Liquidity Services, Inc. (LQDT) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Thank you. Welcome to the Liquidity Services third quarter of fiscal year 2026 financial results conference call. My name is Shannon and I will be your operator for today's call. Please note that this conference call is being recorded. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and answer session. I will now turn the call over to Michael Patrick, Liquidity Services Vice President and Controller.

Good morning. On the call today are Bill Engrick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Jorge Celaya, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. They will be available for questions after their prepared remarks. The following discussion and responses to your questions reflect management's views as of today, August 6, 2026, and will include forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially. Additional information about factors that could potentially impact our financial results is included in today's press release and in filings with the SEC, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K. As you listen to today's call, please have our press release in front of you, which includes our financial results as well as metrics and commentary on the quarter. During this call, management will discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures. In our press release and filings with the SEC, each of which is posted on our website, you will find additional disclosures regarding these non-GAAP measures, including the reconciliations of these measures with their most comparable measures as available. Management also uses certain supplemental operating data as a measure of certain components of operating performance, which we also believe is useful for management and investors. This supplemental operating data includes gross merchandise volume and should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results. At this time, I will turn the presentation over to our Chairman and CEO, Bill Engrick.

Thanks, Michael. Good morning, and welcome to our earnings call. Our strong Q3 results reflect the continued success execution of our ARISE strategy, which focuses on four priorities. maximizing recovery for sellers, increasing transaction volume, expanding value-added services, and leveraging technology to drive operating efficiency. Together, these initiatives are producing stronger financial performance as we confidently march towards our $2 billion annual GMV target. and reinforce our leadership position in the $100 billion circular economy. Our strategy is for bringing measurable results. In Q3, GAAP diluted earnings per share of 32 cents, was up 39% year-over-year, by GMV growth of 10% year-over-year to $453 million, gap revenue growth of 8% to $129.6 million, direct profit growth of 17% year-over-year to $3.8 million, and adjusted EBITDA growth to $22 million. Our Rule of 40 score improved to 51%, up from 42% a year ago, while cash and short-term investments increased to $231 million. These results represent our 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year EBITDA growth. Our retail segment, GMB, reached a record $121.6 million, increasing 19% year-over-year. Growth was driven by expanding consignment relationships and improved recovery rates across major programs. Our managed direct-to-consumer consignment business nearly doubled from the prior year, and our international clients continued their strong growth trajectory. These programs demonstrate how our flexible service offerings help large retailers recover more value from surplus inventory while improving speed, transparency, and sustainability. Finally, our retail RUS GMB grew sequentially by 50%, reflecting continued progress, attracting demand to our proprietary D2C online auction platform. Our GovDeal segment achieved record GMV of $274 million, up 9% year-over-year, and we set a new quarterly record for unique sellers, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of seller growth. Public sector clients continue to rely on our GovDeals platform to maximize proceeds from surplus assets, This demonstrated by several notable transactions during the quarter, including a $7.7 million State Department of Transportation heavy equipment sale, a $2.5 million generator auction for a federal client, and a $2.6 million Canadian Our strong record of performance has allowed us to win increasingly lucrative engagements. For example, Miami-Dade County is selling their landmark 28-story, approximately 265,000 square foot county courthouse in the heart of downtown Miami on a in our GovDeals marketplace. GovDeals also established new records bidder and seller engagement, including the most unique bidders in a single month. and most assets available for sale on a single day. Our buyer acquisition and engagement initiatives continue to produce strong results. During the quarter, GovDeal's buyer registrations increased 23 percent, new bidders increased 42 percent, and conversion rates improved 35 percent even as marketing spend declined. reflect investments in AI-enabled marketing, personalization, buyer education, and improved marketplace experiences. These milestones illustrate the growing network effects of our platform and our ability to connect more buyers with more inventory than ever before. Our capital assets group segment continued to demonstrate the strength and resilience of its marketplace platform during Q3. While quarterly results were impacted by the timing of several large projects, CAG delivered another quarter of year-over-year direct profit growth, expanded its client base, improved performance, pricing, performance, and strengthen its pipeline entering the fourth quarter. Importantly, these large project delays during Q3 reflect timing issues rather than project losses and have strengthened our outlook for upcoming quarters. During Q3, CAG generated $57.5 million of GMV and $9.6 million of direct profit. While GMV declined 1% year-over-year primarily due to project timing and lower volumes in EMEA, APAC, and selected North American industrial markets, direct profit increased 13% year-over-year. year-over-year as a result of stronger pricing and mix. One of the most encouraging indicators during Q3 was our continued improvement in CAG unit economics. TAG's take rate increased 270 basis points from a year ago, reflecting higher margin consignment projects and strong execution across our heavy equipment fleet and industrial verticals. This helped offset the impact of lower transaction volume and enabled direct profit growth despite a roughly full . New CAG account activity remained healthy with 175 new accounts signed during Q3, including a growing mix of recurring and annuity-style relationships. CAG secured several notable customer engagements during the quarter that reinforce our leadership position across industrial, energy, biopharma, and energy. and manufacturing sectors. Recent wins reflect our competitive advantages, including the largest buyer base within these industrial verticals, our global execution capabilities, our differentiated sell-in-place offering for heavy equipment fleet owners, and our asset zone redeployment platform. On the buyer side, demand for CAG industrial used equipment, energy assets, and heavy equipment remained robust, particularly in North America, where bidder participation across auction events continued at elevated levels during Q3. Our Maschineo business also delivered strong momentum with Maschineo's system. ARR increasing 26% in your region, and then the brain vertical servo.

