First Quarter Revenue was $490.7 million, a 5.2% increase over the prior year Gross margin increased 1.0% to $145.9 million, compared to Q1 2023 First Quarter Net loss was $11.2 million, compared to net loss of $32.0 million in the comparable prior year period Adjusted EBITDA was $34.9 million, a 22.5% increase as compared to the prior year quarter Full Year 2024 Revenue guidance raised to greater than $1,970 million Full Year 2024 Adjusted EBITDA guidance raised to greater than $150 million ATLANTA, May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH), a leading, diversified home care platform focused on providing care to medically complex, high-cost patient populations, today announced financial results for the three-month period March 30, 2024. Jeff Shaner, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our first quarter results reflect the continued positive momentum at Aveanna, highlighted by revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 5.2% and 22.5% respectively, when compared to the prior year period. These results are the product of our continued approach to transform our business with an emphasis on expanding our position as a leading, value-based homecare provider. We believe enhanced payor partnerships allow us to further invest in our caregivers and deliver more care to more patients in need. Additionally, our revised outlook demonstrates the positive results from our Strategic Transformation and our continued execution of our business plans. I want to thank the dedicated team of Aveanna leaders and caregivers that deliver our mission every day to patients and families in need." Three-Month Periods Ended March 30, 2024 and April 1, 2023 Revenue was $490.7 million for the three-month period ended March 30, 2024, as compared to $466.4 million for the three-month period ended April 1, 2023, an increase of $24.2 million, or 5.2%. The overall increase in revenue was attributable to a $22.1 million increase in Private Duty Services ("PDS") segment revenue and a $3.7 million increase in Medical Solutions ("MS") segment revenue, offset by a $1.5 million decrease in Home Health & Hospice ("HHH") segment revenue over the comparable quarter. Gross margin was $145.9 million, or 29.7% of revenue, for the three-month period ended March 30, 2024, as compared to $144.5 million, or 31.0% of revenue, for the three-month period ended April 1, 2023, an increase of $1.4 million, or 1.0%. Net loss was $11.2 million for the first quarter of 2024, as compared to net loss of $32.0 million for the first quarter of 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in non-cash gains on our interest rate derivatives offset by higher income tax expense. Net loss per diluted share was $(0.06) for the first quarter of 2024, as compared to net loss per diluted share of $(0.17) for the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted net loss per diluted share was $(0.03) for the first quarter of 2024, as compared to adjusted net loss per diluted share of $(0.05) for the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA was $34.9 million, or 7.1% of revenue, for the first quarter of 2024, as compared to $28.5 million, or 6.1% of revenue, for the first quarter of 2023, an increase of $6.4 million or 22.5%. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures - EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA" below. Liquidity, Cash Flow, and Debt As of March 30, 2024, we had cash of $42.6 million and incremental borrowing capacity of $10.0 million under our securitization facility. Our revolver was undrawn, with approximately $168.2 million of borrowing capacity and approximately $31.8 million of outstanding letters of credit. 2024 net cash used by operating activities was $12.0 million. Free cash flow was $(12.7) million for 2024. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures - Free cash flow" below. As of March 30, 2024 we had bank debt of $1,477.5 million. Our interest rate exposure under our credit facilities is currently hedged with the following instruments: $520.0 million notional amount of interest rate swaps that convert variable rate debt to a fixed rate, and $880.0 million notional amount of interest rate caps that cap our exposure to SOFR at 2.96%. Matt Buckhalter, Chief Financial Officer, commented "I am proud of our Revenue growth of 5.2% and our Adjusted EBITDA growth of 22.5% as compared to the prior year period. We managed through our seasonal low quarter of operating cash outflows at $12 million, and we expect to be operating cash flow positive for 2024. Furthermore, we have ample liquidity to invest and grow our business with over $220 million in available cash. We continue to leverage our growth through strategic cost reductions and lower overhead while building on the success of our preferred payor strategy and Government Affairs rate wins. Based on the strength of first quarter results and our expectations for the full year, we are comfortable raising our guidance to Revenue greater than $1,970 million and Adjusted EBITDA greater than $150 million. I am proud of our Aveanna Teammates who have executed our business plans in delivering solid growth, great clinical outcomes, and improved profitability." Revised Full Year 2024 Guidance The following is our updated guidance reflecting our current expectations for revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2024: Revenue of greater than $1,970 million, updated from prior guidance of revenue of between $1,960 million and $1,980 million Consistent with prior practice, we are not providing guidance on net income at this time due to the volatility of certain required inputs that are not available without unreasonable efforts, including future fair value adjustments associated with our interest rate swaps and caps. Adjusted EBITDA of greater than $150 million, updated from prior guidance of Adjusted EBITDA between $146 million and $150 million Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to our results of operations prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), we also evaluate our financial performance using EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Field contribution, Field contribution margin, Adjusted net income or loss, Adjusted net income or loss per diluted share, and Free cash flow. Given our determination of adjustments in arriving at our computations, these non-GAAP measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes or alternatives to net income or loss, revenue, operating income or loss, cash flows from operating activities, total indebtedness or any other financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. The reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the financial tables below. