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Stride Posts Record Quarterly Results

RESTON, Va., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), one of the nation’s most successful technology-based education companies, today announced its results for the second fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Highlights Compared to 2024

  • Revenue of $587.2 million, compared with $504.9 million.
  • Income from operations of $125.1 million, compared with $84.3 million.
  • Net income of $96.4 million, compared with $66.8 million.
  • Diluted net income per share of $2.03, compared with $1.54.
  • Adjusted operating income of $135.6 million, compared with $94.9 million. (1)
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $160.4 million, compared with $118.3 million. (1)

Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Summary Financial Metrics

 Three Months Ended December 31, Change 2024/2023
 2024 2023 $ %
 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data)
Revenues$587,211 $504,868 $82,343 16.3%
           
Income from operations 125,100  84,289  40,811 48.4%
Adjusted operating income (1) 135,570  94,873  40,697 42.9%
           
Net income 96,393  66,836  29,557 44.2%
Net income per share, diluted 2.03  1.54  0.49 31.8%
           
EBITDA (1) 152,495  110,752  41,743 37.7%
Adjusted EBITDA (1) 160,420  118,348  42,072 35.5%

 (1)To supplement our financial statements presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we also present non-GAAP financial measures including adjusted operating income (loss), EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that these additional metrics provide useful information to investors relating to our financial performance. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is provided below.


Six Month Fiscal 2025 Highlights Compared to 2024

  • Revenue of $1,138.3 million, compared with $985.0 million.
  • Income from operations of $172.4 million, compared with $87.6 million.
  • Net income of $137.3 million, compared with $71.7 million.
  • Diluted net income per share of $2.93, compared with $1.66.
  • Adjusted operating income of $193.9 million, compared with $109.6 million. (1)
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $244.3 million, compared with $158.1 million. (1)

Six Month Fiscal 2025 Summary Financial Metrics

 Six Months Ended December 31, Change 2024/2023
 2024 2023  $ %
 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data)
Revenues$1,138,295  985,049  153,246 15.6%
           
Income from operations 172,444  87,609  84,835 96.8%
Adjusted operating income (1) 193,930  109,634  84,296 76.9%
           
Net income 137,275  71,714  65,561 91.4%
Net income per share, diluted 2.93  1.66  1.27 76.5%
           
EBITDA (1) 227,973  142,089  85,884 60.4%
Adjusted EBITDA (1) 244,347  158,111  86,236 54.5%

 (1)To supplement our financial statements presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we also present non-GAAP financial measures including adjusted operating income (loss), EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that these additional metrics provide useful information to investors relating to our financial performance. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is provided below.


Revenue Data

  Three Months Ended       Six Months Ended      
  December 31, Change 2024 / 2023 December 31, Change 2024 / 2023
  2024 2023 $ % 2024 2023 $ %
  (In thousands, except percentages)
                       
General Education $354,315 $313,902 $40,413  12.9% $683,722  613,241 $70,481  11.5%
Career Learning                      
Middle – High School  213,079  165,080  47,999  29.1%  411,965  316,053  95,912  30.3%
Adult  19,817  25,886  (6,069) (23.4%)  42,608  55,755  (13,147) (23.6%)
Total Career Learning  232,896  190,966  41,930  22.0%  454,573  371,808  82,765  22.3%
Total Revenues $587,211 $504,868 $82,343  16.3% $1,138,295  985,049 $153,246  15.6%


Enrollment and Revenue Per Enrollment Data

Second quarter enrollments averaged 230.6K, up 19.4% compared to 193.1K enrollments in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024. Of the total average enrollments, 94.8K were Career Learning enrollments, up 30.9% compared to 72.4K Career Learning enrollments in the second quarter of fiscal 2024.

Enrollments only include those students in full service public or private programs where Stride provides a combination of curriculum, technology, and instructional and support services, inclusive of administrative support and may include enrollments for which Stride receives no public funding or revenue. Stride does not report enrollments for our Adult Learning business.

Revenue per enrollment for the second quarter was $2,395, flat compared to $2,396 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024. General Education revenue per enrollment was $2,497, up 1.3%, and Career Learning revenue per enrollment was $2,248, down 1.4%, compared to the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, respectively. If the mix of enrollments changes, our revenues will be impacted to the extent the average revenues per enrollments are significantly different.

Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $738.1 million, compared with $714.2 million reported at June 30, 2024.

Capital expenditures for the three months ended December 31, 2024 were $14.8 million, compared to $12.7 million in the three months ended December 31, 2023, and were comprised of $0.5 million of property and equipment, $9.8 million of capitalized software development and $4.5 million of capitalized curriculum development.

Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook

The Company is raising its revenue and adjusted operating forecast for the full fiscal year 2025:

  • Revenue in the range of $2.320 billion to $2.355 billion.
  • Capital expenditures in the range of $60 million to $65 million. Note that capital expenditures include the purchase of property and equipment, and capitalized software and curriculum development costs as defined on our Statement of Cash Flows.
  • Effective tax rate of 24% to 26%.
  • Adjusted operating income in the range of $430 million to $450 million. (1)

The Company is forecasting the following for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025:

  • Revenue in the range of $585 million to $600 million.
  • Capital expenditures in the range of $15 million to $17 million. Note that capital expenditures include the purchase of property and equipment, and capitalized software and curriculum development costs as defined on our Statement of Cash Flows.
  • Adjusted operating income in the range of $130 million to $140 million. (1)
(1)In addition to providing an outlook for revenue and capital expenditures, adjusted operating income is provided as a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure as management believes that it provides useful information to our investors. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is provided below. Please also see Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements below.


Conference Call

The Company will discuss its second quarter fiscal year 2025 financial results during a conference call scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. eastern time (ET).

A live webcast of the call will be available at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/534139423. To participate in the live call, investors and analysts should dial (800) 715-9871 (domestic) or +1 (646) 307-1963 (international) and provide the conference ID number 8901384. Please access the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call.

A replay of the call will be posted at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/534139423 as soon as it is available.

About Stride Inc.

Stride Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is redefining lifelong learning with innovative, high-quality education solutions. Serving learners in primary, secondary, and postsecondary settings, Stride provides a wide range of services including K-12 education, career learning, professional skills training, and talent development. Stride reaches learners in all 50 states and over 100 countries. Learn more at stridelearning.com.

Investor Contact

Timothy Casey
Vice President, Investor Relations
Stride, Inc.
tcasey@k12.com

Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “continues,” “likely,” “may,” “opportunity,” “potential,” “projects,” “will,” “will be,”expects,” “plans,” “intends” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, whether in the negative or the affirmative. These statements reflect our current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to us. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. These risks, uncertainties, factors and contingencies include, but are not limited to: reduction of per pupil funding amounts at the schools we serve; inability to achieve a sufficient level of new enrollments to sustain our business model; limitations of the enrollment data we present, which may not fully capture trends in the performance of our business; failure to enter into new school contracts or renew existing contracts, in part or in their entirety; failure of the schools we serve or us to comply with federal, state and local regulations, resulting in a loss of funding, an obligation to repay funds previously received, or contractual remedies; governmental investigations that could result in fines, penalties, settlements, or injunctive relief; declines or variations in academic performance outcomes of the students and schools we serve as curriculum standards, testing programs and state accountability metrics evolve; harm to our reputation resulting from poor performance or misconduct by operators or us in any school in our industry and/or in any school in which we operate; legal and regulatory challenges from opponents of virtual public education or for-profit education companies; changes in national and local economic and business conditions and other factors, such as natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments; discrepancies in interpretation of legislation by regulatory agencies that may lead to payment or funding disputes; termination of our contracts, or a reduction in the scope of services, with schools; failure to develop the Career Learning business; entry of new competitors with superior technologies and lower prices; unsuccessful integration of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures; failure to further develop, maintain and enhance our technology, products, services and brands; inadequate recruiting, training and retention of effective teachers and employees; infringement of our intellectual property; disruptions to our Internet-based learning and delivery systems, including, but not limited to, our data storage systems and third-party cloud systems and facilities, resulting from cybersecurity attacks; misuse or unauthorized disclosure of student and personal data; failure to prevent or mitigate a cybersecurity incident that affects our systems; and risks related to artificial intelligence; and other risks and uncertainties associated with our business described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information in this press release is as of today’s date, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company’s expectations.

