Compass, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Grows Revenue 10% year-over-year
Increases Agent Count and Market Share year-over-year
Free Cash Flow Positive for Q1 2024

NEW YORK, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Compass, Inc. (NYSE:COMP) ("Compass" or "the Company"), the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume¹ for the third year in a row, announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

"We exceeded our expectations for Q1 2024 by growing our Q1 revenue 10% year-over-year and significantly reducing our non-GAAP operating expenses, or OPEX², generating positive free cash flow," said Robert Reffkin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compass. "This is the first time we have generated positive free cash flow in the first quarter, the industry's slowest quarter of the year, and in a historically challenging market.  In Q1 2024, we grew our quarterly market share by 26 basis points year-over-year and 35 basis points sequentially compared to Q4 2023. We did this while continuing to invest in growth and our technology platform, the industry's only proprietary first-contact-to-close solution for agents."

Reffkin continued, "We continued to significantly grow our agent base as we increased the number of principal agents³ by 990 or 7.3% as of the end of Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. In Q1 2024, we added the highest number of principal agents organically since we eliminated cash and equity sign-on incentives in 2022. Since the close of the first quarter, we have further increased our presence in the Southeast by acquiring Latter & Blum, the number one agency in the Gulf South and New Orleans, adding over 1,000 principal agents. We continue to look for accretive M&A transactions and to attract new agents organically as we successfully position Compass for what we believe will be significant upside when the market begins to recover."

Kalani Reelitz, Chief Financial Officer of Compass said, "We have built an operating structure that is appropriate for current market conditions and has positioned us for margin expansion when market conditions improve. In Q1 2024, we generated positive operating cash flow of $8.6 million and free cash flow⁴ of $5.9 million, a free cash flow improvement of $64.9 million from Q1 2023. OPEX for Q1 2024 was $211.2 million, an improvement of $32.1 million from Q1 2023 OPEX of $243.3 million."

Q1 2024 Highlights:

• Revenue in Q1 2024 increased by 10% year-over-year to $1.05 billion as transactions increased 7.1%, while transactions declined by 3.5% for the entire residential real estate market in the first quarter, as reported by the National Association of Realtors ("NAR").
• GAAP Net loss in Q1 2024 was $132.9 million, an improvement of $17.5 million from Q1 2023. The Net loss for Q1 2024 includes an expense of the full $57.5 million proposed settlement of class action lawsuits (the "antitrust settlement") which the Company will pay over 2024 and 2025, non-cash stock-based compensation expenses of $32.9 million, and depreciation and amortization of $20.8 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA⁵ (a non-GAAP measure) was ($20.1) million in Q1 2024 compared to ($67.1) million in Q1 2023. This is an improvement of $47.0 million or 70%. Adjusted EBITDA excludes, among other items, $57.5 million in antitrust settlement costs accrued in the quarter.
• Operating Cash Flow / Free Cash Flow⁶ (a non-GAAP measure): during Q1 2024, operating cash flow was $8.6 million, an improvement of $64.1 million from ($55.5) million in Q1 2023, and free cash flow was $5.9 million, an improvement of $64.9 million from ($59.0) million in Q1 2023.
• Cash and cash equivalents at the end of Q1 2024 was $165.9 million, and there were no outstanding draws on our revolving credit facility. 

Q1 2024 Operational Highlights:

• Platform: The Compass end-to-end technology platform allows real estate agents to perform their primary workflows, from first contact to close, with a single log-in and without leaving the Compass platform. We are focused on:
  
