8-K
MOVING iMAGE TECHNOLOGIES INC. (MITQ)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): November 14, 2023
MOVING iMAGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| 001-40511 | | 85-1836381 |
| (Commission File Number) | | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| | | |
| 17760 Newhope Street , Fountain Valley , CA | | 92708 |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | | (Zip Code) |
( 714 ) 751-7998
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
|---|---|
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| Title of each class | Trading Symbols | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common Stock, $0.00001 par value | MITQ | NYSE American LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 2.02Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
On November 14, 2023, Moving iMage Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release and conducted a conference call, both of which reported certain financial results for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2023. Copies of the press release and the transcript of the conference call are attached hereto as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, respectively, and the information therein is incorporated herein by reference.
The press release attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K includes certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because it excludes a one-time event. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude the September 30, 2022 $140,000 unrealized and $23,000 realized losses which the Company believes are not reflective of its ongoing operations and performance. These September 30, 2022 non-GAAP items represent a one-time event and did not reoccur in September 30, 2023. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures enhance investors’ understanding of the Company’s financial and operating performance from period to period and enable investors to evaluate the Company’s operating results and future prospects in the same manner as management. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are set forth below. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for, or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.
The following presentation contains Non-GAAP Net Income and Income per Share, to supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). We adjusted Other Income (Expense) to remove the one-time 2023 unrealized and realized losses from marketable securities from our GAAP prepared statement.
| | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, | ||||
| | **** | 2023 | **** | 2022 | ||
| Net loss | $ | 439 | $ | (95) | ||
| Unrealized marketable securities loss | | **** | — | | | (140) |
| Realized marketable securities loss | | | — | | | (23) |
| Non-GAAP Net loss | | $ | 439 | | $ | 68 |
| Weighted average shares outstanding: basic and diluted | | 10,685,778 | | 10,928,724 | ||
| Non-GAAP Net loss per common share basic and diluted | | $ | 0.04 | | $ | 0.01 |
The information reported under this Item 7.01 in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 attached hereto, shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.
Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure.
The information under Item 2.02 above is incorporated herein by reference.
The information reported under this Item 7.01 in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 attached hereto, shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.
Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| (d) | Exhibits | |
|---|---|---|
| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exhibit No. | **** | Exhibit |
| 99.1 | | Press Release dated November 14, 2023 |
| 99.2 | | Transcript of earnings call on November 14, 2023 |
| 104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| | Moving iMage Technologies, Inc. | |
| | | |
| Date: November 14, 2023 | By: | /s/ William Greene |
| | Name: | William Greene |
| | Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit 99.1
Moving iMage Technologies Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results
Revenue increased 13%; gross profit increased 17%; record quarterly gross margin of 27.4%; GAAP and Non-GAAP EPS of $0.04
Fountain Valley, CA – November 14, 2023: Moving iMage Technologies, Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN: MITQ), (“MiT”), a leading technology and services company for cinema, Esports, stadiums, arenas and other out-of-home entertainment venues, today announced results for its first quarter ended September 30, 2023.
“We started the new fiscal year on a strong note with double-digit growth in revenue, gross margin expansion and profits,” said Phil Rafnson, chairman and chief executive officer, MiT. “We’ve been talking about a technology refresh cycle for several quarters now, and this quarter’s results were encouraging, as projector replacements and our ADA compliance products were a key driver. We also made progress on several of the newer initiatives that we expect to drive revenue growth and profits over the next several years, including receiving our first orders for LEA Professional’s smart power amplifiers.
“From a capital allocation perspective, we put in place a 10b5-1 trading program for our previously approved share buyback at the end of the quarter. This meant that beginning November 1, the number of trading days that we could repurchase shares increased to approximately 250 days per year versus 90 days previously.”