Financial Statements

The financial statements set forth below are not the complete set of Stride, Inc.’s financial statements for the three and six months ended December 31, 2024 and are presented below without footnotes. Readers are encouraged to obtain and carefully review Stride Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three and six months ended December 31, 2024, including all financial statements contained therein and the footnotes thereto, filed with the SEC, which may be retrieved from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or from Stride Inc.’s website at www.stridelearning.com.

STRIDE, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended
  December 31, December 31,
  2024  2023  2024  2023 
  (In thousands except share and per share data)      
Revenues  $587,211  $504,868  $1,138,295  $985,049 
Instructional costs and services  347,353   303,694   682,584   610,987 
Gross margin  239,858   201,174   455,711   374,062 
Selling, general, and administrative expenses  114,758   116,885   283,267   286,453 
Income from operations   125,100   84,289   172,444   87,609 
Interest expense, net  (2,670)  (2,022)  (5,023)  (4,090)
Other income, net  7,330   6,538   16,108   11,703 
Income before income taxes and income (loss) from equity method investments  129,760   88,805   183,529   95,222 
Income tax expense  (33,361)  (22,190)  (44,638)  (23,726)
Income (loss) from equity method investments  (6)  221   (1,616)  218 
Net income attributable to common stockholders $96,393  $66,836  $137,275  $71,714 
Net income attributable to common stockholders per share:            
Basic $2.24  $1.57  $3.20  $1.69 
Diluted $2.03  $1.54  $2.93  $1.66 
Weighted average shares used in computing per share amounts:            
Basic  43,017,190   42,561,035   42,942,750   42,530,523 
Diluted  47,462,688   43,463,763   46,905,355   43,214,119 
             

STRIDE, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

  December 31,  June 30,
  2024  2024 
     (audited)
  (In thousands except share and per share data)
ASSETS      
Current assets      
Cash and cash equivalents $515,049  $500,614 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $35,517 and $31,298  582,548   472,754 
Inventories, net  20,707   36,748 
Prepaid expenses  51,367   29,164 
Marketable securities  202,447   191,672 
Other current assets  16,361   14,494 
Total current assets   1,388,479   1,245,446 
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net  48,563   54,503 
Property and equipment, net  84,685   50,856 
Capitalized software, net  77,299   81,952 
Capitalized curriculum development costs, net  53,759   53,232 
Intangible assets, net  55,170   60,282 
Goodwill  246,676   246,676 
Deferred tax asset     7,200 
Deposits and other assets  116,150   120,318 
Total assets  $2,070,781  $1,920,465 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
Current liabilities      
Accounts payable $30,896  $40,970 
Accrued liabilities  82,664   60,796 
Accrued compensation and benefits  44,508   64,878 
Deferred revenue  16,797   35,742 
Current portion of finance lease liability  43,212   29,146 
Current portion of operating lease liability  12,583   12,748 
Total current liabilities   230,660   244,280 
Long-term finance lease liability  50,731   26,452 
Long-term operating lease liability  39,202   45,192 
Long-term debt  415,522   414,675 
Deferred tax liability  470    
Other long-term liabilities  16,091   13,841 
Total liabilities   752,676   744,440 
Commitments and contingencies      
Stockholders’ equity      
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001; 10,000,000 shares authorized; zero shares issued or outstanding      
Common stock, par value $0.0001; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 48,890,343 and 48,576,164 shares issued; and 43,555,600 and 43,241,421 shares outstanding, respectively  4   4 
Additional paid-in capital  724,839   720,033 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (43)  (42)
Retained earnings  695,787   558,512 
Treasury stock of 5,334,743 shares at cost  (102,482)  (102,482)
Total stockholders’ equity   1,318,105   1,176,025 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity  $2,070,781  $1,920,465 
       