  • Ongoing platform integration of our title and escrow business with expected  delivery in all markets where we offer title and escrow in 2024; and
  • Continued investment and deployment of Compass AI, including a recent release of a Prompt Library, which helps our agents get the most use out of the AI tool by learning what to ask and how to ask it; and  
  • The advanced rollout of enhanced collaboration functionality to further increase the efficiency and productivity of our agent teams; and
  • Driving internal cost efficiencies using technology, reducing costs in transactions operations and with external vendors.
• National market share in Q1 2024 was 4.76%, an increase of 26 basis points compared to Q1 2023 and an increase of 35 basis points sequentially from Q4 2023.
• Agents⁷: At the end of Q1 2024, the number of principal agents was 14,591 compared to 13,601 in Q1 2023, an increase of 990 or 7.3% year-over-year.  Sequentially, when comparing Q1 2024 to Q4 2023, we had a decrease of 92 principal agents or 0.6%. However, we had an increase compared to Q4 2023 when excluding the more than 100 principal agents who exited the business that had no transactions at Compass in the last 12 months. We also continued the trend of strong agent retention, with 96% quarterly principal agent retention in Q1 2024 (97% principal agent retention when only including agents that left Compass who had a transaction in the last 12 months).
• Transactions⁸: Compass agents closed 38,449 Total Transactions in Q1 2024, an increase of 7.1% compared to Q1 2023 (35,886). Transactions for the entire U.S. residential real estate market declined 3.5% for the same period, according to NAR.
• Gross Transaction Value ("GTV")⁹ was $40.1 billion in Q1 2024, an increase of 9.6% compared to Q1 2023 GTV of $36.6 billion, while the entire U.S. residential real estate market GTV increased 3.6% for the same period, according to NAR.

Additional information can be found in the Company's Q1 2024 Earnings Presentation, which can be found in the Investor Relations section of the Compass website at https://investors.compass.com.

Outlook
Q2 2024 Outlook:

• Revenue of $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion
• Adjusted EBITDA of $55 million to $75 million

FY 2024 Outlook:

• Non-GAAP OPEX¹⁰ of $867 million to $887 million, reflecting an increase in both the low and high ends of the range of $12 million as a result of the Latter & Blum acquisition closed in April 2024. The midpoint of this range equates to $850 million for the Company's "core" OPEX plus $15 million for 2023 accretive M&A plus $12 million for 2024 accretive M&A.
• Expects to be free cash flow positive for full year 2024

We have not reconciled our guidance for Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP Net loss because certain expenses excluded from GAAP Net loss when calculating Adjusted EBITDA cannot be reasonably calculated or predicted at this time. Additionally, we have not reconciled our guidance for non-GAAP OPEX to GAAP OPEX because certain expenses excluded from GAAP OPEX cannot be reasonably calculated or predicted at this time. Accordingly, reconciliations are not available without unreasonable effort.

For a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures on a historical basis, see "Reconciliation of Net Loss Attributable to Compass, Inc. to Adjusted EBITDA", "Reconciliation of GAAP OPEX to non-GAAP OPEX" and "Reconciliation of GAAP Operating Cash Flow to Free Cash Flow" in the financial statement tables included within this press release.

Conference Call Information
Management will conduct a conference call to discuss the first quarter 2024 results as well as outlook at 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday May 8, 2024. The conference call will be accessible via the Internet on the Compass Investor Relations website https://investors.compass.com. You can also access the audio webcast via the following link: Compass, Inc. 1Q24 Earnings Conference Call.

An audio recording of the conference call will be available for replay shortly after the call's completion. To access the replay, visit the Events and Presentations section on the Compass Investor Relations website at https://investors.compass.com.

Disclosure Channels
Compass uses its Investor Relations website, https://investors.compass.com, as a means of disclosing information which may be of interest or material to its investors and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. We intend to announce material information to the public through filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, the investor relations page on our website (www.compass.com), press releases, public conference calls, public webcasts, our X (formerlyTwitter) feed (@Compass), our Facebook page, our LinkedIn page, our Instagram account, our YouTube channel, and Robert Reffkin's X (formerly Twitter) feed (@RobReffkin) and Instagram account (@robreffkin). Accordingly, investors should monitor each of these disclosure channels.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are statements other than statements of historical facts, and statements in the future tense. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our future performance, including expected financial results for the second quarter of 2024, planned non-GAAP OPEX and free cash flow expectations for the full year of 2024, and our expectations for operational achievements. Forward-looking statements are based upon various estimates and assumptions, as well as information known to us as of the date of this press release, and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: general economic conditions, economic and industry downturns, the health of the U.S. real estate industry, and risks generally incident to the ownership of residential real estate; the effect of monetary policies of the federal government and it's agencies; rising interest rates; ongoing industry antitrust class action litigation (including lawsuits filed against us) or any related regulatory activities; any decreases in our gross commission income or the percentage of commissions that we collect; declining home inventory levels; our ability to carefully manage our expense structure; adverse economic, real estate or business conditions in geographic areas where our business is concentrated and/or impacting high-end markets; our ability to continuously innovate, improve and expand our platform, including tools and features integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence; our ability to expand our operations and to offer additional integrated services; our ability to realize expected benefits from our joint ventures; our ability to compete successfully; our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel and to recruit agents; our ability to re-accelerate our business growth given our current expense structure; fluctuation in our quarterly results and other operating metrics; the loss of one or more key personnel; actions by our agents or employees that could adversely affect our reputation and subject us to liability; our ability to pursue acquisitions that are successful and can be integrated into our existing operations; changes in mortgage underwriting standards; our ability to maintain or establish relationships with third-party service providers; the impact of cybersecurity incidents and the potential loss of critical and confidential information; the reliability of our fraud detection processes and information security systems; depository banks not honoring our escrow and trust deposits; adoption of alternatives to full-service agents by consumers; our ability to develop and maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting; covenants in our debt agreements that may restrict our borrowing capacity or operating activities; our abilities to use net operating losses and other tax attributes; changes in, and our reliance on, accounting standards, assumptions, estimates and business data; the dependability of our platform and software; our ability to maintain our company culture; our ability to obtain or maintain adequate insurance coverage; processing, storage, and use of personal information and other data, and compliance with privacy laws and regulations; natural disasters and catastrophic events; the effect of the claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other proceedings; changes in federal or state laws that would require our agents to be classified as employees; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and our reliance on the intellectual property rights of third parties; the impact of having a multi-class structure of common stock; and other risks set forth in our annual report on Form 10-K and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Significant variation from the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements could cause our actual results to vary, and the impact could be significant. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied or such uncertainties could cause adverse effects on our results. Reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. 