First **** Quarter Fiscal **** 2024 Highlights (versus Fiscal 1Q23)
| ● | Revenue increased 13.4% to $6.6 million compared to $5.9 million; | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Gross Profit increased of $1.8 million compared to $1.6 million; Gross Margin of 27.4%; | ||
| --- | --- | ||
| ● | GAAP Operating Income of $0.4 million compared to $0.0 million; | ||
| --- | --- | ||
| ● | GAAP Net Income and Earnings per Share (EPS) of $0.4 million and $0.04 compared to a GAAP Net Loss and Loss per Share of ($0.1) million and ($0.01), respectively; | ||
| --- | --- | ||
| ● | Non-GAAP Income and EPS of $0.4 million and $0.04 compared to Non-GAAP Net Income and Income per Share of $0.1 million and $0.01, respectively. | ||
| --- | --- | ||
| Select Financial Metrics: FY24 versus FY23 as of 9/30/2023* | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (in millions, except for Loss per Share and percentages) | 1Q24 | 1Q23 | Change |
| Total Revenue | $6.6 | $5.9 | 13.4% |
| Gross Profit | $1.8 | $1.6 | 16.7% |
| Gross Margin | 27.4% | 26.6% | |
| Operating Loss | $0.4 | $0.0 | 700.0% |
| Operating Margin | 5.8% | 0.8% | |
| GAAP Net Loss | $0.4 | ($0.1) | nm |
| GAAP Loss Per Share | $0.04 | ($0.01) | nm |
| Non-GAAP Net Loss | $0.4 | $0.1 | nm |
| Non-GAAP Loss Per Share | $0.04 | $0.01 | nm |
| nm = not measurable/meaningful; *may not add up due to rounding |
Fiscal 2024 Commentary
“With the Hollywood strikes now behind us, the industry can jump start the production and release schedules and our customers, the cinema owners, which were not able to budget their expenditures with any confidence during the strike, can now start planning as well. Our initial fiscal 2024 guidance, which only included our legacy business and not our newer and emerging businesses, of low double-digit revenue growth with continuing to move towards break-even on a non-GAAP basis, took these delays into account with a down second quarter and a stronger second half of the year.
“That said, we continue to see multiple upside opportunities from our newer initiatives, which aren’t included in our current guidance. For instance, our guidance doesn’t include any sales of LEA Professional smart power amplifiers, but, in the second fiscal quarter, we’ve already announced two orders for these products, and there is ongoing evaluation and testing occurring at more theaters as we speak. Additional areas of potential upside include: an ADA compliance product refresh at a large national circuit that we are working to lock down; order growth in Esports shipments above the modest fiscal 2023 levels; National Amusements rolling out CineQC to its international locations; initial sales of MiTranslator and other international sales. Given these significant opportunities to accelerate growth, we plan to provide updates throughout the year as our growth initiatives hit milestones,” concluded Rafnson.
| Trended Financials * | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for Loss per | **** | **** | **** | **** | **** | **** | **** | YTD |
| Share and percentages) | 1Q23 | 2Q23 | 3Q23 | 4Q23 | 1Q24 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
| Total Revenue | $5.9 | $4.8 | $3.7 | $5.8 | $6.6 | $18.4 | $20.2 | $6.6 |
| Gross Profit | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 1.8 |
| Gross Margin | 26.6% | 27.1% | 27.9% | 24.2% | 27.4% | 24.3% | 26.3% | 27.4% |
| Operating Income (Loss) | 0.0 | (0.1) | (0.5) | (1.4) | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Operating Margin | 0.8% | -2.8% | -14.1% | -23.5% | 5.8% | -9.6% | -9.8% | 5.8% |
| GAAP Net Income (Loss) | $ (0.1) | $ 0.0 | $ (0.4) | $ (1.3) | $ 0.4 | $ (1.3) | $ (1.8) | $ 0.4 |
| Diluted Income (Loss) Per Share | $ (0.01) | $ 0.00 | $ (0.04) | $ (0.12) | $ 0.04 | $ (0.13) | $ (0.16) | $ (0.04) |
| Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) | $ 0.1 | $ 0.00 | $ (0.4) | $ (0.2) | $ 0.4 | $ (1.5) | $ (0.7) | $ 0.4 |
| Non-GAAP Diluted Income (Loss) Per Share | $ 0.01 | $ 0.00 | $ (0.04) | $ (0.02) | $ 0.04 | $ (0.14) | $ (0.07) | $ 0.04 |
| nm = not measurable/meaningful; | ||||||||
| * may not add up due to rounding |
Dial-in and Webcast Information
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 12:00 p.m. ET ****
Toll-Free: 1-877-407-4018 Toll/International: 1-201-689-8471
Call me™: Participants can use Guest dial-in #s above and be answered by an operator OR click the Call me™ Link for instant telephone access to the event. Call me™ link will be made active 15 minutes prior to scheduled start time.
Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1642336&tp_key=f7b20dddac
Telephone Replay Replay Dial-In: 1-844-512-2921 or 1-412-317-6671Replay Expiration: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ETAccess ID: 13742538 Telephone Replays will be made available after conference end time.
About Moving iMage Technologies
Moving iMage Technologies **** is a leading manufacturer and integrator of purpose-built technology solutions and equipment to support a wide variety of entertainment applications, with a focus on motion picture exhibitions, sports venues and eSports. MiT offers a wide range of products and services, including custom engineering, systems design, integration and installation, enterprise software solution, digital cinema, A/V integration, as well as customized solutions for emerging entertainment technology. MiT’s Caddy Products division designs and sells proprietary cup-holder and other seating-based products and lighting systems for theaters and stadiums. For more information, visit www.movingimagetech.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements above that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those in which we use the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “target” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment of what may happen in the future, actual results may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these statements due to numerous important factors. Our filings with the SEC provide detailed information on such statements and
risks and should be consulted along with this release. To the extent permitted under applicable law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Brian Siegel, IRC, MBA
Senior Managing Director, Hayden IR
(346) 396-8696
Brian@haydenir.com
About Moving iMage Technologies
Moving iMage Technologies is a leading manufacturer and integrator of purpose-built technology solutions and equipment to support a wide variety of entertainment applications, with a focus on motion picture exhibitions, sports venues and eSports. MiT offers a wide range of products and services, including custom engineering, systems design, integration and installation, enterprise software solution, digital cinema, A/V integration, as well as customized solutions for emerging entertainment technology. MiT’s Caddy Products division designs and sells proprietary cup-holder and other seating- based products and lighting systems for theaters and stadiums. For more information, visit www.movingimagetech.com.
MOVING IMAGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands except share and per share amounts)
| | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | **** | September 30, | | June 30, | **** | ||
| | | 2023 | **** | 2023 | | ||
| | | (unaudited) | | | | | |
| Assets | | | |||||
| Current Assets: | | | |||||
| Cash | | $ | 6,408 | | $ | 6,616 | |
| Accounts receivable, net | | 2,042 | | 905 | | ||
| Inventories, net | | 4,752 | | 4,419 | | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other | | 248 | | 451 | | ||
| Total Current Assets | | 13,450 | | 12,391 | | ||
| Long-Term Assets: | | | | ||||
| Right-of-use asset | | | 349 | | | 415 | |
| Property and equipment, net | | 26 | | 28 | | ||
| Intangibles, net | | 466 | | 480 | | ||
| Other assets | | 16 | | 16 | | ||
| Total Long-Term Assets | | 857 | | 939 | | ||
| Total Assets | | $ | 14,307 | | $ | 13,330 | |
| | | | | | |||
| Liabilities And Stockholders’ Equity | | | | ||||
| Current Liabilities: | | | | ||||
| Accounts payable | | $ | 2,912 | | $ | 1,507 | |
| Accrued expenses | | 843 | | 618 | | ||
| Customer deposits | | 2,153 | | 3,169 | | ||
| Lease liability–current | | 288 | | 280 | | ||
| Unearned warranty revenue | | 12 | | 26 | | ||
| Total Current Liabilities | | 6,208 | | 5,600 | | ||
| | | | | ||||
| Long-Term Liabilities: | | | | ||||
| Lease liability–non-current | | 76 | | 151 | | ||
| Total Long-Term Liabilities | | 76 | | 151 | | ||
| Total Liabilities | | 6,284 | | 5,751 | | ||
| Stockholders’ Equity | | | | | | ||
| Common stock, $0.00001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 10,685,778 and 10,685,778 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2023 and June 30, 2023, respectively | | | — | | | — | |
| Additional paid-in capital | | | 12,467 | | | 12,462 | |
| Accumulated deficit | | | (4,444) | | | (4,883) | |
| Total Stockholders’ Equity | | | 8,023 | | | 7,579 | |
| Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | | $ | 14,307 | | $ | 13,330 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
