Direct Digital Holdings Inc (DRCT)

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“7:00a ET 11/10/2022 - PR Newswire
Direct Digital Holdings Reports Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Third Quarter 2022 Revenue Up 211% Year-Over-Year to $26.0 Million

Third Quarter Net Income Up Year-Over-Year to $0.8 Million, or $0.06 per Share

Company Raises Revenue Guidance to $85 Million-$90 Million for Full-Year 2022

Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRCT) ("Direct Digital Holdings" or the "Company"), a leading advertising and marketing technology platform operating through its companies Colossus Media, LLC ("Colossus SSP"), Huddled Masses LLC ("Huddled Masses") and Orange142, LLC ("Orange142"), today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022.

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Mark Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Direct Digital Holdings, commented, "We are pleased to report strong revenue and EBITDA for the third quarter of 2022, demonstrating strong growth across both our sell- and buy-side business segments and continued expansion of our portfolio and client reach."

Keith Smith, President of Direct Digital Holdings, added, "Our team has effectively responded to the recent uncertainty and volatility in the market, capitalizing on brands and businesses moving dollars from less efficient traditional advertising outlets towards digital media. We believe that Direct Digital Holdings is well-positioned to continue its record of strong growth and market expansion or the remainder of the year and, as such, we are thrilled to announce we will be raising revenue guidance for full-year 2022."

Third Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights:

-- Revenue increased to $26.0 million in the third quarter of 2022, an increase of $17.6 million, or up 211% over the $8.4 million in the same period of 2021.

-- Sell-side advertising segment, consisting of the Colossus SSP business, grew to $18.9 million and contributed $16.5 million of the increase, or up 710% over the $2.3 million in the same period of 2021.

-- Buy-side advertising segment, consisting of the Huddled Masses and Orange142 businesses, grew to $7.1 million and contributed $1.1 million of the increase, or up 18% over the $6.0 million in the same period of 2021.

-- Operating income increased $1.3 million, up 225%, to $1.8 million for the third quarter of 2022, compared to income of $0.6 million in the same period of 2021. Increased costs resulting from headcount additions, higher commission and bonus expense, public company related costs, as well as a one-time severance charge of approximately $0.5 million impacted operating income in the third quarter of 2022.

-- Net income was $0.8 million in the third quarter of 2022, up 458%, compared to ($0.2) million loss in the same period of 2021.

-- Adjusted EBITDA(1) increased 128% to $2.4 million in the third quarter 2022, compared to $1.1 million in the same period of 2021.

-- Net operating cash provided by operating activities for the nine-months ended September 30, 2022 was $3.4 million, compared to a net operating cash of $3.2 million generated in the same period of 2021.

Business Highlights

-- For the third quarter ended September 30, 2022, Direct Digital Holdings processed approximately 125 billion monthly impressions through its sell-side advertising segment, an increase of 56% over the same period of 2021, with over 1.3 trillion bid requests for the quarter.

-- In addition, the Company's sell-side advertising platforms received over 11 billion bid responses, an increase of over 120% over the same period in 2021, through 129,000 buyers for the quarter.

-- The Company's buy-side advertising segment served over 200 customers, an increase of 2% compared to the same period of 2021.

Financial Outlook

Direct Digital Holdings' guidance assumes that the U.S. economy continues to grow at a moderate pace, and there are no major COVID-19-related setbacks or other shocks that may cause economic conditions to deteriorate or otherwise significantly reduce advertiser demand. Direct Digital Holdings plans to offer annual guidance and update it throughout the year. Accordingly, the Company estimates the following:

-- For fiscal year 2022, Direct Digital Holdings is raising expectations for guidance by approximately 20% to increase from a range of $70 million-$75 million to $85 million-$90 million, or up 130% year-over-year growth at the mid-point, while targeting an Adjusted EBITDA Margin in the double digits.
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