Research News and Market Data on KELYA
- Q1 operating earnings of $26.8 million, or up 34% on an adjusted basis
- Q1 revenue down following sale of European staffing operations; down 2.6% on an organic basis
- Q1 adjusted EBITDA margin increased 110 basis points to 3.2% driven by meaningful reduction in operating expenses resulting from business transformation initiatives and sale of European staffing operations
- Company expects further expansion of EBITDA margin from the planned Q2 2024 acquisition of Motion Recruitment Partners, LLC (“MRP”) and ongoing transformation actions
TROY, Mich., May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB), a leading specialty talent solutions provider, today announced results for the first quarter of 2024.
Peter Quigley, president and chief executive officer, announced revenue for the first quarter of 2024 totaled $1.05 billion, a 17.6% decrease, compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023 resulting primarily from the sale of the company’s European staffing operations on January 2, 2024. Excluding the impact of the sale of the European staffing operations, revenue declined 2.6% on an organic basis reflecting the continuing impact of customers’ more guarded approach to hiring and initiating new projects or capital spending.
Kelly reported operating earnings in the first quarter of 2024 of $26.8 million, compared to earnings of $10.7 million reported in the first quarter of 2023. Earnings in the first quarter of 2024 include an $11.6 million gain on the sale of our European staffing operations and $7.9 million of charges related to transformation actions and the sale of our European staffing operations. Excluding those charges, adjusted earnings were $23.1 million in the first quarter of 2024. Earnings in the first quarter of 2023 included $6.6 million of restructuring charges and adjusted earnings from operations were $17.3 million. The European staffing operations were break even on an adjusted basis in the first quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of the sale in both periods, 2024 adjusted earnings improved primarily as a result of lower selling, general and administrative expenses, partially offset by lower revenue and unfavorable business mix and lower permanent placement fees which resulted in lower gross profit.
Earnings per share in the first quarter of 2024 were $0.70 compared to earnings per share of $0.29 in the first quarter of 2023. Included in earnings per share in the first quarter of 2024 were a gain on sale and gain on forward contract, net of tax, of $0.31 partially offset by restructuring and transaction-related charges, net of tax, of $0.17. Included in the earnings per share in the first quarter of 2023 is a $0.13 per share restructuring charge, net of tax. On an adjusted basis, earnings per share were $0.56 in the first quarter of 2024, an improvement from $0.42 per share in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
On May 3, Kelly announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MRP and expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2024.
“In the first quarter, we continued making progress on our journey to accelerate profitable growth notwithstanding continued macroeconomic uncertainty and industry headwinds. Our ongoing growth and efficiency initiatives increased Kelly’s adjusted EBITDA margin to 3.2% – a significant improvement of 110 basis points over the prior year and well above the company’s recent average,” said Quigley. “Our more streamlined and profitable portfolio of businesses is poised to realize additional benefits from the transformational acquisition of MRP. When completed in the second quarter, this acquisition will strengthen Kelly’s scale and capabilities and meaningfully increase market share across several key areas, which in turn creates exciting opportunities for future revenue growth and additional EBITDA margin expansion.”
Kelly also reported that on May 7, its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.075 per share. The dividend is payable on June 4, 2024, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 20, 2024.
In conjunction with its first-quarter earnings release, Kelly has published a financial presentation on the Investor Relations page of its public website and will host a conference call at 9 a.m. ET on May 9 to review the results and answer questions. The call may be accessed in one of the following ways:
Via the Internet:
Kellyservices.com
Via the Telephone
(877) 692-8955 (toll free) or (234) 720-6979 (caller paid)
Enter access code 5728672
After the prompt, please enter “#”
A recording of the conference call will be available after 1:30 p.m. ET on May 9, 2024, at (866) 207-1041 (toll-free) and (402) 970-0847 (caller-paid). The access code is 1646639#. The recording will also be available at kellyservices.com during this period.
This release contains statements that are forward looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Kelly’s financial expectations, are forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in this release include, but are not limited to, (i) changing market and economic conditions, (ii) disruption in the labor market and weakened demand for human capital resulting from technological advances, loss of large corporate customers and government contractor requirements, (iii) the impact of laws and regulations (including federal, state and international tax laws), (iv) unexpected changes in claim trends on workers’ compensation, unemployment, disability and medical benefit plans, (v) litigation and other legal liabilities (including tax liabilities) in excess of our estimates, (vi) our ability to achieve our business’s anticipated growth strategies, (vii) our future business development, results of operations and financial condition, (viii) damage to our brands, (ix) dependency on third parties for the execution of critical functions, (x) conducting business in foreign countries, including foreign currency fluctuations, (xi) availability of temporary workers with appropriate skills required by customers, (xii) cyberattacks or other breaches of network or information technology security, and (xiii) other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in this release and in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release and we undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company’s expectations.
About Kelly®
Kelly Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB) helps companies recruit and manage skilled workers and helps job seekers find great work. Since inventing the staffing industry in 1946, we have become experts in the many industries and local and global markets we serve. With a network of suppliers and partners around the world, we connect more than 500,000 people with work every year. Our suite of outsourcing and consulting services ensures companies have the people they need, when and where they are needed most. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, we empower businesses and individuals to access limitless opportunities in industries such as science, engineering, technology, education, manufacturing, retail, finance, and energy. Revenue in 2023 was $4.8 billion. Learn more at kellyservices.com.
KLYA-FIN
ANALYST & MEDIA CONTACT:
Scott Thomas
(248) 251-7264
scott.thomas@kellyservices.com