to balanced product mix, the positive impact of organizational streamlining initiatives, and carefully implemented pricing adjustments. Our operating expenses were $19,000,000 down 5% compared to 2023. The decrease is the result of streamlining our corporate structure and realigning of resources that we implemented in 2023.

Speaker 3

The top line growth, strong gross margin, and reduced operating expenses collectively drove the increase in our operating income for 2024 to $3,900,000 compared to an operating loss of $1,300,000 in 2023. Financial income was $731,000 in 2024 compared to financial expense of $64,000 in 2023. Net income attributable to Sunstar Technologies shareholders in 2024 was $2,600,000 or $0.11 per share compared to a net loss attributable to Sunstar Technologies shareholders of 1,300,000.0 or negative 6¢ per share in 2023. The company's EBITDA for 2024 was $4,600,000 compared to a negative $348,000 in 2023. Added to SunCorn's operational contribution are the public platform expenses and amortization of intangible assets from historical acquisitions.

Speaker 3

The corporate expenses for 2024 were $2,200,000 Cash and cash equivalents and short term bank deposits as of 12/31/2024 were $20,600,000 or $0.88 per share. That concludes my prepared remarks. Operator, we'd like to open the call to questions now.

Operator

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. You may press 2 if you would like to remove your question from the queue. And for participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment while we poll for questions.

Operator

Once again, it is star one on your telephone keypad if you would like to ask a question. There are no questions at this time. I would like to turn the call back over to mister Holbert oh, we do have a question. I'm sorry. From Ken Liddy with Oppenheimer and Company.

Operator

Please proceed. Mr. Litty, your line is live.

Speaker 4

Hi. Just wanted to know what growth drivers for 2024 look positive for 2025?

Speaker 2

Sorry. I didn't hear.

Speaker 3

What growth drivers look positive for 2025 from 2020?

Speaker 2

So, unfortunately, we're not providing forward looking statements, but we only can report that we've been showing growth on three of the fourth quarter last years, we believe to be based on something structural and not basically accidental. So basically the global trend it needs for security and to secure critical infrastructure, the complexity of those operations and of the requirements on security make us believe that we're in a very positive trend, which is to be continuous. But it's only an assumption and we strive our utmost to keep on the same trend.

Speaker 4

Is there any region that you're any more encouraged than not encouraged about the potential I only was going

Speaker 2

to say what we have experienced in 01/2024. We're very happy to have seen a growth in our three main regions, which are basically North America, EMEA and APAC. And we hope and strive that the growth will remain in the three main regions.

Speaker 4

Can you comment on anything in the future as far as, you know, optimism, anything to that effect?

Speaker 2

I fully I totally understand. Unfortunately, we're not providing forward looking statements. We just we'll keep doing our very best to make sure we can keep on the same trend we're currently are, and we will work hard to even do better than that.

Speaker 4

I guess one last question. Is there any new opportunities in The United States that do not exist in 2024 that could possibly be a future pipeline.

Speaker 2

So I'm trying to understand the background of your question in the sense

Speaker 4

that With the political turmoil in The United States regarding immigration, does that present any opportunity for your company?

Speaker 2

So the raise of, okay, I understand the question. The raise of insecurity worldwide and in The United States as well is a strong driver to securing better. I'm not in a position to make any link between basically the end security and immigration is not what we're aiming forward. We know that the need for security has remained high, and we're putting all our effort to keep securing basically our targeted verticals against the filling of insecurity.

Speaker 4

Understood. Thanks for taking my questions. With

Operator

no further questions, I would like to turn the conference back over to Mr. Hubert for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

So on behalf of management of Sensor, I would like to thank you for your continued interest and long term support of our business. We look forward to sharing more updates with you in the coming quarters. Have a good day.

Operator

Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time, and thank you for your participation.

Powered by Quartr
Earnings Conference Call
Senstar Technologies Q4 2024
00:00 / 00:00