Shentel(US:SHEN)2025-04-30 12:30Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenues grew 27% to $87.9 million, with former Horizon markets contributing $15.2 million. Excluding Horizon, revenues increased by $3.5 million or 5% compared to Q1 2024 [11] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 43% to $27.6 million, with former Horizon markets contributing $4.4 million. Excluding Horizon, adjusted EBITDA grew by $4 million or 21% year-over-year [12] - Adjusted EBITDA margins improved from 28% in Q1 2024 to 31% in Q1 2025, driven by high incremental margins from Glo Fiber subscribers and synergy savings [12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Glo Fiber expansion markets added 5,400 new subscribers and 16,600 new passings, resulting in a 52% revenue increase compared to the same period in 2024 [6] - Legacy Glo Fiber markets revenue grew by $5.6 million or 47%, driven by subscriber increases, while incumbent broadband markets revenue declined by $2.2 million due to a 14% drop in video RGUs [11] - The commercial sales team achieved record sales bookings of just under $200,000 in monthly recurring revenues [8] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Glo Fiber's broadband data penetration reached 19.4%, up from 18% a year earlier, with monthly broadband data churn remaining low at 0.9% [19] - Incumbent broadband markets saw a 2.7% year-over-year increase in broadband data customers, ending Q1 with approximately 112,000 customers [20] - Overall broadband data penetration decreased to 46.5% due to the addition of acquired passings in the Horizon territory [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to complete the construction phase of Glo Fiber expansion and government grant projects by the end of 2026, targeting 550,000 total Glo Fiber passings [16] - The company aims to achieve free cash flow positivity by 2027, with significant growth expected in 2028 and beyond [30] - The company is focusing on a hybrid capital structure to lower the cost of debt, planning to access the ABS market for its fiber business [14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about growth prospects in Glo Fiber markets, highlighting the potential for free cash flow generation as penetration rates increase [6] - The company noted a favorable response from customers to enhanced rate plans and value propositions introduced in the past year [7] - Management expects EBITDA margins to continue growing by 300 to 400 basis points annually as customer additions increase [33] Other Important Information - Liquidity as of March 31 was $335 million, including $88 million in cash and $143 million in available revolver capacity [13] - Capital expenditures in Q1 totaled $76 million, with full-year guidance set between $250 million and $280 million [22] - The company has not been significantly impacted by price increases due to tariffs, with most materials sourced domestically [23][24] Q&A Session Summary Question: Potential for ABS securities and optimal capital structure - Management expects ABS to save about 100 basis points in interest expense and plans to use investment-grade tranches [28] Question: Glo Fiber capital expenditure plans - The company anticipates completing Glo Fiber construction by the end of 2026, with capital intensity expected to drop to 20-25% of revenues starting in 2027 [30] Question: Subscriber growth challenges - Management indicated that they are not yet facing difficulties in adding subscribers, with continued growth observed even in mature markets [36] Question: Competitive pressures - There is minimal competition in Glo Fiber markets, with only a small overlap with BrightSpeed [37] Question: Refinancing process and cost implications - The internal restructuring for refinancing is expected to save approximately $7 million in annual interest expense [40]