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and are not intended to replace financial performance measures determined in accordance with GAAP, such as net income or loss. Rather, we present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as supplemental measures of our performance. We define EBITDA as net income or loss before interest expense, net; income tax benefit (expense); and depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, adjusted for the impact of certain other items that are either non-recurring, infrequent, non-cash, unusual, or items deemed by management to not be indicative of the performance of our core operations, including impairments of goodwill, intangible assets, and other long-lived assets; non-cash, share-based compensation; loss on extinguishment of debt; fees related to debt modifications; the effect of interest rate derivatives; acquisition-related and integration costs; legal costs and settlements associated with acquisition matters; restructuring costs; other legal matters; and other system transition costs, professional fees and other costs. As non-GAAP financial measures, our computations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may vary from similarly termed non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, making comparisons with other companies on the basis of this measure impracticable. We believe our computations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are helpful in highlighting trends in our core operating performance. In determining which adjustments are made to arrive at EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, we consider both (1) certain non-recurring, infrequent, non-cash or unusual items, which can vary significantly from year to year, as well as (2) certain other items that may be recurring, frequent, or settled in cash but which we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. We use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to assess operating performance and make business decisions. We have incurred substantial acquisition-related costs and integration costs. The underlying acquisition activities take place over a defined timeframe, have distinct project timelines and are incremental to activities and costs that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Therefore, we believe it is important to exclude these costs from our Adjusted EBITDA because it provides us a normalized view of our core, ongoing operations after integrating our acquired companies, which we believe is an important measure in assessing our performance. Field contribution and Field contribution margin Field contribution and Field contribution margin are non-GAAP financial measures and are not intended to replace financial performance measures determined in accordance with GAAP, such as gross margin and gross margin percentage. Rather, we present Field contribution and Field contribution margin as supplemental measures of our performance. We define Field contribution as gross margin less branch and regional administrative expenses. Field contribution margin is Field contribution as a percentage of revenue. As non-GAAP financial measures, our computations of Field contribution and Field contribution margin may vary from similarly termed non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, making comparisons with other companies on the basis of these measures impracticable. Field contribution and Field contribution margin have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes or alternatives to gross margin, gross margin percentage, net income or loss, revenue, operating income or loss, cash flows from operating activities, total indebtedness or any other financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Management believes Field contribution and Field contribution margin are helpful in highlighting trends in our core operating performance and evaluating trends in our branch and regional results, which can vary from year to year. We use Field contribution and Field contribution margin to make business decisions and assess the operating performance and results delivered by our core field operations, prior to corporate and other costs not directly related to our field operations. These metrics are also important because they guide us in determining whether or not our branch and regional administrative expenses are appropriately sized to support our caregivers and direct patient care operations. Additionally, Field contribution and Field contribution margin determine how effective we are in managing our field supervisory and administrative costs associated with supporting our provision of services and sale of products. Adjusted net loss and Adjusted net loss per diluted share Adjusted net loss represents net loss as adjusted for the impact of GAAP income tax, goodwill, intangible and other long-lived asset impairment charges, non-cash share-based compensation expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, interest rate derivatives, acquisition-related costs, integration costs, legal costs, restructuring costs, other legal matters, other system transition costs, professional fees and certain other miscellaneous items on a pre-tax basis. Adjusted net loss includes a provision for income taxes derived utilizing a combined statutory tax rate. The combined statutory tax rate is our estimate of our long-term tax rate. The most comparable GAAP measure is net loss. Adjusted net loss per diluted share represents adjusted net loss on a per diluted share basis using the weighted-average number of diluted shares outstanding for the period. The most comparable GAAP measure is net loss per share, diluted. Adjusted net loss and adjusted net loss per diluted share are important to us because they allow us to assess financial results, exclusive of the items mentioned above that are not operational in nature or comparable to those of our competitors. Free cash flow Free cash flow is a liquidity measure that represents operating cash flow, adjusted for the impact of purchases of property, equipment and software, principal payments on term loans, notes payable and financing leases, and settlements with swap counterparties. The most comparable GAAP measure is cash flow from operations. We believe free cash flow is helpful in highlighting the cash generated or used by the Company, after taking into consideration mandatory payments on term loans, notes payable and financing leases, as well as cash needed for non-acquisition related capital expenditures, and cash paid to or received from derivative counterparties. Conference Call Aveanna will host a conference call on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss our first quarter results. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-877-407-0789, or for international callers, 1-201-689-8562. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until May 16, 2024, by dialing 1-844-512-2921, or for international callers, 1-412-317-6671. The passcode for the replay is 13740762. A live webcast of our conference call will also be available under the Investor Relations section of our website: https://ir.aveanna.com/. The online replay will also be available for one week following the call. Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements (other than statements of historical facts) in this press release regarding our prospects, plans, financial position, business strategy and expected financial and operational results may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of terminology such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "should," "would," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "could," "design," or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar expressions. These statements are based on certain assumptions that we have made in light of our experience in the industry as well as our perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate in these circumstances. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, such as our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy, including through organic growth and the completion of acquisitions, effective integration of the companies we acquire, unexpected costs of acquisitions and dispositions, the possibility that expected cost synergies may not materialize as expected, the failure of Aveanna or the companies we acquire to perform as expected, estimation inaccuracies in revenue recognition, our ability to drive margin leverage through lower costs, unexpected increases in SG&A and other expenses, changes in reimbursement, changes in government regulations, changes in Aveanna's relationships with referral sources, increased competition for Aveanna's services or wage inflation, the failure to retain or attract employees, changes in the interpretation of government regulations or discretionary determinations made by government officials, uncertainties regarding the outcome of rate discussions with managed care organizations and our ability to effectively collect our cash from these organizations, changes in the case-mix of our patients, as well as the payor mix and payment methodologies, legal proceedings, claims or governmental inquiries, our ability to effectively collect and submit data required under Electronic Visit Verification regulations, our ability to comply with the terms and conditions of the CMS Review Choice Demonstration program, our ability to effectively implement and transition to new electronic medical record systems or billing and collection systems, a failure to maintain the security and functionality of our information systems or to defend against or otherwise prevent a cybersecurity attack or breach, changes in tax rates, our substantial indebtedness, the impact of adverse weather, the impact to our business operations, and other risks set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in Aveanna's Annual Report on Form 10-K for its 2023 fiscal year filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2024, which is available at www.sec.gov. In addition, these forward-looking statements necessarily depend upon assumptions, estimates and dates that may prove to be incorrect or imprecise. Accordingly, forward-looking statements included in this press release do not purport to be predictions of future events or circumstances, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed by forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and Aveanna undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. About Aveanna Healthcare Aveanna Healthcare is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and has locations in 33 states providing a broad range of pediatric and adult healthcare services including nursing, rehabilitation services, occupational nursing in schools, therapy services, day treatment centers for medically fragile and chronically ill children and adults, home health and hospice services, as well as delivery of enteral nutrition and other products to patients. The Company also provides case management services in order to assist families and patients by coordinating the provision of services between insurers or other payers, physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. In addition, the Company provides respite healthcare services, which are temporary care provider services provided in relief of the patient's normal caregiver. The Company's services are designed to provide a high quality, lower cost alternative to prolonged hospitalization. For more information, please visit www.aveanna.com. Cash Flow and Information about Indebtedness The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the periods presented:   For the three-month periods ended   (dollars in thousands) March 30, 2024   April 1, 2023   Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities $ (11,972 ) $ 7,495   Net cash used in investing activities $ (1,308 ) $ (4,800 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 11,945   $ 12,521   Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period $ 43,942   $ 19,217   Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 42,607   $ 34,433   The following table presents our long-term indebtedness as of March 30, 2024: (dollars in thousands)         Instrument Interest Rate   March 30, 2024   2021 Extended Term Loan (1) S + 3.75%   $ 897,450   Second Lien Term Loan (1) S + 7.00%     415,000   Revolving Credit Facility (1) S + 3.75%     -   Securitization Facility S + 3.50%     165,000   Total indebtedness     $ 1,477,450   (1) S = Greater of 0.50% or one-month SOFR, plus a CSA         Results of Operations The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated (amounts in thousands, except per share data):   For the three-month periods ended     March 30, 2024   April 1, 2023   Revenue $ 490,653   $ 466,413   Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization   344,799     321,948   Branch and regional administrative expenses   87,914     91,708   Corporate expenses   29,842     30,935   Depreciation and amortization   2,912     4,041   Acquisition-related costs   -     70   Other operating expense   2,320     72   Operating income   22,866     17,639   Interest income   102     75   Interest expense   (39,647 )   (35,958 ) Other income (expense)   18,169     (12,188 ) Income (loss) before income taxes   1,490     (30,432 ) Income tax expense   (12,662 )   (1,566 ) Net loss $ (11,172 ) $ (31,998 ) Net loss per share:         Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.06 ) $ (0.17 ) Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, basic and diluted   192,241     189,054   The following tables summarize our consolidated key performance measures, including Field contribution and Field contribution margin, which are non-GAAP measures, for the periods indicated:   For the three-month periods ended   (dollars in thousands) March 30, 2024   April 1, 2023   Change   % Change   Revenue $ 490,653   $ 466,413   $ 24,240     5.2 % Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization   344,799     321,948     22,851