DALLAS, Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Landsea Homes Corporation (Nasdaq: LSEA) , a publicly traded homebuilder, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023. For the quarter, the Company reported pretax income of $12.5 million, and net income of $8.6 million, or $0.22 per share. Reported pretax income for the prior year period was $25.3 million with net income of $20.0 million, or $0.49 per share. Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $11.7 million or $0.30 per share. For the prior year period adjusted net income was $27.6 million, or $0.69 per share.
Management Commentary
“The new home market continued to show impressive resiliency in the face of rising mortgage rates in the third quarter of 2023, thanks to a motivated buyer population and a lack of existing home supply,” said John Ho, Landsea Homes’ Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased with this quarter’s results and feel we are in a great position to end 2023 on a strong note. Net new orders for the quarter increased 89% year-over-year on a sales pace of 2.7 homes per community per month, as we saw an improvement in both gross order activity and cancellations. We also saw a significant improvement in building conditions in the third quarter, which led to better cycle times and an easing of cost pressures. We believe the gains we’ve made on this front are sustainable and expect our cycle times to return to pre-Covid levels in the new year.”
Mr. Ho continued, “We believe that it is important to continue balancing our investments in the business with shareholder-friendly actions that reflect the strength of our business and our commitment to creating long-term shareholder value. To that end, our board has approved a $20 million share repurchase authorization, which we plan to deploy over the next twelve months. We believe our stock is undervalued at its current share price and look forward to buying our shares at a meaningful discount to book value and boosting our earnings per share through this repurchase program. This quarter we repurchased 1.4 million shares for $13.7 million, bringing our year-to date repurchases to 2.4 million shares for $21.2 million.”
Mr. Ho concluded, “We believe that our High-Performance Homes series gives us a distinct advantage over the competition, particularly with the large and growing Millennial buyer segment. We are also confident in our leadership team’s ability to execute well and compete in a high interest rate environment. As a result, we remain very optimistic about the future of Landsea Homes.”
Operating Results
Total revenue was $277.3 million in the third quarter, down 17.4% compared to the third quarter of 2022, primarily driven by a 17.5% decrease in homes closed and a 4.2% decrease in average sales price.
New homes delivered totaled 448 homes at an average sales price of $576,000 compared to 543 homes delivered at an average sales price of $601,000 in the third quarter of 2022.
Net new home orders were 486 homes with a dollar value of $285.0 million, an average sales price of $587,000 and a monthly absorption rate of 2.7 sales per active community. This compares to 257 homes with a dollar value of $165.5 million, an average sales price of $644,000 and a monthly absorption rate of 1.5 sales per active community in the prior year period. As a percentage of gross orders, cancellations equaled 9.0% as compared to 11.0% in the prior quarter and 37.8% a year ago.
Total homes in backlog were 760 homes with a dollar value of $482.7 million and an average sales price of $635,000 at September 30, 2023. This compares to 1,285 homes with a dollar value of $741.1 million and an average sales price of $577,000 at September 30, 2022.
Total lots owned or controlled at September 30, 2023, were 11,203 compared to 12,410 at September 30, 2022. We continue to pursue an asset-light strategy, controlling 55% of our lots at the end of the third quarter of 2023 versus 45% owned.
Home sales gross margin was 18.7% compared to 20.9% in the prior year period. Adjusted home sales gross margin (a non-GAAP measure) was 24.0% compared to 27.2% in the prior year period. The decrease was primarily attributed to the increase in sales discounts and incentives.
Net income attributable to Landsea Homes was $8.6 million compared to $20.0 million in the prior year period. Adjusted net income attributable to Landsea Homes (a non-GAAP measure) was $11.7 million compared to $27.6 million in the prior year period. Net income per share on a fully diluted basis was $0.22 compared to $0.49 in the third quarter of 2022. Adjusted net income per share (a non-GAAP measure) on a fully diluted basis was $0.30 compared to $0.69 in the third quarter of 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) was $28.7 million compared to $47.4 million in the prior year period.
Balance Sheet
As of September 30, 2023, the Company had total liquidity of $389.4 million consisting of cash and cash equivalents and cash held in escrow of $144.4 million and $245.0 million in availability under the Company’s $675.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility. Total debt was $552.4 million compared to $505.4 million at December 31, 2022.
Landsea Homes’ ratio of debt to capital was 44.1% at September 30, 2023, and the Company’s net debt to total capital (a non-GAAP measure) was 32.5% at September 30, 2023.
2023 Outlook
- New home deliveries anticipated to be in the range of 1,900 to 2,100
- Delivery ASPs expected to be in the range of $550,000 to $560,000
- Home sales gross margin to be approximately 18%
About Landsea Homes Corporation
Landsea Homes Corporation (Nasdaq: LSEA) is a publicly traded residential homebuilder based in Dallas, Texas that designs and builds best-in-class homes and sustainable master-planned communities in some of the nation’s most desirable markets. The company has developed homes and communities in New York, Boston, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Texas and throughout California in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Landsea Homes was named the 2022 winner of the prestigious Builder of the Year award, presented by BUILDER magazine, in recognition of a historical year of transformation.
An award-winning homebuilder that builds suburban, single-family detached and attached homes, mid-and high-rise properties, and master-planned communities, Landsea Homes is known for creating inspired places that reflect modern living and provides homebuyers the opportunity to “Live in Your Element.” Our homes allow people to live where they want to live, how they want to live – in a home created especially for them.
Driven by a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Landsea Homes’ High Performance Homes are responsibly designed to take advantage of the latest innovations with home automation technology supported by Apple®. Homes include features that make life easier and provide energy savings that allow for more comfortable living at a lower cost through sustainability features that contribute to healthier living for both homeowners and the planet.
Led by a veteran team of industry professionals who boast years of worldwide experience and deep local expertise, Landsea Homes is committed to positively enhancing the lives of our homebuyers, employees, and stakeholders by creating an unparalleled lifestyle experience that is unmatched.
For more information on Landsea Homes, visit: www.landseahomes.com.
