Spending like a bigger company on purpose: current results carry the cost of an expansion aimed at demand management say
The model's full reasoning — Q3 2021 call → NOWe need to determine if management acknowledges that current reported results are being visibly weighed down by the cost of an expansion already undertaken, and justifies that burden by pointing to demand that is already real. Let's examine the transcript. Key points: - Scott Kavanaugh mentions expansion efforts in Texas, opening LPO in Irving, retail branch in Plano, recruiting in Texas, etc. - He says "There is so much opportunity for First Foundation in Texas and we are grateful for the warm reception. We are actively recruiting in the area and speaking with bankers, wealth managers and others who want to join our Texas team as we ramp up the presence across the state as well as our corporate location in Dallas." - He also mentions Florida expansion, seeking trust powers, etc. - He says "We are also seeking trust powers in both Florida and Texas. Expanding into business-friendly states such as Texas and Florida has really proven to be a successful strategy for our next phase of growth." - He mentions "We recently expanded our presence in Los Angeles with the opening of our Sherman Oaks branch and that location has proven to be very successful." - He says "Even amidst the challenging business environment in the state, our teams in California have done an incredible job attracting deposits, funding high-quality loans and offering top-performing wealth management and trust services to our clients." Now, does management acknowledge that this expansion is costing something now? Look for statements about expenses, hiring, etc. Kevin Thompson: "Noninterest expense increased $2.8 million to $38.4 million in the quarter. This was largely from compensation and benefits that increased due to a 5.3% increase in FTE in the quarter, higher commission accruals due to strong year-to-date production in wealth management and other divisions, and lower deferred expenses due to seasonally lower loan production." So they mention increased expenses due to hiring (FTE increase) and other things. But is that specifically tied to expansion? They say "compensation and benefits that increased due to a 5.3% increase in FTE" - that could be due to expansion hiring. But do they explicitly say that this expansion is weighing on current results? They don't say "this is dragging on our profitability" but they do note the expense increase.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASO | Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. | Q1 2024 | 2024-06-11 | C+ |
| KOPN | Kopin Corporation | Q4 2023 | 2024-03-14 | C+ |
| PUMP | ProPetro Holding Corp. | Q4 2023 | 2024-02-21 | C+ |
| PTLO | Portillo's Inc. | Q2 2023 | 2023-08-05 | B |
| AFL | Aflac Incorporated | Q2 2023 | 2023-08-02 | C+ |
| KE | Kimball Electronics, Inc. | Q3 2023 | 2023-05-06 | C+ |
| SIBN | SI-BONE, Inc. | Q3 2022 | 2022-11-07 | C+ |
| CHE | Chemed Corporation | Q3 2022 | 2022-11-01 | B+ |
| EVGO | EVgo, Inc. | Q2 2022 | 2022-08-09 | C+ |
| WD | Walker & Dunlop, Inc. | Q2 2022 | 2022-08-09 | C+ |
| OGI | OrganiGram Holdings Inc. | Q3 2022 | 2022-07-14 | B+ |
| FLYW | Flywire Corporation | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-14 | B+ |
| HLIO | Helios Technologies, Inc. | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-10 | C |
| IRTC | iRhythm Technologies, Inc. | Q1 2022 | 2022-05-07 | C+ |
| GTES | Gates Industrial Corporation plc | Q4 2021 | 2022-02-07 | C+ |
| LMAT | LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. | Q3 2021 | 2021-10-29 | C+ |
| IRT | Independence Realty Trust, Inc. | Q2 2018 | 2018-08-02 | B |
| JBT | John Bean Technologies Corporation | Q2 2018 | 2018-07-26 | B |
| CP | Canadian Pacific Railway Limited | Q2 2018 | 2018-07-19 | B+ |
| AOSL | Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited | Q2 2018 | 2018-02-07 | B |
| IR | Ingersoll-Rand Plc | Q3 2017 | 2017-10-25 | B |
| FLEX | Flex Ltd. | Q1 2018 | 2017-07-28 | F |
SIBN · Q3 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management acknowledge that the company's CURRENT reported results are being visibly weighed down by the cost of an expansion the company has ALREADY undertaken — spending, hirin...YES Management explicitly describes the expansion as already underway and costing the company now: investments in sales force (85 territory managers + 72 specialists), new products (iFuse-TORQ, iFuse-Bedrock Granite), instrument trays, inventory, and R&D that are driving higher depreciation, freight, and product costs 84% gross margin (down low-single digits from these factors). Anshul confirms “we’ve made a substantial amount of investment whether it’s in TORQ trays or Granite trays or TORQ implants” and “this is going to lead to elevated depreciation,” while Laura notes the build supports “strong new product demand.
FLYW · Q1 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management acknowledge that the company's CURRENT reported results are being visibly weighed down by the cost of an expansion the company has ALREADY undertaken, AND justify carr...YES The transcript shows management explicitly linking the current EBITDA decline to the hiring expansion already completed ("increased the number of FlyMates by over 50% during the past year" and "added over 100 new FlyMates within the sales, marketing and product functions"), while framing the spending as a deliberate, ongoing 2022 investment plan that is already delivering observable results through record client adds (130), pipeline growth, and strong ARR signings.
EVGO · Q2 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management acknowledge that the company's CURRENT reported results are being visibly weighed down by the cost of an expansion the company has ALREADY undertaken, AND justify carr...YES Management describes concrete expansion already underway—170 stalls placed in Q2, total stalls at 2,397 with 460 under construction, pipeline at 3,669, CapEx jumped to $44 million to accelerate deployment, and G&A ramping personnel to support growth—while directly tying the resulting negative adjusted EBITDA of -$19.8 million to that deliberate build-out.