MOVING IMAGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands except share and per share amounts)
| | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | **** | Three Months Ended | **** | Three Months Ended | **** | ||
| | | September 30, | | September 30, | | ||
| | | 2023 | | 2022 | | ||
| | | | (unaudited) | | | | |
| Net sales | | $ | 6,635 | | $ | 5,852 | |
| Cost of goods sold | | 4,816 | | 4,293 | | ||
| Gross profit | | 1,819 | | 1,559 | | ||
| | | | | ||||
| Operating expenses: | | | | ||||
| Research and development | | 67 | | 66 | | ||
| Selling and marketing | | 542 | | 610 | | ||
| General and administrative | | 826 | | 835 | | ||
| Total operating expenses | | 1,435 | | 1,511 | | ||
| Operating profit | | 384 | | 48 | | ||
| Other income (expense) | | | | ||||
| Unrealized loss on marketable securities | | | — | | | (140) | |
| Realized loss on marketable securities | | | — | | | (23) | |
| Interest and other income, net | | 55 | | 20 | | ||
| Total other expense (income) | | 55 | | (143) | | ||
| | | | | | | | |
| Net profit/(loss) | | $ | 439 | | $ | (95) | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Weighted average shares outstanding: basic and diluted | | | 10,685,778 | | | 10,928,724 | |
| Net profit/(loss) per common share basic and diluted | | $ | 0.04 | | $ | (0.01) | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
MOVING IMAGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
| | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | **** | Three Months Ended | **** | Three Months Ended | ||
| | | September 30, | | September 30, | ||
| | | 2023 | | 2022 | ||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Net profit/(loss) | | $ | 439 | | $ | (95) |
| Adjustments to reconcile net profit/(loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | | | | | | |
| Provision for doubtful accounts | | 1 | | | 3 | |
| Depreciation expense | | 3 | | | 2 | |
| Amortization expense | | 14 | | | 24 | |
| ROU amortization | | 66 | | | (5) | |
| Stock option compensation expense | | | 5 | | | — |
| Unrealized loss on investments | | | — | | | 140 |
| Realized loss on investments | | | — | | | 23 |
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities | | | | | | |
| Accounts receivable | | (1,138) | | | 9 | |
| Inventories, net | | (333) | | | (887) | |
| Prepaid expenses and other | | 203 | | | 425 | |
| Accounts payable | | 1,405 | | | 1,597 | |
| Accrued expenses | | 225 | | | 28 | |
| Unearned warranty revenue | | (14) | | | 28 | |
| Customer deposits | | (1,016) | | | (1,312) | |
| Lease liabilities | | | (67) | | | — |
| Net cash used in operating activities | | (207) | | | (20) | |
| Cash flows from investing activities | | | | | | |
| Sales of marketable securities | | | — | | | 493 |
| Purchases of marketable securities | | | — | | | (517) |
| Purchases of property and equipment | | | (1) | | | (2) |
| Net cash used in investing activities | | (1) | | | (26) | |
| | | | | | | |
| Net decrease in cash | | (208) | | | (46) | |
| Cash, beginning of the year | | 6,616 | | | 2,340 | |
| Cash, end of the year | | $ | 6,408 | | $ | 2,294 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
The Company uses non-GAAP net income/loss and earnings/loss per share as a measure customarily used by investors and analysts to evaluate the financial performance of companies in addition to the GAAP measures that we present. Our management also believes that that the elimination of one-time items and non-cash stock compensation expense is useful in evaluating our core operating results and when comparing results to prior periods. However, non-GAAP metrics are not a measure of financial performance under GAAP in the United States of America and should not be considered an alternative to net income as an indicator of our operating performance.
| (in millions, except for Loss per Share and percentages) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Q24 | **** | 1Q23 | **** | Change | **** | |||
| Total Revenue | $ | 6.6 | **** | $ | 5.9 | **** | 13.4 | % |
| Gross Profit | $ | 1.8 | **** | $ | 1.6 | **** | 16.7 | % |
| Gross Margin | 27.4 | % | 26.6 | % | ||||
| Operating Loss | $ | 0.4 | **** | $ | (0.0 | ) | 700.0 | % |
| Operating Margin | 5.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||
| GAAP Net Income (Loss) | $ | 0.4 | **** | $ | (0.1 | ) | nm | **** |
| GAAP Income (Loss) Per Share | $ | 0.04 | **** | $ | (0.01 | ) | nm | **** |
| Non-GAAP Income (Loss) | $ | 0.4 | **** | $ | 0.1 | **** | nm | % |
| Non-GAAP Income (Loss) Per Share | $ | 0.04 | **** | $ | 0.01 | **** | nm | % |
Exhibit 99.2
Brian Siegel
Thank you, Operator.
