Fathom Holdings Inc (FTHM) 2025 Q2 法說會逐字稿

Good afternoon and welcome to Fathom Holdings second quarter 2025 conference call. Joining us today is the company's President and CEO, Marco Fregenal and Vice President of Finance Daniel Weinmann.

(Operator Instructions)

Before I turn things over to management, I want to remind listeners that today's call may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the company's control, including those outlined in the risk factors section of the company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and other company filings made with the SEC, copies of which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

As a result of those forward-looking statements, actual results could differ materially. Fathom undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after today's call, except as required by law.

Please also note that during the call, management will be discussing adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined by the SEC regulation G. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is included in today's press release, which is now posted on Fathom's website.

With that, I'll turn the call over to Fathom's President and CEO Marco Fregenal. Please go ahead, sir.

Thank you and good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Fathom Holdings second quarter 2025 conference call.

Today I'll focus our call on four key areas that are critical to understanding our momentum and outlook. First, our second quarter performance and return to just our profitability. Second, the momentum behind our elevate program. And third, our strategy and priorities including partnership and aging programs and finally the broader real estate market and what it means for the remainder of the year.

The second quarter marked a clear step forward for Fathom with a 36% revenue growth, 25% transaction growth, and 23% increase in agent count. Most importantly, we return to adjust the EBITDA profitability, a milestone that reflects the strength of our model and the progress we made in building a lean, scalable, and diversified business.

We believe this momentum positioned us to sustainable growth, positive adjusted growth, and revenue growth for the remaining of the year.

Our key contributor to our ability to scale profitably is Elevate, our agent concierge program designed to help agents close more deals with less friction.

In just a few months, Elevate has proven its ability to enhance productivity, improve agent satisfaction, and generate high margin recurring revenue for Fathom.

Elevate is more than a productivity tool. It's an important component of our broader platform strategy and a key differentiator in a competitive market. By layering high value services onto our low-cost brokerage model. Elevate allow agents to focus on serving clients while our concierge team manages marketing, lead generation, and administrative tasks. This combination deletes meaningful value to our agents and creates a scalable recurring revenue for Fathom.

The early metrics are encouraging. Elevate agents averaging eight transactions per year with a strong lead generation that produced over 1,700 leads in July alone.

We expect this to grow to 10,000 leads per month by December, and based on historical conversion rates, we see meaningful incremental revenue potential from this pipeline.

Transactions from elevate generate roughly four times the gross profit and five times the adjusted EBITDA of our standard broker transactions, positioning fathom for sustained agent growth and enhanced long-term profitability.

We're also seeing encouraging early traction with our ancillary services. Approximately 30% of elevate agents have begun working with our mortgage and title companies.

As the number of elevated agents and transactions continues to grow, we anticipate this to have a positive and increasing impact on the performance of our mortgage and entitled businesses.

Its launch just three months ago, more than 70 agents have fully enrolled in elevate, with another 100 agents expected to be enrolled into the program in the next 60 days. We remain on track to exceed 300 fully onboarded agents by the end of the year.

In the coming months, we expect to announce several key partnerships that we have, we believe further will enhance the Elevate program, including the launch of Eleva for Teams, which will extend the program benefits to top producing teams and independent brokerages. Our strategy, which is based on Fathom's Intel agent platform, is built to meet agents where they are in their business journey.

Our Fathom Max plan offers ultra-low fees and full autonomy for agents focus on maximizing income. Fathom Share provides revenue sharing opportunities for agents building long-term recurring income while earning one of the best traditional splits in the industry.

Elevate delivers a comprehensive concierge solution for agents seeking hands-on support to grow their businesses to the next level.

We believe this range of plans and programs makes Fathom the ideal brokers for par for every type of agent regardless of business model or goals. We're also excited to announce a new partnership with sovereign realty partners. We will license both our Intel agent platform and the Elevate program.

Sovereign agents will also gain access to encompassed lending and various style of services, extending the reach of a fully integrated platform while offering their brokers a new revenue stream. It's a true win-win.

This agreement, along with our acquisition of my home group establishes a strong presence and foothold in the Arizona market, one of the largest and fastest growing real estate markets in the nation with approximately 90,000 licensees and brings aboard an experienced leadership team for more than 80 years in combined commercial and residential expertise.

We believe this model creates value for both sides, and it can be replicated with hundreds of independent brokerages nationwide, reducing costs, driving productivity, and unlocking recurring high margin revenue. Importantly, we view this as the first of many similar agreements as independent brokers increasingly seek the technology, network, and services we provide to elevate their businesses.

Beyond our Intel agent technology platform and services, which are the foundation of our strategy, our agent first culture remains central to our strategy. We were recently recognized as the brokers with the highest agent satisfaction rating by career.