Thank you. Thank you. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your line. Your conference will resume momentarily. Once again, please remain in your line. Your conference will resume momentarily. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, please may I align your conference room and resume momentarily.

Thank you. Sir, you may resume your conference. Finally, our machinio business also delivered strong momentum with total system ARR increasing 26% year-over-year and a the Nishinio Marine Vertical growing 95% year-over-year. We continue to modernize our platform ecosystem auction.io and related software initiatives. During the quarter, we enhanced user experiences across multiple liquidity services marketplaces and prepared new marketplace capability design to support future growth. Looking ahead, Liquidity Services is well positioned to continue delivering profitable growth as we reach our $2 billion annual GMB target. are expanding buyer and seller networks, strong debt-free balance sheet, technology investments, and growing services, multiple avenues for value creation. Most importantly, we remain focused on helping our customers maximize recovery, improve sustainability. outcomes and unlock value for other assets. On behalf of our team, thank you for your continued support and confidence in liquidity services. I'll now turn it over to Jorge for more details on our results and near-term outlook.

Good morning. As Bill indicated, our consolidated results for the fiscal third quarter of 2026 included a 10% increase in GMV to $453 million, setting a new quarterly record with consolidated revenue of $129.6 million of 8%. Gap earnings per share was up 39%, so $0.32 per share. Non-gap adjusted earnings per share was $0.45, up 32%. And non-gap adjusted EBITDA was $22 million, up 30%. This quarter demonstrates how we have been executing on our strategy with the strength of our diversified marketplace platform and how mix and scale can be leveraged for strong fall through to profit. Retail and GovDeals each achieved record levels of volume and profitability. In retail, our focus on buyer liquidity and channel optimization drove expanded margins, while GovDeals continued to scale by expanding marketplace adoption and services. These results underscore the strategic advantage of scale and our diversification, platform positioning, and proven service offerings that our customers count on, which increasingly position liquidity services as a one-stop platform for sellers and buyers to transact across all asset classes. classes. We ended the fiscal third quarter of 2026 with $231.1 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. We continue to have zero debt, and we have approximately $24 million in available borrowing capacity under our credit facility. At the end of this fiscal third quarter, we had $50 million remaining from our authorization to perform additional share repurchases. Turning to our fiscal third quarter segment performance compared to the same quarter last year, Our RSCG or retail segment increased GMV by 19%, revenue by 8% and direct profit by 30%, each setting a new quarterly record, reflecting an expanded buyer base for low touch purchase flows, as well as an increased mix of consignment flows, all while maintaining operating leverage. Our GovDeal segment increased GMV 9%, revenue by 7%, and direct profit by 9%, each setting a new quarterly record. Performance was driven by continued expansion of our buyer and seller base and increased adoption of added services with a record high number of unique clients who sold and customers who bought on the platform during the quarter. In our capital assets group, or CAG segment, GMV decreased 1%, while revenue increased by 18% and direct profit increased 13%. by a favorable mix of high take rate projects across multiple regions. Machinery and software solutions combine to increase revenue 4% and direct profit by 3% with a focus on transformational initiatives and expanding service capabilities. Moving on to our fiscal fourth quarter outlook. We expect to complete our fiscal full year, 2026, with continued annual growth across all key metrics. Our guidance positions us for the highest annual fiscal year adjusted EBITDA in 13 years. For the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026, we expect continued strong profitability led by our retail supply chain group, solid performance from GovDeals, and growth in cap. GovDeals is expected to remain a major contributor to consolidated profitability supported by continued marketplace adoption and seller activity. In retail, expanded channel placement, current backlog, product mix, and higher demand during the fiscal fourth quarter are expected to support continued strong direct profit performance with operating leverage, despite anticipating sequentially lower GMB and revenue for retail. Our capital assets group has a strong pipeline of international project-based work and continued momentum in its North American heavy equipment category. On a consolidated basis, consignment GMV for the fiscal fourth quarter is expected in the mid 80s as a percent of total GMV. Consolidated Revenue as a percent of GMV is to be in the mid-20s. and total segment direct profit as a percent of consolidated revenue is expected to be in the mid-50% range, resulting in the improved direct profit margins year-over-year from the expected changes in mix. These ratios can vary based on overall business mix, including asset categories in any given period. Management guidance for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026 is as follows. expect GMV to range from $450 million to $455 million. We estimate non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA to range from $22 million to $25 million. GAAP net income is expected in the range of $10 million to $13 million with corresponding GAAP diluted earnings per share ranging from 30 cents to 39 cents per share. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share is estimated in the range of 41 cents to 50 cents per share. Both GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per share are expected to reflect a higher effective tax rate approaching the low to mid-30s for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026. GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance assumes that we have approximately 33 million fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026. And capital expenditures are expected to be between $2.5 to $3 million for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026. Thank you, and we will now take your questions. Thank you.

We will now begin the question and answer session. If you have a question, please press star 11 at this time. If you wish to be removed from the queue, please press star 11 again. If you are using a speakerphone, you may need to pick up the handset first before pressing the numbers. George Sutton from Craig Hallam is on the line with a question.

Thank you, great results guys. So a couple metrics I found interesting. registered buyers up 9%, transactions up 17%, but your auction participants were down 5%. It sort of sounds like an 80-20 rule is in place. here, but I'm just curious, looking at that auction participant number particularly, how do you market differently or how do you put more pressure on that statistic going forward?.