Good morning and welcome to Moving iMage Technologies' earnings conference call and webcast.
With me today is Chairman and CEO, Phil Rafnson, who will provide an industry overview; Co-Founder and Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, Joe Delgado, who will provide a strategy and business overview; and our CFO, Bill Greene. For those of you that have not seen today's release, it is available in the Investors section of our website.
Before beginning, I would like to remind everyone that, except for historical information, the matters discussed in this presentation are forward-looking statements that involve several risks and uncertainties. Words like believe, expect, anticipates, mean that these are our best estimates as of this writing, but that there can be no assurances that expected or anticipated results or events will actually take place. Actual future results could differ materially from those statements. Further information on the Company's risk factors is contained in the Company's quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC.
Now, I'd like to turn the call over to Phil. Phil, take it away.
Phil Rafnson
Thank you, Brian, and thank you all for joining us today. I'm Phil Rafnson, CEO of Moving iMage Technologies, or MiT. As you look at MiT as an investment, industry and company-specific factors will contribute to our future performance. First, I'll address the cinema industry tailwinds and then Joe will discuss why we’re so excited about the future where we are introducing potentially disruptive technologies into cinema, Esports, stadiums, arenas and other live entertainment venues.
Historically, our business has been cyclical, driven by new technology and technology upgrade cycles. We are currently in the early days of one right now, where cinema owners are starting to upgrade their technology that is coming to the end of its useful life, with newer technologies such as laser projectors with upgraded servers, new screens and smart sound systems being purchased to replace these. Additionally, we are seeing cinema owners build new theaters, and upgrade or refurbish older ones. These new theaters often include new amenities such as dine-in, bars and more, all with the idea of making going to the movies a destination experience.
From an industry growth standpoint, as I’ve discussed previously on these calls, COVID took its toll on the industry. Over the past two years, we have returned to a more normalized environment, with the box office originally expected to approach pre-pandemic levels this year. Unfortunately, the Hollywood strikes have negatively impacted the box office over the near-term, but theater owners are pivoting to non-movie content, whether it be sports, Esports, or concerts, to offset some of the lost revenue. An example is AMC partnering with Taylor Swift to show her concerts in its theaters. Additionally, now that the actor's strike is over, we expect the studios to move ahead aggressively with marketing releasing new movies.
Before turning the call over to Joe, I'd like to thank our dedicated employees. Without them, we would not be in what I believe is the strongest position we've ever been in as a Company from an operational, financial product, and competitive perspective.
Thank you. Joe?
Joe Delgado
Thank you, Phil, and good morning, everyone.
I'll start by briefly reviewing our business and providing updates on each area. Today, cinema is our core legacy business, which consists of FF&E projects and selling our proprietary US-manufactured goods and third-party technologies. As Phil mentioned, this part of our business has historically been more cyclical and lumpy, with project start dates often being pushed out. Additionally, FF&E projects tend to be at the low end of our gross margin profile, although there is strong operating leverage in this part of the business.
Today, FF&E is the largest part of our business. However, given the lower margin profile, lumpiness, and timing factors I just mentioned, a major part of our strategy going forward is to shift our mix towards higher margin products, as well as smooth out the lumpiness and cyclicality.
For Cinema, this includes expanding our existing lineup of over 50 proprietary manufactured products, including our ADA products and Caddy lines, which were key contributors to our strong first quarter results. By manufacturing these products, we can significantly increase our margins on FF&E projects and our overall company gross margin when sold à la carte.
Additionally, our partnership with LEA Professional for smart power amps is another potential source of growth and margin expansion for FF&E projects and a la carte sales. Each theater needs 5 or 6 power amps, and the competitors' products tend to fail. LEA’s warranty is two times the industry's, demonstrating their confidence in product quality. After the end of the quarter, we announced our first two orders for these projects, and we currently have several large circuits testing these products. Between the quality at LEA and supply chain and quality challenges at their competitors, which are de-emphasizing the cinema market, I feel optimistic that we will see a nice sales ramp in FY24.
