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LASCO Financial Services Reporting Significant Fall Off In Half Year Profit After Tax

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Income
LASCO Financial Services Limited (LFSL) is reporting consolidated income of $1.083 Billion for the first six months of the 2024-2025 Financial year. This represents a 6.0 % decrease or $67.4 million less income, when compared with the corresponding 2023-2024 period.

Expenses
Consolidated expenses for the quarter totaled $1.003 Billion, a reduction of 1% or $7.8 million.

Operating Profit for the period is $79.5 million, $59.5M less than previous comparative period.
Administrative expenses declined by $30.1 million, a result of the ongoing efforts to control expenses, whereas Selling and Promotions increased by $22.0 million reflecting increased marketing support to launch our MoneyGram Direct to Card service.

Half year Profit after Tax for the period is $9.2 million, a significant fall off from the comparative 2023- 2024 period, which was $56.0 million.

Three Months Results
During our second quarter, LFSL faced several headwinds. Firstly, in July, there was business disruption due to Hurricane Beryl which impacted our ability to provide service to our customers and also impacting our customers’ ability to access our service, particularly in the South Coast of the country. We are however grateful for the committed agents who were able to do limited business under very difficult circumstances to open to the public. Just as we were recovering from the impact of the hurricane, we were further impacted by the events which led to MoneyGram International proactively taking their systems offline to contain and remediate unauthorized activity. There was a full shutdown of transactions for 5 days which significantly impacted our earnings from Remittance, Cambio and Card services. Since the restoration of services, transactions have progressively improved but not normalized.

The revenue for the Quarter is $546.2 million and a loss of $8.6 million compared with $575.9 million and $37.2 million for revenues and profit respectively for the comparative period.

Management continuously assesses its opportunities for growth and cost savings and within the second quarter we closed an underperforming branch to reduce operational costs and we are directing our focus on our new service which will result in improved margins and will be beneficial to our bottom line.

Jacinth A. Hall-Tracey Managing Director LASCO Financial Services Limited (LFSL)

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Businessuite Markets

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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