Hub Group Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results

Highlights:

• GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.39 and revenue of $1.0 billion for the third quarter
• Non-GAAP adjusted EPS of $0.52, which excludes adjustments for a network alignment initiative and transaction related expenses in the quarter
• Quarterly operating income of $32 million or 3.3% of revenue, adjusted operating income (non-GAAP) of $42 million or 4.3% of revenue
• Returned $91 million to shareholders year-to-date through stock repurchases of $68 million, including $35 million in the third quarter, and dividend payments of $23 million
• Strong balance sheet with cash and cash equivalents of $186 million and net debt/EBITDA LTM (non-GAAP) of 0.3x as of September 30, 2024
• Expanded Mexico Intermodal and cross-border service offering by forming a joint venture with Mexico-based EASO
• Voted #3 on the Top Ten 3PL list by Inbound Logistics

"I am pleased with the team's performance in the third quarter as our disciplined market approach resulted in Intermodal volume growth of 12% and adjusted EPS growth in the quarter. In addition, we recently closed the joint venture with EASO to enhance our solutions for our customers and add significant scale to our Intermodal capabilities in Mexico. Although market conditions remain challenging, we continue to enhance earnings stability and growth over the long term by focusing on yield management, effectively managing costs, our capital structure, and providing excellent service to our customers,” said Phil Yeager, Hub Group's President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman.

Third Quarter 2024 Results

Consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2024 was $987 million, a 3.7% decrease from $1,025 million reported in the third quarter of 2023. Revenue was impacted by lower revenue per load including fuel and accessorial revenue in Intermodal and Brokerage, partially offset by Intermodal volume growth of 12% and contributions from the Final Mile acquisition.

Purchased transportation and warehousing costs of $740 million were $32.7 million lower than prior year. Salaries and benefits of $143 million were $4.4 million higher than prior year due to the Final Mile acquisition. Total legacy headcount, which excludes acquisition employees, drivers and warehouse employees, declined by 5%. Depreciation and amortization of $32.4 million decreased $3.7 million from prior year due to a change in useful life estimates offsetting expenses associated with the Final Mile acquisition. Insurance and claims totaled $10.2 million, a $1.5 million decrease due to lower claim costs in the quarter. General and administrative expenses of $29.7 million included transaction expenses related to the joint venture and operating costs associated with the Final Mile acquisition which were partially offset by cost management efforts. Gain on sale was $0.4 million in the quarter.

GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $32.1 million or 3.3% of revenue and adjusted operating income (non-GAAP) was $42.5 million or 4.3% of revenue. Prior year operating income was $42.6 million or 4.2% of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) for the third quarter was $88.8 million. Net debt/EBITDA LTM (non-GAAP) was 0.3x for the third quarter, below the leverage target range of 0.75 to 1.25x.

Intermodal and Transportation Solutions ("ITS”) Segment revenue was $560 million in the third quarter, down from $595 million in the prior year. Higher Intermodal volume and Dedicated revenue partially offset lower Intermodal revenue per load, accessorial revenue and fuel revenue. GAAP ITS operating income was $13.5 million, or 2.4% of revenue, comparable to the prior year operating income of $13.5 million. Adjusted ITS operating income (non-GAAP) was $15.0 million, or 2.7% of revenue, which excludes expenses of $1.5 million related to the EASO transaction and other adjustments in the quarter.

Third quarter Logistics Segment revenue was $461 million, comparable to $460 million in the prior year as Final Mile revenue offset lower brokerage revenue. GAAP Logistics operating income was $18.6 million, or 4.0% of revenue, down from $29.1 million in the prior year, due to expenses related to the network alignment project. Adjusted Logistics operating income (non-GAAP) was $27.5 million, or 6.0% of revenue, which excludes network alignment expenses and other adjustments of $8.9 million.

Capital expenditures for the third quarter of 2024 totaled $12.0 million as we continued to manage our spend. As of September 30, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $186 million. Year-to-date the company returned $91 million to shareholders through stock repurchases of $68 million, including over $35 million in the third quarter, and dividend payments of $23 million.

2024 Outlook

We expect our 2024 adjusted diluted earnings per share will range from $1.85 to $1.95. We estimate revenue of approximately $4.0 billion for the full year. We project an effective tax rate of approximately 23% and capital expenditures in the range of $45 million to $65 million for the full year.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this press release, we present certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EPS, adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, and net debt/EBITDA. As required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC”), we have provided herein a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable measures under GAAP, along with an explanation why management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide relevant and useful information. These non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative to or substitute for, measures determined in accordance with GAAP and are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP measures that may be presented by other companies. We have provided our outlook regarding adjusted diluted earnings per share, which is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes certain expenses. We have not reconciled this non-GAAP financial measure to the corresponding GAAP financial measure because guidance for the various reconciling items is not provided. We are unable to provide guidance for these reconciling items because we cannot determine their probable significance, as certain items are outside of the company's control and cannot be reasonably predicted since these items could vary significantly from period to period. Accordingly, reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial measures are not available without unreasonable effort.

Certain Forward-Looking Statements:

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, provided pursuant to the safe harbor established under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that might cause the actual performance of Hub Group to differ materially from those expressed or implied by this discussion and, therefore, should be viewed with caution. Further information on the risks that may affect Hub Group's business is included in filings it makes with the SEC from time to time, including those discussed under the "Risk Factors” section in Hub Group's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. Hub Group assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Conference Call

Hub Group, Inc. will hold a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 30, 2024, to discuss our third quarter 2024 results. Hosting the conference call will be Phil Yeager, President, CEO and Vice Chairman and Kevin Beth, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

This call is being webcast and can be accessed through the Investors link on Hub Group's web site at www.hubgroup.com. The webcast is listen-only. Those interested in participating in the question-and-answer session should follow the telephone dial-in instructions below.

To participate in the conference call by telephone, please pre-register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BIcfa856aaac854dd78f769dbbf85a3b2e to receive the dial-in number and unique PIN. On the day of the call, dial in approximately ten minutes prior to the scheduled call time and enter the unique participant PIN received during registration. The call will be limited to 60 minutes, including questions and answers. An audio replay will be available through the Investors link on the Company's web site at www.hubgroup.com. This replay will be available for 30 days.

About Hub Group

Hub Group offers comprehensive transportation and logistics management solutions. Keeping our customers' needs in focus, Hub Group designs, continually optimizes, and applies industry-leading technology to our customers' supply chains for better service, greater efficiency, and total visibility. As an award-winning, publicly traded company (Nasdaq: HUBG) with over $4 billion in revenue, our nearly 6,000 employees and drivers across the globe are always in pursuit of "The Way Ahead” - a commitment to service, integrity and innovation. For more information, visit hubgroup.com.

SOURCE: Hub Group, Inc.

CONTACT: Lorna Williams, Investor Relations, [email protected]