I and named one of the US News and World Report's best companies to work for, both in real estate and across all industries across the Southern United States. It's no wonder our monthly churn rate of less than 1.6% is among the lowest in the industry, reflecting our commitment to agent satisfaction, work-life balance, and career development.

Finally, our ancillary services, mortgage and title continue to be a growth engine, improving agent loyalty and transaction capture rates while enhancing margins. The title delivers record breaking month in June, and both encompass lending and various daily positioned to continue sequential growth. These high margin services are growing share for our revenue mix and are central to our strategy for margin expansion.

Turning to the broader real estate market, we believe that The state is being set for a modest recovery in transaction volume during the winter and months into next year, even as the key challenges persist, most notably affordability pressures driven by elevated interest rates and high home prices.

That said, several indicators are beginning to trend toward a healthier market. Active listings in June reached 1.1 million units, marking a 29% year by year increase and the highest level since 2020. More inventory gives buyers more choices, reducing bidding wars and helping moderate home prices, supporting a more balanced market.

The medium days on market rose to 53 days, up from 48 days a year ago. A slower pace of sales eases the pressure on buyers, allowing for more negotiation and helping prevent sharp price increases and driven by urgency.

Medium listings remain relatively flat in June of 2025 at around 440,000 compared to the same period in 2024. However, some markets are seeing price declines up to 7%. Stable or slightly lower prices improve affordability, making ownership more attainable for a larger pool of buyers.

Nationally, about 20% of listings have reduced asking price, with that figure climbing to 30% in markets such as Denver, Tampa, Austin, and Phoenix. Price adjustments are a natural part of a rebalancing, helping bring homes within reach for buyers that have been priced out in recent years.

These shifts suggest that a market is gradually transitioning from a seller's market to a buyer's market, coupled with the potential of a lower mortgage rates later this year or into 2026. As the Federal Reserve re-evaluates its interest rate policy, we believe that Fathom is well positioned to grow faster than the broader market and deliver continued growth and profitability to the balance of year and into 2026.

Fathom is well positioned to capitalize on this modest recovery. Our competitive agent centric model allows us to grow faster than the broader market in any environment, which reinforces our confidence of the balance of the year and continued momentum into 2026.

I will now turn the call over to Daniel Weinmann, our Vice President of finance, to go over financial performance for the second quarter.

Daniel.

Thank you, Marco. I'll begin with our financial results for the second quarter of 2025 and then provide a breakdown for performance by business segment.

For the second quarter of 2025, total revenue was $121.4 million, a 36.1% increase year over year compared to $89.2 million for the second quarter of 2024. The increase was driven by a 39.5% rise in brokerage revenue, partially offset by a 10.5% decline in revenue from our ancillary businesses.

Primarily due to the reduction in insurance revenue following the sale of our insurance business in May 2024.

Excluding the impact of the divested insurance business, gross profit increased 24.7% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Gross profit margin decreased to 7.7% from 8.5%, primarily due to competitive pricing pressure, higher commission splits to attract and retain agents, and increased transaction-related costs, which offset the benefit of higher transaction volumes.

On the topic of gross profit, our gross profit from quarter one 2025 to quarter two 2025 increased by $1.3 million while our adjusted EBITDA for the same time frame increased by 114% or $1.5 million, reflecting improved operating leverage and the higher proportion of revenue converting to earnings.

Technology and development expenses were $1.8 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2024. The $300,000 increase reflects continued investments in our technology platforms, including the build out of our direct to agent program at Elevate and enhancements to our Elevate program.

General and administrative expenses totalled $8 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $8.3 million for the same period in 2024, with the decrease driven by cost cutting initiatives. Marketing expenses were $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $1.3 million for the same period in 2024, primarily due to increased investments in our axillary businesses.

Our GAAP net loss for the second quarter of 2025 was $3.6 million or $0.13 per share compared to a net loss of $1.3 million or $0.07 per share for the second quarter of 2024. The lower net loss in prior year quarter primarily reflected the contribution from our insurance business prior to its sale in May 2024, as well as the recognition of approximately $3 million in gain on the sale of that business.

Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, was $29,000 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $189,000 million in the same period of 2024.

The year over year decline was primarily driven by higher operating expenses related to the integration of my home Group, increased employer-related costs to support our expanded operations, and strategic investments in technology and marketing, which offset the benefit of higher brokerage segment revenue.

I will now walk through with the results of our individual business segments in more detail. Starting with brokerage.

Revenue for the brokerage segment was $116 million for the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 39.6% compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by the addition of my home Group, which was acquired in November 2024 and contributed significantly to transaction volume and commission income.

The increase also reflects modest organic growth from our existing agent base supported by expanded market coverage.

