Posted on: November 12, 2024, 05:12h.
Last updated on: November 12, 2024, 05:12h.
Shares of Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT) rallied in extended trading Thursday after the gaming company reported third-quarter results that soundly beat Wall Street forecasts.
The FanDuel parent said it earned 43 cents a share on revenue of $3.25 billion during the July through September period. That earnings per share figure is not based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Analysts expected Flutter to post earnings of $23 cents on sales of less than $3.20 billion. In the US where FanDuel is one of the largest online sportsbook operators, Flutter benefited from a strong start to the 2024 NFL season.
In the US, we had a fantastic start to the new NFL season with peak wagers per minute already higher than Super Bowl LVII. Our proprietary product offering continued to drive strong parlay penetration as well as a step up in live betting handle,” observed CEO Peter Jackson in a statement.
Flutter’s US third-quarter results were buoyed by average monthly player (AMP) growth of 28% as well as 10% year-over-year growth in customer acquisition. The operator highlighted AMP growth of 23% in the states in which it launched mobile sports wagering prior to 2022 and an increase of 37% in the states in which it went live in 2022 and 2023.
Flutter Tightens FanDuel Guidance
Flutter tightened its 2024 guidance for FanDuel, following suit with some rivals that cited bettors beating the house in October. The company trimmed the mid-points of its EBITDA and revenue forecasts by 4% and 1%, respectively.
The Dublin-based operator now expects its US business to post fourth-quarter sales of $6.05 billion to $6.25 billion and EBITDA of $670 million to $750 million. That’s down from previous forecasts of revenue of $6.05 billion to $6.35 billion and EBITDA of $680 million to $800 million. Still, even at the mid-points of the newly introduced estimates, Flutter expects FanDuel to notch fourth-quarter revenue and EBITDA growth of 40% and 206%, respectively.
Flutter added it expects a net impact of $40 million in the second half of 2024 attributable to the sports betting tax increase implemented in Illinois in July. That state moved to a graduated levy system under which the largest operators — namely FanDuel and DraftKings — pay higher taxes than smaller rivals.
Last month, Jackson said states need to be cautious about how far they go with gaming taxes because should those rates go too high, it’s possible revenue won’t rise in response. It could even decline.
Flutter Buyback Will Soon Start
In September, Flutter announced a $5 billion share repurchase program. Today, the operator said that effort will commence on Nov. 14, noting it’s eyeing $350 million in buybacks by the end of the first quarter. The broader share repurchase plan is expected to last three to four years.
Buying of its own shares could be supported by Flutter’s sturdy balance sheet. At the end of the third quarter, net debt $5.56 billion stood at, or $226 million lower than it was at the end of 2023.
“At September 30, 2024, the Group’s leverage ratio was 2.4x, based on the last 12 months Adjusted EBITDA, a reduction of 0.7x from 3.1x at December 31, 2023 due to growth in the Group’s Adjusted EBITDA. The Group is now within its medium-term leverage target of 2.0-2.5x,” according to the press release.
