CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: DRVN) (“Driven Brands” or the “Company”) today reported financial results for the third quarter ending September 28, 2024.

For the third quarter, Driven Brands delivered revenue of $592 million, up 2% versus the prior year. System-wide sales were $1.6 billion, up 2% versus the prior year primarily driven by 1.1% same store sales growth and 56 net new units.

Net loss was $14.9 million or $0.09 per diluted share versus a net loss of $799.3 million or $4.83 per diluted share in the prior year. Adjusted Net Income¹ was $41.8 million or $0.26 per diluted share versus $29.9 million or $0.18 per diluted share in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA¹ was $138.8 million, up 14% versus the prior year.

“We are proud to report our 15th consecutive quarter of same store sales growth, a testament to the reliable one-two punch of Take 5 Oil Change and our stable franchise businesses. In particular, Take 5 Oil Change continues to execute at a high level, and we anticipate continued growth supported by our robust unit pipeline. Our performance was further supplemented by the steady results of our legacy franchise brands,” said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We have achieved our net leverage target of 4.5x ahead of schedule and remain committed to further deleveraging. In the remainder of the year, we look to continue our momentum by delivering our financial outlook and positioning Driven for continued growth.” Fitzpatrick concluded.

Third Quarter 2024 Key Performance Indicators by Segment

Capital and Liquidity

The Company ended the third quarter with total liquidity of $655.3 million consisting of $204.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and $451.1 million of undrawn capacity on its variable funding securitization senior notes and revolving credit facility. This did not include the additional $135.0 million Series 2022 Class A-1 Notes that expand the Company’s variable funding note borrowing capacity if the Company elects to exercise them, assuming certain conditions continue to be met.

Fiscal Year 2024 Outlook

The Company is re-affirming its prior outlook; the following reflects the impact of sale of our Canadian distribution business, which is expected to reduce full-year revenue by approximately $18 million and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $6 million.

The Company also expects:

• Same-store sales growth of 1% to 3%

• Net store growth of approximately 205 to 220

Note: The Company has not included potential future M&A in its outlook for fiscal year 2024.

Conference Call

Driven Brands will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2024 results today, Thursday, October 31, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The call will be available by webcast and can be accessed by visiting Driven Brands’ Investor Relations website at investors.drivenbrands.com. A replay of the call will be available for at least three months.

About Driven Brands

Driven Brands^™, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the largest automotive services company in North America, providing a range of consumer and commercial automotive needs, including paint, collision, glass, vehicle repair, oil change, maintenance and car wash. Driven Brands is the parent company of some of North America’s leading automotive service businesses including Take 5 Oil Change^®, Take 5 Car Wash^®, Meineke Car Care Centers^®, Maaco^®, 1-800-Radiator & A/C^®, Auto Glass Now^®, and CARSTAR^®. Driven Brands has more than 5,100 locations across 14 countries, and services approximately 70 million vehicles annually. Driven Brands’ network generates approximately $2.3 billion in annual revenue from approximately $6.4 billion in system-wide sales.

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and, in each case, their negative or other various or comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Press Release, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, trends, plans, objectives of management, impact of accounting standards and outlook, impairments, and expected market growth are forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements relating to: (i) our strategy, outlook and growth prospects; (ii) our operational and financial targets and dividend policy; (iii) general economic trends and trends in the industry and markets; (iv) the risks and costs associated with the integration of, and our ability to integrate, our stores and business units successfully; (v) the proper application of generally accepted accounting principles, which are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates, and judgments and (vi) the competitive environment in which we operate. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but instead represent our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. These risks include, but are not limited to, the risk factors that are described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 as well as in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on its website at www.sec.gov. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

The following information provides definitions and reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures presented in this earnings release to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The Company has provided this non-GAAP financial information, which is not calculated or presented in accordance with GAAP, as information supplemental and in addition to the financial measures presented in this earnings release that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Such non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or alternative to, and should be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented in this earnings release. The non-GAAP financial measures in this earnings release may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures in Outlook

Driven Brands includes Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”) and Adjusted Earnings per Share (“Adjusted EPS”) in the Company’s Fiscal Year 2024 Outlook. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures and have not been reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because it is not possible to do so without unreasonable efforts due to the uncertainty and potential variability of reconciling items, which are dependent on future events and often outside of management’s control and which could be significant. Because such items cannot be reasonably predicted with the level of precision required, we are unable to provide an outlook for the comparable GAAP measures. Forward-looking estimates of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are made in a manner consistent with the relevant definitions and assumptions noted herein and in our filings with the SEC.

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are considered non-GAAP financial measures under the SEC’s rules because they exclude certain amounts included in the net income attributable to Driven Brands common stockholders and diluted earnings per share attributable to Driven Brands common stockholders calculated in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are meaningful measures to share with investors because they facilitate comparison of the current period performance with that of the comparable prior period. In addition, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS afford investors a view of what management considers to be Driven Brands’ core earnings performance as well as the ability to make a more informed assessment of such earnings performance with that of the prior period.

The tables below reflect the calculation of Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share for the three and nine months ended September 28, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

Net (Loss) Income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share (Unaudited)

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP financial measure under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules because it excludes certain amounts included in net income calculated in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful measure to share with investors because it facilitates comparison of the current period performance with that of the comparable prior period. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA affords investors a view of what management considers to be Driven Brand’s core operating performance as well as the ability to make a more informed assessment of such operating performance as compared with that of the prior period.

Please see the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2024, for additional information on Adjusted EBITDA. The tables below reflect the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 28, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

Net (Loss) Income to Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation (Unaudited)

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share Footnotes