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LASCO Financial Services Books First Quarter Net Loss Of JA$106M, Citing Negative Impact Of COVID19 On Loan Portfolio

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LASCO Financial Services Limited’s (LFSL) consolidated First Quarter (Q1) transactions generated JA$538.9M in revenues, a decline of 17.6%, or $115.5M when compared to the corresponding three-month period in 2019. This as total expenses increased by $84.8M or 17.8% giving rise to operating loss of $22.0M.

LASF ended the quarter with a net loss of $105.7M compared with profits of $91M in the comparative financial period.

As the Government of Jamaica navigated its response to the COVID – 19 pandemic LFSL also implemented actions to assist its customer base and preserve cash flow while protecting its staff and assets. Although transactions in all business lines were impacted, the decline in revenue was largely due to reduced earnings from the customer base whose businesses were immediately impacted by the imposed restrictions, reported Managing Director Jacinth Hall-Tracey.

At the onset of the pandemic, Management, she noted, took the immediate steps to reduce expenditure in line with expected earnings. Some staff were temporarily impacted through job rotation, reduced hours
and layoffs as the business organized to focus on essential work and projects that would strengthen its prospects after the pandemic.

In keeping with prudent accounting standards and the uncertainties of the duration of the pandemic, in addition to making provisions for expected credit losses based on current arrears, an additional overlay of $31M was imposed totaling $193M in estimated credit losses for the period.

In its response to assisting its credit customers to navigate the unprecedented impact on their business, LFSL took the following actions during the period in order to control the impact on future earnings:
• Make contact with customer base to assess the extent of the impact on their cash-flows and ability to service the loan
• Encourage affected customers to make claims on the insurance policy to cover the loan payments
• Encourage micro-business customers to continue to make even partial payments to the accounts while they organized for restructuring or moratorium
• Contact employers to pass on the salary deductions to us for the account of their staff
• Reorganize the sales and collections teams to collect payments from customers

Critical to ensuring that the company had the ability to navigate the unforeseen, was the management of their liquidity. In this regard, LFSL was able to raise cash and short term deposits by over 350% from $208.0M to $941.6M, as a result of steps taken to temporarily restrict the growth of its loan portfolio and reducing spends on non-essential items.

Additional emphasis was placed in the last 3 quarters on strengthening collections and debt management which also yielded additional cash.

Total assets increased marginally from $4,032.0M to $4,038.4M. Although there is a general increase in assets, there was a reduction in the Loans and receivables due to write-offs and a reduction in the investment property due to its sale in the financial year just ended.

LASCO Financial Services she noted had adopted IFRS 16 for leases over US$5,000 per annum with tenures over twelve months, which resulted in an increase in assets of $186.3M for right-of-use assets and a lease liability of $216.8M.

LASCO Financial Services also welcomed Dr. Hopeton Morrison, as their new General Manager for the subsidiary LASCO Microfinance, nothing that his wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of microfinance is critical to navigating these unprecedented times. Dr. Morrison took leadership of the company on August 3, 2020.

LASCO Financial Services closed the quarter with earnings per share of negative eight cents ($0.0833)

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Higher Operating Costs And Margin Pressures Impacted Main Event’s Overall Q1 Profitability.

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Entering 2025 with a strategic focus on expanding revenue streams, strengthening client relationships, and maintaining financial discipline, the Company achieved revenue growth.
However, higher operating costs and margin pressures impacted overall profitability.

The Company reported revenues of $585.03M, representing a 3% or $17.28M increase over the $567.75M recorded in Q1 2024. This growth was primarily driven by a significant increase in revenue contribution from a previously underperforming segment, reflecting the success of targeted expansion efforts. While revenue remains below prior peak levels, the Company continues to recalibrate and drive demand through expanded service offerings and strengthened client engagements.

Gross profit for the quarter stood at $301.67M, reflecting a 4% decline from $315.82M in Q1 2024. This decline resulted from higher direct costs associated with event execution, infrastructure upgrades, additional non-recurring costs incurred during the period, and increased labour costs related to service delivery. Consequently, the gross margin contracted to 51.56% from 55.63% in the prior year. The Company remains focused on managing costs effectively to support long-term profitability.

Operating expenses increased to $218.72M, up 7.5% from $206.35M in Q1 2024. This rise was attributed to planned administrative enhancements, a significant one-off expenditure for the Company’s 20th Anniversary celebration, higher personnel costs, increased security and fuel expenses, and a 51% increase in amortisation expenses to $11.36M due to renegotiated lease agreements and the addition of a new lease.

Operating profit stood at $87.48M, a 24% decline from $115.28M in Q1 2024. Increased finance costs, stemming from renegotiated lease agreements and new lease additions, also impacted results.
Net profit for the quarter amounted to $73.67M, a 27% decrease from $100.25M in Q1 2024, influenced by lower gross margins, increased operational costs, and higher impairment charges. As a result, earnings per share (EPS) fell from $0.33 in Q1 2024 to $0.25 in Q1 2025.

Total assets grew by 6.4%, reaching $1,306.01M, up from $1,227.37M in Q1 2024. This increase was primarily driven by a 53% rise in receivables, reflecting expanded customer engagements, with several balances stemming from events executed near the period’s end. Short-term deposits increased to $250.24M from $236.50M, while cash and bank balances declined by 30% to $131.74M from $188.91M due to timing differences in collections and reinvestments.

Shareholders’ equity strengthened to $956.17M, reflecting a 5% increase over $912.66M in Q1 2024. This growth was primarily supported by retained earnings, demonstrating the Company’s ability to generate and reinvest profits efficiently.

Payables increased by 47%, rising to $229.58M from $156.38M in Q1 2024, mainly due to the timing of event executions towards the end of the quarter, resulting in higher accrued expenses related to supplier payments.

While the macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, the Company remains optimistic about the upcoming quarters. The focus will be on enhancing operational efficiencies to manage cost structures effectively and strengthening revenue streams through deeper market penetration and strategic partnerships. Additionally, the Company intends to use owned-events as a driver of revenue growth.
Our continued success is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and resilience of our exceptional team. Their ability to adapt and innovate in a dynamic industry ensures that we consistently exceed expectations and deliver outstanding experiences. Their dedication was especially evident during the holiday period, where they worked tirelessly to execute high-quality events, ensuring continued excellence in service delivery. We also recognise and appreciate the unwavering guidance of our Board; whose strategic leadership continues to drive our company’s growth and long-term vision.

Solomon Sharpe Chief Executive Officer

For More Information on Main Event Entertainment Group Limited (MEEG) Unaudited Results, Q1 – Three Months Ended January 31, 2025 (Revised) Click Here

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