We ended the quarter with 14,981 agent licenses, an increase of 22.6% compared to 12,224 in the same period of 2024, driven primarily by the addition of agents from my homegroup, as well as continued success in attracting and retaining agents through competitive commission structures, enhanced support services, and targeted recruitment efforts.

Gross profit margin for the brokerage segment was 6% for the second quarter of 2025, consistent with the prior year period as higher transaction volumes from the addition of my homegroup and modest organic growth were offset by a proportional increase in commission expenses and other agent-related costs resulting in stable margins year over year.

Adjusted EBITDA for the brokerage segment was $2.1 million for the second quarter of 2025, an increase of approximately $500,000 compared to the same period in 2024, primarily driven by higher revenue and ongoing cost management initiatives.

Talking about our mortgage business, revenue for the mortgage segment was $3.3 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $3.7 million in the prior year period. The decline was primarily due to lower loan origination volumes resulting from persistently high interest rates.

Adjusted EBITDA for the mortgage segment was a loss of $85,000 for the second quarter of 2025 compared to positive 15,000 in the same period of 2024. The decline in profitability was primarily driven by reduced loan origination volumes and compressed margins resulting from persistent, persistently high interest rates which negatively impacted revenue and operating leverage.

Talking about our Title business, various Title revenue was $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 90% compared to 800,000 in the same period of 2024, driven by strong organic growth from increased order volumes, the expansion of relationships with existing agents, and agent walkovers.

Additional contributions came from targeted marketing initiatives and process enhancement that improved closing efficiency and capacity.

Adjusted EBITDA for the various title was a loss of $270,000 for the second quarter of 2025 compared to a positive $80,000 in the same period in 2024. Despite a 90% increase in revenue year over year, profit profitability declined due to higher operating expenses associated with supporting transaction growth.

Including increased personnel, onboarding costs, and other investments to expand capacity. With these investments now in place, the business is positioned to drive future growth without the need for a comparable increase in expense.

Technology. Third party revenue was $600,000 for the second quarter of 2025 compared to $800,000 for the same period in 2024. The decline in revenues mainly due to brokerages and agents reducing expenses to protect margins and therefore cancelling or downsizing technology subscriptions and marketing.

Packages adjusted EBITDA loss was $210,000 million for the second quarter of 2025 compared to a profit of $220,000 million in the same period of 2024.

The decline was probably driven by lower third-party revenue, reflecting reduced demand from industry clients, as well as an increased expense related to new software development, including product enhancement and platform upgrades, which are expected to support future growth and improve service capabilities.

Focusing on our balance sheet. We continue to closely manage our balance sheet given the current real estate market conditions. We ended the quarter with $4.9 million in cash, which includes $3 million received in April 2015 from the insurance business sale, partially offset by full repayment of our $3.5 million note.

No shares repurchases were made in the first half of 2025 under the company's authorized stock repurchase program.

That concludes my remarks on the financial results. I will now hand it back to Marco to share more on our strategic initiatives and outlooks.

Thank you, Daniel. To wrap up, the second quarter of 2025 was a clear inflection point for Fathom.

We deliver strong year over year growth in revenue, agent count, and transaction volume and return to adjust our profitability. All key indications there are strategies gaining measurable traction.

We're beginning to see the tangible benefits of the foundation that we have spent the last year threatening, from the early success of elevate to the continued growth of various start and encompassed lending. Our platform is strategy is no longer just a vision, it's a scaling in the market.

These high margin service based offerings are creating new revenue streams that complement our core real estate business and improve economics of every transaction.

At the same time, we're executing with discipline. We have maintained cost control, improved operational levers, and made strategic investments where they count, particularly in technology and services that increase agent productivity and transaction capture.

The balance between growth investments and cost discipline is central to sustaining profitability.

Looking ahead, we are focused on building on this momentum.

While we recognize that microenvironment remains fluid, we believe our model gives us the flexibility and resistance to adapt and the competitive advantage to continue outpace of the market.

As we move through the second half of 2025, our priorities are clear. First, continue driving revenue growth by expanding agent count and transaction volume, supporting our tech-enabled platform and differentiated agent value proposition.

Second, increase blended margins by scaling Elevate and deepening penetration across our ancillary services. And third, sustaining adjusted profitability through discipline, execution, and operating efficiency.

We are encouraged by the traction we are seeing, and we remain confident in our ability to build a stronger, more profitable Fathom. I want to express my gratitude to our entire team for their relentless focus, to our agents, for their trusted and partnership, and to our shareholders for their continued support as we execute our long-term growth strategy. Operator, we are now ready to open the line for questions.

Thank you.

(Operator Instructions).

And it appears we have no questions. I would like to turn the floor back over to Marco Fregenal for closing comments.

Thank you.

Thank you everyone for joining us today. We appreciate your support and as always, I am available for individual meetings.

Thank you and have a great day.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation. This does conclude today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines and have a wonderful day.