STRIDE, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

  Six Months Ended
  December 31,
  2024  2023 
  (In thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities      
Net income $137,275  $71,714 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:      
Depreciation and amortization expense  55,529   54,480 
Stock-based compensation expense  16,374   16,022 
Deferred income taxes  9,289   425 
Provision for credit losses  9,624   15,332 
Amortization of fees on debt  847   834 
Noncash operating lease expense  6,222   7,913 
Other  1,869   1,430 
Changes in assets and liabilities:      
Accounts receivable  (119,416)  (61,247)
Inventories, prepaid expenses, deposits and other current and long-term assets  (4,084)  883 
Accounts payable  (8,983)  (15,994)
Accrued liabilities  20,248   (20,987)
Accrued compensation and benefits  (20,303)  (14,340)
Operating lease liability  (6,437)  (8,587)
Deferred revenue and other liabilities  (16,694)  (9,849)
Net cash provided by operating activities   81,360   38,029 
Cash flows from investing activities      
Purchase of property and equipment  (1,153)  (1,703)
Capitalized software development costs  (18,601)  (18,402)
Capitalized curriculum development costs  (9,841)  (8,731)
Other acquisitions, loans and investments, net of distributions  (950)  (275)
Proceeds from the maturity of marketable securities  140,740   80,361 
Purchases of marketable securities  (145,865)  (120,047)
Net cash used in investing activities   (35,670)  (68,797)
Cash flows from financing activities      
Repayments on finance lease obligations  (16,714)  (22,491)
Repurchase of restricted stock for income tax withholding  (11,963)  (3,161)
Net cash used in financing activities   (28,677)  (25,652)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash  17,013   (56,420)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period  500,614   410,807 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period $517,627  $354,387 
       
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to balance sheet as of December 31st:      
Cash and cash equivalents $515,049  $354,387 
Deposits and other assets (restricted cash)  2,578    
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $517,627  $354,387 
       

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we have presented adjusted operating income (loss), EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with GAAP.

  • Adjusted operating income (loss) is defined as income (loss) from operations as adjusted for stock-based compensation and the amortization of intangible assets.
  • EBITDA is defined as income (loss) from operations as adjusted for depreciation and amortization.
  • Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income (loss) from operations as adjusted for stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization.
  • Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss) exclude stock-based compensation, which consists of expenses for stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance stock units.

Management believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors relating to our financial performance. Adjusted operating income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA remove stock-based compensation, which is a non-cash charge that varies based on market volatility and the terms and conditions of the awards. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA remove depreciation and amortization, which can vary depending upon accounting methods and the book value of assets. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide a measure of corporate performance exclusive of capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired.

Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures:

  • as additional measures of operating performance because they assist us in comparing our performance on a consistent basis; and
  • in presentations to the members of our Board of Directors to enable our Board to review the same measures used by management to compare our current operating results with corresponding prior periods.

Other companies may define these non-GAAP financial measures differently and, as a result, our use of these non-GAAP financial measures may not be directly comparable to similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Although we use these non-GAAP financial measures to assess the performance of our business, the use of non-GAAP financial measures is limited as they include and/or do not include certain items not included and/or included in the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, revenues, income (loss) from operations, net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share or other related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of liquidity. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these non-GAAP financial measures.

A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is provided below.

Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2025

Reconciliation of Income from Operations to Adjusted Operating Income

 Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended
 December 31, December 31,
  2024   2023   2024   2023 
 (In thousands)    
Income from operations$125,100  $84,289  $172,444  $87,609 
Amortization of intangible assets 2,545   2,988   5,112   6,003 
Stock-based compensation expense 7,925   7,596   16,374   16,022 
Adjusted operating income 135,570   94,873   193,930   109,634 


Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

 Three Months Ended
December 31, 
 Six Months Ended
December 31, 
  2024   2023   2024   2023 
 (In thousands)
Net income$96,393  $66,836  $137,275  $71,714 
Interest expense, net 2,670   2,022   5,023   4,090 
Other income, net (7,330)  (6,538)  (16,108)  (11,703)
Income tax expense 33,361   22,190   44,638   23,726 
(Income) loss from equity method investments 6   (221)  1,616   (218)
Depreciation and amortization 27,395   26,463   55,529   54,480 
EBITDA 152,495   110,752   227,973   142,089 
Stock-based compensation expense 7,925   7,596   16,374   16,022 
Adjusted EBITDA$160,420  $118,348  $244,347  $158,111 


Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook

Reconciliation of Income from Operations to Adjusted Operating Income (unaudited)

 Three Months Ended
March 31, 2025
 Year Ended
June 30, 2025
 Low High Low High
 (In millions)
Income from operations$119.8  $127.3  $387.5  $402.5 
Stock-based compensation expense 8.0   10.0   33.0   37.0 
Amortization of intangible assets 2.2   2.7   9.5   10.5 
Adjusted operating income$130.0  $140.0  $430.0  $450.0 

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