Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. Reports First Quarter Financial Results

Business Wire

06-05-2025

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTH) ("Priority" or the "Company"), the payments and banking fintech that streamlines collecting, storing, lending, and sending money to unlock revenue opportunities, today announced its first quarter 2025 financial results including strong year-over-year diversified revenue growth.
"Strong first quarter growth in revenue and profits continues to demonstrate the value of our Priority Commerce Engine, purpose built to help our customers accelerate cash flow and optimize working capital. We delivered consistent results across each of our SMB Acquiring, B2B Payables and Enterprise Payments segments," said Tom Priore, Chairman & CEO of Priority. 'The blend of the diverse and counter-cyclical aspects of our platform combined with relentless execution to gain market share in traditional payment segments reinforces that Priority's technology, operations and vision have positioned us to excel through the remainder of 2025 and beyond despite an uncertain macro-economic environment.'
Highlights of Consolidated Results
First Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights compared with First Quarter 2024 1
Revenue of $224.6 million increased 9.2% from $205.7 million
Adjusted gross profit (a non-GAAP measure 2) of $87.3 million increased 14.2% from $76.4 million
Adjusted gross profit margin (a non-GAAP measure 2) of 38.9% increased 170 basis points from 37.1%
Operating income of $32.6 million increased 16.4% from $28.0 million
Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure 2) of $51.3 million increased 10.7% from $46.3 million
Adjusted EPS (a non-GAAP measure 2) of $0.22 increased by $0.19, or 633.3%, from $0.03
(1)
Certain amounts/percentages may not compute accurately due to rounding.
(2)
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the reconciliations of Adjusted Gross Profit (non-GAAP), Adjusted Gross Profit Margin (non-GAAP), Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EPS (non-GAAP) to their most comparable GAAP measures provided within this document for additional information.
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Full Year 2025 Financial Guidance
Priority's outlook remains strong and we affirm our full year 2025 guidance as follows:
Revenue forecast to range between $965 million to $1 billion, a growth rate of 10% to 14%, compared to fiscal 2024 results
Adjusted gross profit (a non-GAAP measure) forecast to range between $360 million and $385 million, a growth rate of 10% to 17% compared to fiscal 2024 results
Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) forecast to range between $220 million to $230 million, a growth rate of 8% to 13% compared to fiscal 2024 results
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. EST to discuss its first quarter financial results. Participants can access the call by phone in the U.S. or Canada at [phone] or internationally at [phone].
The Internet webcast link and accompanying slide presentation can be accessed at https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1717257&tp_key=17b579fc0a and will also be posted in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website at www.prioritycommerce.com/investors.
An audio replay of the call will be available shortly after the conference call until May 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To listen to the audio replay, dial [phone] or [phone] and enter conference ID number 13753537. Alternatively, you may access the webcast replay in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website at www.prioritycommerce.com/investors.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This communication includes certain non-GAAP financial measures that we regularly review to evaluate our business and trends, measure our performance, prepare financial projections, allocate resources, and make strategic decisions. We believe these non-GAAP measures help to illustrate the underlying financial and business trends relating to our results of operations and comparability between current and prior periods. We also use these non-GAAP measures to establish and monitor operational goals. However, these non-GAAP measures are not superior to or a substitute for prominent measurements calculated in accordance with GAAP. Rather, the non-GAAP measures are meant to be a complement to understanding measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.
The Company's adjusted gross profit metric represents revenues less cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization). Adjusted gross profit margin is adjusted gross profit divided by revenues. We review these non-GAAP measures to evaluate our underlying profit trends. The reconciliation of adjusted gross profit to its most comparable GAAP measure is provided below:
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are performance measures. EBITDA is earnings before interest, income tax, and depreciation and amortization expenses ("EBITDA"). Adjusted EBITDA begins with EBITDA but further excludes certain non-cash costs, such as stock-based compensation and the write-off of the carrying value of investments or other assets, as well as debt extinguishment and modification expenses and other expenses and income items considered non-recurring, such as acquisition integration expenses, certain professional fees, and litigation settlements. We review the non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA measure to evaluate our business and trends, measure our performance, prepare financial projections, allocate resources, and make strategic decisions.
The reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to its most comparable GAAP measure is provided below:
Further detail of certain of these adjustments, and where these items are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations, is provided below:
Adjusted Earnings Per Share (Adjusted EPS)
Adjusted EPS is a performance measure. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing adjusted net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders by weighted average number shares outstanding for the respective periods.
Adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders begins with net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders adjusted to exclude various items listed below. We believe that adjusted EPS is a measure that is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing profitability and in analysis of ongoing profitability trends.
(1)
The tax impact calculated using the blended statutory income tax rate adjusted for discrete items (27.1% and 26.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and March 31, 20204, respectively.)
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Priority does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable GAAP financial measures because it could not do so without unreasonable effort due to the unavailability of the information needed to calculate reconciling items and due to the variability, complexity and limited visibility of the adjusting items that would be excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures in future periods. When planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods, the Company does so primarily on a non-GAAP basis without preparing a GAAP analysis as that would require estimates for various cash and non-cash reconciling items that would be difficult to predict with reasonable accuracy. For example, stock-based compensation expense would be difficult to estimate because it depends on the Company's future hiring and retention needs, as well as the future fair market value of the Company's common stock, all of which are difficult to predict and subject to constant change. As a result, the Company does not believe that a GAAP reconciliation would provide meaningful supplemental information about the Company's outlook.
About Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.
Priority is a solution provider in Payments and Banking as a Service operating at scale with over 1.3 million active customers across its SMB, B2B and Enterprise channels processing approximately $135.0 billion in annual transaction volume and providing administration for over $1.3 billion in account balances. Priority is the payments and banking fintech that streamlines collecting, storing, lending, and sending money through its innovative commerce engine to unlock revenue and generate operational success for businesses. Additional information can be found at www.prioritycommerce.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services, and other statements identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "plans," "future," "intends," "could," "estimate," "predict," "projects," "targeting," "potential" or "contingent," "guidance," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our 2025 outlook and statements regarding our market and growth opportunities. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, expressed, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially, and potentially adversely, from those discussed or implied herein.
We caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of the risks and uncertainties disclosed in our SEC filings, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 6, 2025. These filings are available online at www.sec.gov or www.prioritycommerce.com.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences we anticipate or affect us or our operations in the way we expect. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a predictor of future performance. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
(1)
Adjusted EPS in a non-GAAP earnings measure. See Adjusted EPS reconciliation for further detail.
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Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.
Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)
March 31, 2025
December 31, 2024
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
47,587
$
58,600
Restricted cash
11,490
11,090
Accounts receivable, net of allowances
80,280
67,969
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
19,962
22,990
Current portion of notes receivable, net of allowance
2,231
3,638
Settlement assets and customer/subscriber account balances
1,003,034
940,798
Total current assets
1,164,584
1,105,085
Notes receivable, less current portion
6,473
4,919
Property, equipment and software, net
53,718
52,477
Goodwill
386,822
376,091
Intangible assets, net
231,560
240,874
Deferred income taxes, net
26,933
24,697
Other noncurrent assets
21,568
22,717
Total assets
$
1,891,658
1,826,860
Liabilities, Stockholders' Deficit and NCI
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$
54,414
$
62,149
Accrued residual commissions
40,478
37,560
Customer deposits and advance payments
2,506
2,246
Current portion of long-term debt
1,879
9,503
Settlement and customer/subscriber account obligations
1,003,395
940,213
Total current liabilities
1,102,672
