On December 13, 2022 Champions Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSBR), a leading global technology-enabled biotech that is transforming drug discovery through innovative AI-driven pharmaco-pheno-multiomic integration, reported its financial results for its second quarter of fiscal 2023, ended October 31, 2022 (Press release, Champions Oncology, DEC 14, 2022, View Source [SID1234625252]).

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Second Quarter and Recent Highlights:

Record quarterly revenue of $14.3 million, an increase of 21% year over year
Adjusted EBITDA of $686,000
Discovery targets progressing along the development timeline; expectation to advance to
preclinical phase testing in calendar 2023

Ronnie Morris, CEO of Champions, commented, "We continued to deliver good financial results while simultaneously investing in the future growth of the business. Morris added, "while long term prospects remain strong, we experienced a slowdown in the pace of our bookings growth during the quarter. We attribute the slow down to the global economic environment as our customers reanalyzed their spending budgets. We’re monitoring the situation closely and we’re optimistic this is a short-term adjustment as we’ve seen a re-acceleration in the beginning of our third quarter."

David Miller, CFO of Champions, added, "We reached another revenue milestone for Champions exceeding $14 million for the first time. The increase to $14.3 million represents 21% year over year growth which was in-line with the projected growth rate for the year. However, due to the economic climate, we saw an increase in cancellations during the quarter which will impact the revenue in the second half of the year. Accordingly, we’re revising our full year growth target to be in the 10% – 15% range."

Second Fiscal Quarter Financial Results

Total revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, was a record $14.3 million, an increase of 21.2%, compared to $11.8 million for the same period last year. The increase in revenue was due to continued demand for our services, leading to larger pharmacology studies in both our in-vivo and ex-vivo platforms. Total costs and operating expenses for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 were $14.3 million compared to $11.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2022, an increase of $2.8 million or 23.9%.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2023, Champions reported income from operations of $7,000, including $119,000 in stock-based compensation and $560,000 in depreciation and amortization expenses, compared to income from operations of $263,000, inclusive of $134,000 in stock-based compensation and $346,000 in depreciation and amortization expenses, in the second quarter of fiscal 2022. Excluding stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expenses, Champions reported adjusted EBITDA for the quarter of $686,000 compared to $743,000 in the prior year period.

Cost of oncology solutions was $7.4 million for the three-months ended October 31, 2022, an increase of $1.8 million, or 32.7% compared to $5.6 million for the three-months ended October 31, 2021. The increase in cost of sales was primarily from compensation, mice and lab supply expenses for pharmacology studies, and an increase in compensation expense for our SaaS platform. For the three months ended October 31, 2022, total gross margin was 48% compared to 52% for the three-months ended October 31, 2021. Pharmacology services margin was 51% vs 53% in the year ago period. The lower margin resulted from an increase in study related expenses against lower than expected revenue conversion.

Research and development expense for the three-months ended October 31, 2022 was $2.6 million, an increase of $305,000 or 13.3%, compared to $2.3 million for the three-months ended October 31, 2021. The increase was primarily from compensation and lab supply expenses related to the investment in our therapeutic discovery platform. Sales and marketing expense for the three-months ended October 31, 2022 was $1.7 million, a slight increase of $60,000, or 3.7%, compared to $1.6 million for the three months ended October 31, 2021. General and administrative expense for the three-months ended October 31, 2022 was $2.5 million, an increase of $552,000, or 27.9%, compared to $2.0 million for the three-months ended October 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to depreciation and amortization expenses and IT related costs to support the growth of the business.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $3.3 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022. The cash generated from operating activities was primarily due to income from operations excluding stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expenses as well as an increase in accounts payable due to timing differences in the ordinary course of business. The Company ended in the quarter in a strong cash position with cash on hand of $10.8 million and no debt.

Year-to-Date Financial Results

For the first six months of fiscal 2023, revenue increased 21.6% to $28.0 million compared to $23.0 million for the first six months of fiscal 2022. The increase in revenue was due to the expansion of our platforms and business lines. Total costs and operating expenses for the first six months of fiscal 2023 were $28.3 million compared to $23.0 million for the first six months of fiscal 2022, an increase of $5.4 million or 23.3%.

For the first six months of fiscal 2023, Champions reported a net loss from operations of $277,000, including $325,000 in stock-based compensation and $1.1 million in depreciation and amortization expenses, compared to income from operations of $88,000, inclusive of $414,000 in stock-based compensation and $663,000 in depreciation and amortization expenses, in the first six months of fiscal 2022. Excluding stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expenses, Champions reported adjusted EBITDA of $1.1 million for the first six months of fiscal 2023 compared to adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 million in the first six months of fiscal 2022.

Cost of oncology solutions was $14.5 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2022, an increase of $3.5 million, or 31.7% compared to $11.0 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2021. For the six-months ended October 31, 2022, total gross margin was 48.3% compared to 52.2% for the six months ended October 31, 2021. For the same respective periods, pharmacology services margin was 51.1% vs 52.8%. The decrease in gross margin was primarily attributable to an increase in study related expenses in advance of the revenue recognition and lower than expected revenue conversion.

Research and development expense for the six-months ended October 31, 2022 was $5.5 million, an increase of $888,000 or 19.3%, compared to $4.6 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2021. The increase was primarily from compensation, sequencing costs, and lab supplies as we increased investment in our therapeutic target discovery platforms. Sales and marketing expense for the six months ended October 31, 2022 was $3.4 million, a slight increase of $178,000, or 5.5%, compared to $3.2 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2021. General and administrative expense for the six-months ended October 31, 2022 was $4.9 million, an increase of $800,000, or 19.3%, compared to $4.1 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase in compensation and IT related expenses to support the overall infrastructure growth of the organization as well as depreciation and amortization expenses.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $3.1 million for the six-months ended October 31, 2022. The cash generated from operating activities was primarily due to an increase in income from operations excluding stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses as well as an increase in accounts payable due to timing differences in the ordinary course of business. Net cash used in investing activities was $1.4 million and was primarily from investment in additional lab and computer equipment.

Conference Call Information:

The Company will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. EST (1:30 p.m. PST) to discuss its second quarter financial results. To participate in the call, please call 877-545-0523 (Domestic) or 973-528-0016 (International) and enter the access code 541646, or provide the verbal reference "Champions Oncology".

Full details of the Company’s financial results will be available by December 15, 2022 in the Company’s Form 10-Q at www.championsoncology.com.