Cogeco Inc Releases Q2 Results

For the second quarter of fiscal 2024:

• Revenue increased by $41.5 million, or 7.7%, to reach $578.5 million driven by growth in the Communications segment (previously named the Cable and Enterprise data services segment) mainly through the improvement of its American broadband services operations (previously named American cable services operations) combined with favorable foreign exchange rates compared to the same period of the prior year;

• Adjusted EBITDA increased by $23.1 million, or 10.1%, to reach $252.1 million compared to the same period of fiscal 2024 as a result of the improvement in the Communications segment combined with favorable foreign exchange rates compared to the same period of the prior year and the improvement in the media activities despite the sale of Métromédia CMR Plus Inc. (“Métromédia”) on January 5, 2024;

• Profit for the period amounted to $75.7 million of which $33.3 million, or $1.99 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation compared to profit for the period of $55.0 million for the second quarter on fiscal 2024 of which $14.9 million, or $0.89 per share, was attributable to the owners of the Corporation. The increase in profit is mostly attributable to the improvement of adjusted EBITDA combined with the gain on disposal related to the sale of Métromédia , partly offset by increases in depreciation and amortization and integration, restructuring and acquisition costs. The earnings per share for the quarter were also positively impacted as a result of higher management fees paid by Cogeco Communications to the Corporation under the Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement. Under the new agreement, management fees are payable on a monthly basis. In the previous fiscal year, management fees were fully paid in the first quarter, contributing to lower profit attributable to owners of the Corporation for the second, third and fourth quarters;

• Free cash flow(1) reached $77.2 million compared to $68.9 million, an increase of $8.3 million, or 12.0%, compared to the same quarter of the prior year resulting from the improvement of adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by an increase in the acquisitions of property, plant and equipment;

• Cash flow from operating activities reached $211.5 million compared to $198.9 million, representing an increase of $12.5 million compared to fiscal 2024 second-quarter. The increase is mostly attributable to the improvement in adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by increases in income taxes paid and integration, restructuring and acquisition costs;

• A quarterly eligible dividend of $0.295 per share was paid to the holders of subordinate and multiple voting shares, an increase of $0.04 per share, or 15.7%, compared to an eligible dividend of $0.255 per share paid in the second quarter of fiscal 2024; and

(1)  The indicated terms do not have standardized definitions prescribed by IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. For more details, please consult the “Non-IFRS financial measures” section of the Management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”).

• At its April 13, 2024 meeting, the Board of Directors of Cogeco declared a quarterly eligible dividend of $0.295 per share for multiple voting and subordinate voting shares payable on May 11, 2024.

For the six-month period ended February 29, 2024:

• Revenue increased by $86.1 million, or 8.0%, to reach $1.16 billion driven by growth in the Communications segment mainly through the improvement of its American broadband services operations combined with favorable foreign exchange rates compared to the same period of the prior year;

• Adjusted EBITDA increased by $44.2 million, or 9.6%, to reach $507.3 million compared to the same period of fiscal 2024 as a result of the improvement in the Communications segment combined with favorable foreign exchange rates compared to the same period of the prior year and the improvement in the media activities despite the sale of Métromédia;

• Profit for the period amounted to $142.5 million of which $58.5 million, or $3.50 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation compared to profit for the period of $120.4 million for the same period of fiscal 2024, of which $41.6 million, or $2.49 per share, was attributable to the owners of the Corporation. The increase in profit is mostly attributable to the improvement of adjusted EBITDA combined with the gain on the disposal of Métromédia, partly offset by increases in depreciation and amortization, integration, restructuring and acquisition costs and income taxes;

• Free cash flow reached $118.1 million compared to $139.6 million, a decrease of $21.5 million, or 15.4%, compared to the same period of the prior year resulting from the timing of the acquisitions of property, plant and equipment and an increase in current income taxes, partly offset by the improvement of adjusted EBITDA; and

• Cash flow from operating activities reached $301.7 million compared to $217.9 million, representing an increase of $83.8 million, or 38.4%, compared to the first six months of fiscal 2024. The increase is mostly attributable to the improvement in adjusted EBITDA combined with a decrease in changes in non-cash activities primarily due to changes in working capital, partly offset by increases in income taxes paid and integration, restructuring and acquisition costs.

“Overall, our results for the second quarter of the 2024 fiscal year have been satisfactory,” declared Louis Audet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Inc. “Cogeco Communications’ American broadband services subsidiary, Atlantic Broadband, continues to report strong results and solid organic growth following the acquisition of the Connecticut system. Meanwhile, Cogeco Communications’ Canadian broadband services subsidiary, which was renamed Cogeco Connexion, continues to report satisfactory results in a highly competitive market. Cogeco Connexion also reviewed its product offering during the quarter and launched a new entry-level package and a number of new packages on March 1 which provide customers with greater flexibility and choice.”

“Cogeco Communications’ Business ICT services subsidiary, Cogeco Peer 1, is pursuing its plan to build competitive product portfolios,” added Mr. Audet. “As this exercise progresses, in an increasingly competitive market, we are deploying new sales strategies and streamlining our product-offering, focusing on profitability.”

“Recently renamed, Cogeco Media completed the sale of its out-of-home advertising company, Métromedia,” continued Mr. Audet. “As we focus our efforts on strengthening our position in the radio industry, we are very gratified to have seen an exceptional performance from most of our radio stations over the second quarter, as confirmed by the latest Numeris ratings and our subsidiary’s financial results.”

“We have also seen an overall positive reaction to our renaming and rebranding exercise, which we unveiled during the second quarter. We feel well on our way to building a strong, unified and recognizable brand, to position Cogeco for an inspiring and successful future,” concluded Mr. Audet.