agilon health, inc. (NYSE:AGL) Q4 2024 Earnings Conference Call February 25, 2025 4:30 PM ET Company Participants Evan Smith - Senior Vice President of Investor Relations Steven Sell - Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Schwaneke - Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Stephen Baxter - Wells Fargo Justin Lake - Wolfe Research Jack Slevin - Jefferies Ryan Langston - TD Cowen Amir Farahani - Bernstein Jailendra Singh - Truist Securities Michael Ha - Baird Elizabeth Anderson - Evercore Adam Ron - B ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the full year 2024, same store net operating revenues increased by 5.5% and adjusted EBITDA improved by 6% [9][17] - Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $428 million, compared to $386 million in the prior year period, with a margin of 13.1%, up from 12.1% [16][17] - Cash flows from operations were $216 million for the fourth quarter, up from $90 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, and $480 million for the full year of 2024, consistent with guidance [19][20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Same store admissions increased by 3.2%, adjusted admissions by 2.7%, and surgeries by 1.3% for the full year 2024 [7] - Same store emergency department visits were up 1% and surgeries were up 0.9% in the fourth quarter [16] - Same store ambulatory surgery center cases increased by 14% last year [8] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company completed divestitures in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Statesboro, North Carolina, with plans for additional divestitures expected to generate over $1 billion in total proceeds [10][22] - The net debt to trailing adjusted EBITDA improved to 7.4 times, down from 7.9 times at the end of 2023 [22] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on expanding outpatient access, including primary care, specialty practices, and urgent care centers, with significant capital investments [7][15] - The implementation of a new ERP system is expected to drive efficiencies and reduce costs, with estimated savings of $40 million to $60 million in 2025 [23] - The company anticipates further expansion of internally managed hospital-based provider services in 2025 [12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted stabilization in payer downgrades and denials, which had been a troubling trend for healthcare providers [11][17] - The company expects organic growth of $75 million to $100 million in 2025, with net revenue guidance of $12.2 billion to $12.6 billion [23] - Management expressed confidence in the approval of directed payment programs in New Mexico and Tennessee, which could add an incremental $100 million to $125 million to annual EBITDA [24][50] Other Important Information - The company experienced a $10 million impact from a hurricane in Q4, with one hospital still shut down as a result [74] - The company is in discussions for additional strategic divestitures expected to be announced soon [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you help bridge 2024 to 2025 guidance? - Management provided a high-level bridge starting with 2024 EBITDA of $1.54 billion, accounting for reductions from divestitures and adding organic growth to reach the midpoint of 2025 guidance [27][28] Question: What are the strategic moves expected moving forward? - Management highlighted ongoing investments in core portfolio growth, including outpatient and procedural capacity expansions, and noted that there are still investable opportunities in the pipeline [30][33] Question: Can you quantify the continued hurricane impact in Q4? - The hurricane impact was as expected at $10 million, with one hospital shut down for the entire quarter [74]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a net revenue of $240 million for the quarter, a decrease from the prior year period, primarily due to a decline in net administrative fees revenue and supply chain services [14] - GAAP net loss from continuing operations was $46 million, mainly due to a goodwill impairment charge of $127 million related to the data and technology business in the Performance Services segment [15] - Adjusted EBITDA was $50 million, translating to a margin of 20.8%, which declined largely due to lower revenue [15] - Adjusted earnings per share was $0.25, and excluding the impact of Contigo Health, it was $0.27, in line with expectations [16] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Supply Chain Services segment, lower net administrative fees revenue was driven by an expected increase in the aggregate blended fee share to the low 60% level [17] - Gross administrative fees grew as existing members increased penetration of contract spend, with a growth of close to 4% overall in gross administrative fees [33] - The Performance Services segment experienced a revenue decline of 19% due to lower demand in consulting services and an unfavorable product mix in Applied Sciences [18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is seeing a shift in member interest favoring SaaS subscription engagements versus license agreements in the Performance Services segment [19] - The company expects to address greater than 75% of the fees from the group of GPO members by the end of fiscal year 2025 [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on technology enabling performance improvement and supply chain excellence for healthcare, with a strategy that includes AI enabling manual back office processes and enhancing data for actionable insights [9] - The company is committed to diversifying its supplier base to build resiliency in the supply chain and mitigate potential tariff impacts [28] - The leadership transition in the Performance Services segment aims to reinvigorate the business by recruiting new talent and refocusing solutions around key areas of differentiation [10][11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains confident in the long-term strategy despite short-term headwinds in the Performance Services segment [19] - The company is encouraged by the growing demand for provider-focused data and market intelligence, which is seen as a key differentiator in the market [10] - Management believes they are well-positioned for continued success with a flexible balance sheet and meaningful cash flow [24] Other Important Information - The company completed the sale of the network assets of Contigo Health for $15 million and is working towards divesting remaining assets [13][88] - Free cash flow for the first half of fiscal year 2025 was $74 million, an increase of $33 million from the prior year period [20] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the discussions regarding tariffs and how are you preparing customers? - The company is focusing on building resiliency and diversification of suppliers in the supply chain to mitigate tariff impacts [28] Question: Can you provide insights on the dynamics behind net administrative fees? - The company is seeing good growth in gross administrative fees and is making progress in renegotiating contracts [32] Question: What is the expectation for the Performance Services segment in the second half of the year? - The company expects stronger performance in the second half due to a strong funnel in applied sciences and timing of enterprise license agreements [55] Question: Can you clarify the nature of the $17.6 million distribution from the minority investment? - The distribution was one-time and did not come from Omnia, and it has been adjusted out of the numbers [67] Question: How does the firm for term pricing work in relation to tariffs? - The firm for term pricing is embedded in supplier contracts, meaning suppliers absorb the tariffs, not the company or its customers [76]