Next for Cinema, which truly excites me about our future, we are in the latter stages of going to market with a set of potentially disruptive, high-margin technology offerings that will also bring recurring services revenue. First, I'll discuss our MiTranslator offering. The MiTranslator is a multi-language technology solution with a recurring revenue stream that forms the high end of our accessibility strategy. The market in North America alone is tremendous, with over 70 million non-English proficient speakers who may not have previously attended the movies. With this product and service, those who did attend previously can now have a significantly enhanced moviegoing experience. This is a new product class for the industry, and adoption has yet to occur. That said, I believe there are now catalysts that play into adopting the MiTranslator solution.
The North American Theater Owners organization, known as NATO within the industry, established the Cinema Foundation, an all-industry non-profit charged with promoting and expanding the industry and the overall moviegoing experience. Our own Frank Tees serves on its Board of Directors. One of the foundation's top marketing priorities is to expand outreach and bring more ADA and non-English proficient patrons to the movies. These initiatives fall right into the wheelhouse of MiTranslator, and there was tremendous enthusiasm and interest in the product at CinemaCon and subsequent tradeshows. We believe that this industry effort bodes well for the success of MiTranslator, and we will keep you apprised of any developments.
CineQC, our SaaS-based quality control platform, is another example. We have been working with National Amusements, a large international movie circuit, on upgrading and improving this product. Unfortunately, the additional development we have been doing has delayed our plans to roll out the product more broadly. However, once complete, we will have a much more robust, tested offering to bring to other clients.
The next opportunity for us is to move beyond Cinema. Here, we are targeting two areas – other live entertainment venues and Esports.
I believe eSports has the potential to be a significant incremental growth driver for us in fiscal 2024. In May, we did an investor presentation, which is available on our IR website, with Rick Starr, founder of our Esports partner, SNDBX. He laid out his vision for creating the Little League of Esports by setting up local, amateur leagues in movie theaters hosted on the big screen. Not only is this a very attractive activity for parents and kids, but for theater owners as well. With a Sandbox league, a theater can fill excess capacity of over 6,000 empty seats per year and get a return on its investment in as little as eight months. That is a compelling return in general, but especially to the theater owners who are used to getting a return on their investments in 18 to 24 months. Rick then said, he already had an active pipeline in North America of over 2,500 locations and another 500 internationally. Right now, he is out doing a funding round, which will enable him to start to ramp up locations more quickly so stay tuned.
Finally, the growth opportunity I’m most excited about is what we currently call eCaddy. We have infused our Caddy product line of cupholders with technology and will develop applications and services for use in stadiums and arenas. We introduced the eCaddy concept to our first major league stadium executives in September and October. We got great feedback on the type of applications that would excite them and identified other potential partners. This month, we'll perform additional market research with other stadium and arena executives to further solidify the picture for the apps and services that drive demand for this product.
The TAM here is huge, with millions of existing seats becoming retrofit candidates in addition to new stadium and arena builds. The potential here on its own is tremendous, but in combination with eSports, MiTranslator, and CineQC, it can reshape our business and financial models in the future. We'll keep you appraised as we hit milestones.
As I mentioned on our previous call, we have accelerated our strategy to expand outside North America. We had established relationships overseas before the pandemic and have been reconnecting over the past few quarters. The opportunities here encompass many products that we believe can smoothly transition to international markets, including new product lines. Additionally, the cinema market in Europe is just starting to recover from the pandemic, roughly two years after we did, so the timing for us to explore these opportunities couldn’t be better. Initially, we see the opportunity for LEA smart power amps, MiTranslator, and CineQC to move to international markets in the years to come, and SNDBX already has a pipeline established outside North America.
Finally, we have an active corporate development program that includes business development deals we made with SNDBX and LEA, acquisitions such as the ADA product line, and other ongoing activities.
In conclusion, we are still in the early innings of our growth opportunity for our emerging technologies while our legacy business continues to improve.
With that, I thank you, and I'll turn it over to Brian.
Brian Siegel
Thanks Joe, and thank you, everyone, for attending our earnings call. I'm going to spend a little time reviewing your model, and then I'll take you through the quarter, followed by a Q&A.
Currently, FF&E projects are the key driver for our business, making up roughly 60% to 65% of revenue. We serve as a project manager, procuring and reselling FF&E and services for refurbishing and upgrading or building new theaters. Since much of the makeup of our projects are pass-through costs with a small margin added in, project margins are in the mid-teens. We have several routes to improve these margins, as demonstrated by our early FY24 results. Some ways that we improve project margins are to upsell installation services, including our proprietary manufactured products, and through the resale of higher margin technology products, including projectors and servers, and more recently, sound system products, through our relationship with LEA Professional.