More information about factors that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, or that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements is included under the captions "Risk Factors," "Legal Proceedings" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which are available on the Investor Relations page of our website at https://investors.compass.com/ and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.  All information herein speaks as of the date hereof and all forward-looking statements contained herein are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP, we present Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX, and Free Cash Flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures, in this press release. We use Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow in conjunction with GAAP measures as part of our overall assessment of our performance, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and quarterly forecasts, to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies and to communicate with our board of directors concerning our financial performance. We believe Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow are also helpful to investors, analysts and other interested parties because they can assist in providing a more consistent and comparable overview of our operations across our historical financial periods. Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow have limitations as analytical tools. Therefore, you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow alongside other financial performance measures, including net loss attributable to Compass, Inc., GAAP OPEX, operating cash flows and our other GAAP measures. In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments reflected in this press release. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow should not be construed to imply that our future results will be unaffected by the types of items excluded from these calculations of Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow. Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP OPEX and Free Cash Flow are not presented in accordance with GAAP and the use of these terms vary from others in our industry. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures have been provided in the financial statement tables included within this press release, and investors are encouraged to review these reconciliations.

About Compass
Compass is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume. Founded in 2012 and based in New York City, Compass provides an end-to-end platform that empowers its residential real estate agents to deliver exceptional service to seller and buyer clients. The platform includes an integrated suite of cloud-based software for customer relationship management, marketing, client service, brokerage services and other critical functionality, all custom-built for the real estate industry. Compass agents utilize the platform to grow their business, save time and manage their business more effectively. For more information on how Compass empowers real estate agents, one of the largest groups of small business owners in the country, please visit www.compass.com.

¹ Compass was ranked number one in sales volume for 2023 by Real Trends in March 2024 for the third year in a row.
² Non-GAAP OPEX excludes Commissions and other related expenses, Depreciation and amortization, Stock-based compensation and other expenses excluded from the Company's calculation of Adjusted EBITDA. We calculate non-GAAP OPEX annualized run rate by taking the sum of the quarter's non-GAAP sales and marketing, operations and support, research and development, and general and administration expenses and multiplying it by four.
³ During the first quarter of 2024, the Company began to report its agent statistics as of the quarter end. The Company's Number of Principal Agents and year-over-year growth reported in this press release is based on the quarter end count for the first quarter of 2023 and 2024.
⁴ A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP measures can be found within the financial statement tables included within this press release.
⁵ A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP measures can be found within the financial statement tables included within this press release.
⁶ A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP measures can be found within the financial statement tables included within this press release.
⁷ During the first quarter of 2024, the Company began to report its agent statistics as of the quarter end. The Company's Number of Principal Agents and year over year and sequential change reported in this press release is based on the quarter end count for the first quarter of 2023 and 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2023.
⁸ We calculate Total Transactions by ...

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