1,051,671
Long-term debt, net of current portion, discounts and debt issuance costs
918,944
920,888
Other noncurrent liabilities
26,467
19,326
Total liabilities
2,048,083
1,991,885
Stockholders' deficit:
Preferred stock
—
—
Common stock
80
77
Treasury stock, at cost
(21,077
)
(19,607
)
Additional paid-in capital
1,669
—
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(133
)
(176
)
Accumulated deficit
(138,866
)
(147,134
)
Total stockholders' deficit attributable to stockholders of Priority
(158,327
)
(166,840
)
Non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries
1,902
1,815
Total stockholders' deficit
(156,425
)
(165,025
)
Total liabilities, stockholders' deficit and NCI
$
1,891,658
$
1,826,860
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Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income
$
8,268
$
5,193
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization of assets
13,777
15,253
Stock-based, ESPP and incentive units compensation
1,586
1,633
Amortization of debt issuance costs and discounts
434
1,065
Debt extinguishment and modification costs
38
—
Deferred income tax
(2,236
)
(1,872
)
Change in contingent consideration
1,006
972
Other non-cash items, net
(20
)
(259
)
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
(12,182
)
(8,339
)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
(73
)
(425
)
Income taxes (receivable) payable
4,429
—
Notes receivable
—
(266
)
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities
(5,796
)
1,590
Customer deposits and advance payments
260
157
Other assets and liabilities, net
465
(1,395
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
9,956
13,307
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired
(4,473
)
—
Additions to property, equipment and software
(5,095
)
(6,610
)
Notes receivable, net
(147
)
(1,059
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(9,715
)
(7,669
)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Debt issuance and modification costs paid
(40
)
—
Repayments of long-term debt
(10,000
)
(1,678
)
Repurchases of shares withheld for taxes
(1,470
)
(421
)
Dividends paid to redeemable senior preferred stockholders
—
(7,027
)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
110
—
Settlement and customer/subscriber accounts obligations, net
59,060
1,918
Payment of contingent consideration related to business combination
(400
)
(3,071
)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
47,260
(10,279
)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash:
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash
47,501
(4,641
)
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period
993,864
796,223
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period
$
1,041,365
$
791,582
Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
47,587
$
34,290
Restricted cash
11,490
12,658
Cash and cash equivalents included in settlement assets and customer/subscriber account balances (restricted in nature)
982,288
744,634
Total cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash
$
1,041,365
$
791,582
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Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.
Unaudited Reportable Segments' Results
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
SMB Payments:
Revenues
$
151,690
$
144,005
Adjusted EBITDA
$
25,705
$
25,023
Key Indicators:
Merchant bankcard processing dollar value
$
15,294,133
$
14,788,095
Merchant bankcard transaction count
185,539
175,228
Total card processing dollar value
$
17,685,491
$
17,098,758
B2B Payments:
Revenues
$
23,918
$
21,344
Adjusted EBITDA
$
3,516
$
1,747
Key Indicators:
B2B issuing dollar volume
$
237,290
$
227,811
B2B issuing transaction count
211
240
Enterprise Payments:
Revenues
$
50,088
$
40,990
Adjusted EBITDA
$
42,442
$
34,727
Key Indicators:
Average CFTPay billed clients
940,463
703,887
Average CFTPay monthly new enrollments
55,946
53,551
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Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.
Unaudited Reportable Segments' Results
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31, 2025
SMB Payments
B2B Payments
Enterprise Payments
Corporate
Total Consolidated
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP Measure:
Adjusted EBITDA
$
25,705
$
3,516
$
42,442
$
(20,369
)
$
51,294
Interest expense
—
(1,006
)
—
(22,170
)
(23,176
)
Depreciation and amortization
(6,625
)
(1,261
)
(4,642
)
(1,249
)
(13,777
)
Debt modification and extinguishment expenses
—
—
—
(38
)
(38
)
Selling, general and administrative (non-recurring)
—
—
—
(2,199
)
(2,199
)
Non-cash stock based compensation
(4
)
(84
)
(32
)
(1,466
)
(1,586
)
Income (loss) before taxes
$
19,076
$
1,165
$
37,768
$
(47,491
)
$
10,518
Income tax expense
(2,250
)
Net Income
$
8,268
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2024
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP Measure:
Adjusted EBITDA
$
25,023
$
1,747
$
34,727
$
(15,157
)
$
46,340
Interest expense
(1
)
(973
)
—
(19,906
)
(20,880
)
Depreciation and amortization
(8,586
)
(1,470
)
(4,039
)
(1,158
)
(15,253
)
Selling, general and administrative (non-recurring)
—
—
—
(798
)
(798
)
Non-cash stock based compensation
(4
)
(118
)
(32
)
(1,480
)
(1,634
)
Income (loss) before taxes
$
16,432
$
(814
)
$
30,656
$
(38,499
)
$
7,775
Income tax expense
(2,582
)
Net Income
$
5,193
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