As Joe and Phil mentioned, FF&E projects are more cyclical and can often see start dates pushed out, as we saw in FY23. Q124 saw some benefit from this, but we expect the majority to hit during the second half of the year.
Next, we sell our higher margin proprietary manufactured offerings à la carte, which have margins ranging from 35% to 55% and include our Caddy and ADA products. These products had strong quarters and contributed to the robust gross margin we reported in Q1.
In the future, as our emerging products like MiTranslator, CineQC, and eCaddy start to ramp and scale, we expect our mix to shift even more significantly away from FF&E, as we expect these products to have 50%+ gross margins.
Now, moving to the results. First quarter revenue of $6.6 million was up 13% versus $5.9 million last year.
Q1 Gross profit increased 17% to $1.8 million. Gross margin was up 80 basis points to 27.4% in the quarter, resulting from the favorable product mix.
Q1 GAAP Operating expenses were $1.4, down 5% versus last year, mainly due to lower corporate governance costs.
Q1 GAAP Operating income was $0.4 million versus a loss of $0.1 million last year.
Q1 GAAP net income and EPS were $0.4 million and $0.04 per share, versus a loss of $0.1 million and $0.01 per share last year.
Q1 Non-GAAP net income and EPS were $0.2 million and $0.02 compared to a loss of $0.1 million and $0.01 per share last year.
Reconciling this to GAAP, this year we added back $0.1 million in stock compensation.
Moving to the balance sheet, our cash and cash equivalents were $6.4 million at the end of the first quarter, down $200 thousand from the fourth quarter, mainly reflecting changes in working capital.
Now I’ll provide an update on our current FY24 expectations. I said last quarter that, only taking into account our legacy business, we expected to see low double-digit topline growth while paring losses and approaching break-even. To build on this, we expect the second quarter to be down year over year, reflecting traditional seasonal weakness. Our full year guidance already considered this, as we expected a stronger second half of the year.
Next, I provided upside opportunities not included in our guidance. I will now update these items.
| ● | There is an ADA product refresh at a top 5 cinema circuit that would begin in the second half of fiscal 2024. We recently held conversations with this circuit and feel we are well-positioned to get this order. |
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| ● | For Esports, last quarter, I said that our guidance included flat sales of our MovEsports systems to FY23, roughly 15-20 systems. I apologize, but I misspoke. In FY23, we only recognized revenue for 8 systems but received orders for 16 systems. Therefore, anything over eight systems sold in FY24 would be upside to our guidance. Additionally, once SNDBX closes its funding round, we expect them to quickly roll out leagues at the circuit that ordered the 8 systems not shipped in FY23. |
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| ● | As I discussed in our recent investor presentations, our incremental market opportunity for selling LEA smart power amplifiers is very significant. Still, we included $0 for sales of these products in our FY24 guidance, so any orders, like the two orders we announced in the second quarter, would be upside. With a total market of about $630 million in North America and about 5-10% annual attrition rates, the replacement market is $30 to $60 million annually. Capturing just 10% of this could add $3 to $6 million in revenue, which is material, considering we only reported $20 million in fiscal 2023. And this doesn’t even take into consideration new projects or international sales. |
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| ● | We continue to work with National Amusements and are awaiting their plans to roll out CineQC to their 500 international locations, which were not included in our guidance. |
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| ● | Any sales of the MiTranslator and any International sales would also be upside. |
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Regarding catalysts, you should be looking for announcements on the key initiatives mentioned during this call and the upside opportunities I mentioned just now. We plan to provide milestone updates for our emerging products and announce whatever orders we can through press releases and earnings calls this year.
Overall, I continue to believe we’ve never been in a stronger position within cinema, and we are excited that our new initiatives are moving forward. We prudently want to ensure that we have the right offerings and that they are ready for prime time before we start marketing more aggressively.
Just to let everybody know, Joe and I will be at the Sidoti Microcap Conference this week, so please tune in to the webcast at 315 ET on Wednesday. The link is available on our website. If you're interested in a 1:1 meeting, please reach out to me or request one through the Sidoti portal.
I want to thank everyone for attending today's call and look forward to speaking with you again on our next call in mid February.