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Educational DevelopmentB
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2026-10-18
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Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-10-18

Educational Development Corp (EDUC) (Q2 2027) Earnings Call Highlights: Narrowing Sales Decline ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. - Net Revenue: $4.1 million in fiscal 2027 Q2, down approximately 11% from $4.6 million in the prior-year quarter. - Sales Decline: Improved to 11% versus internal forecasts of 35% down and prior quarters' declines of 30% or more. - Average Active Brand Partners: 5,100 at end of August 2026, up approximately 19% from 4,300 at end of February 2026; down from 5,800 at end of August 2025. - Loss Before Income Taxes: $1.6 million versus $1.8 million loss in the prior-year Q2. - Net Loss: $1.6 million versus $1.3 million net loss in the prior-year Q2. - Loss Per Share: $0.19 versus $0.15 on a fully diluted basis in the prior-year Q2. - Inventory: Decreased from $37.7 million at start of fiscal year to $34.9 million at end of August, generating $2.8 million of cash flow from inventory reductions. - Cash Balance: $1.1 million at end of August, down slightly from $1.3 million at end of February 2026. - Line of Credit: No borrowings under the $2 million line of credit during the quarter. - Tax Valuation Allowance: Continued valuation adjustment offsetting deferred tax assets and eliminating the tax benefit on the income statement; no cash flow impact but directly affected tax expense, net earnings, and EPS. - Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with EDUC. - Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: October 14, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. - Sales decline narrowed to 11% in Q2, significantly better than internal projections of 35% and prior declines of 30% or more. - Active brand partners increased 19% from 4,300 at the beginning of fiscal 2027 to 5,100 at the end of August 2026. - Inventory reduced by $2.8 million, generating positive cash flow and improving working capital. - Operating expenses reduced by $1.2 million for fiscal 2027, with further savings expected from vacating an outside warehouse. - New product introductions resumed, with a consistent release schedule planned, which is expected to drive sales and excitement among brand partners. - Net revenues decreased 11% to $4.1 million compared to the prior year quarter. - Net loss widened to $1.6 million from $1.3 million in the prior year quarter, with loss per share of $0.19 versus $0.15. - Active brand partners remain below prior year l…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. - Net Revenue: $4.1 million in fiscal 2027 Q2, down approximately 11% from $4.6 million in the prior-year quarter. - Sales Decline: Improved to 11% versus internal forecasts of 35% down and prior quarters' declines of 30% or more. - Average Active Brand Partners: 5,100 at end of August 2026, up approximately 19% from 4,300 at end of February 2026; down from 5,800 at end of August 2025. - Loss Before Income Taxes: $1.6 million versus $1.8 million loss in the prior-year Q2. - Net Loss: $1.6 million versus $1.3 million net loss in the prior-year Q2. - Loss Per Share: $0.19 versus $0.15 on a fully diluted basis in the prior-year Q2. - Inventory: Decreased from $37.7 million at start of fiscal year to $34.9 million at end of August, generating $2.8 million of cash flow from inventory reductions. - Cash Balance: $1.1 million at end of August, down slightly from $1.3 million at end of February 2026. - Line of Credit: No borrowings under the $2 million line of credit during the quarter. - Tax Valuation Allowance: Continued valuation adjustment offsetting deferred tax assets and eliminating the tax benefit on the income statement; no cash flow impact but directly affected tax expense, net earnings, and EPS. - Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with EDUC. - Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: October 14, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. - Sales decline narrowed to 11% in Q2, significantly better than internal projections of 35% and prior declines of 30% or more. - Active brand partners increased 19% from 4,300 at the beginning of fiscal 2027 to 5,100 at the end of August 2026. - Inventory reduced by $2.8 million, generating positive cash flow and improving working capital. - Operating expenses reduced by $1.2 million for fiscal 2027, with further savings expected from vacating an outside warehouse. - New product introductions resumed, with a consistent release schedule planned, which is expected to drive sales and excitement among brand partners. - Net revenues decreased 11% to $4.1 million compared to the prior year quarter. - Net loss widened to $1.6 million from $1.3 million in the prior year quarter, with loss per share of $0.19 versus $0.15. - Active brand partners remain below prior year levels of 5,800, despite sequential improvement. - Inventory levels remain high at $34.9 million, with Usborne inventory representing several years of sales at current levels. - Gross margins have not improved significantly, and promotional discounts continue to pressure profitability. Q: How is the current quarter shaping up, and are active brand partner numbers increasing?A: Heather Cobb (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer) noted that while the active brand partner count is lower year over year, it has increased nearly 20% since the beginning of fiscal 2027, which the company views as extremely positive. Dan O'Keefe (CFO) added that historically, brand partner numbers increase in the fall, the strongest selling season, as partners who went inactive during the summer return. Q: Are there active conversations with Usborne about taking back slow-moving inventory or providing credits?A: Craig White (CEO) said conversations with Usborne are limited, and it has not been a regular practice for Usborne to take back titles, so the company is not counting on that. He noted Usborne has already made the sale and has no incentive to take inventory back, and EDC plans to sell through it, with faster reduction if brand partners and sales increase. Heather Cobb added that the vast majority of Usborne titles are still actively sold and cover evergreen topics like ABCs and 123s that don't go out of style. Q: What is driving the improvement in sales decline, and how significant are new titles to overall sales?A: Heather Cobb (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer) explained that the return of new product introductions and replenishment of best-selling titles energized the sales force. She noted new titles represent a relatively small percentage of overall sales but provide excitement and enthusiasm, and orders for new titles are almost always accompanied by backlist titles, driving additional purchases. Q: Can you walk through the cash flow, given the press release cited positive cash flow while cash declined by about $100,000?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) explained that inventory reductions of $2.8 million generated positive cash, but this was offset by $2.9 million in negative pre-tax earnings over the first six months, resulting in a $100,000 cash decrease. He added that the fall selling season is the busiest of the year and the company expects cash to be higher at the end of the current quarter, with Q3 typically the biggest cash position of the year. Q: Is the work on reducing operating expenses complete, or are further reductions planned?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) said the fiscal 2027 budget includes $1.2 million in operating expense reductions, including executive compensation cuts and an immediate staff reduction at the start of the fiscal year. Additional savings are phasing in during the year, such as vacating an outside warehouse in October that will save $15,000 a month in rent starting in November. Cumulatively, operating expenses are expected to be about $1.2 million below the prior year. Q: Should brand partner numbers be expected to increase or stabilize going forward?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) explained that fall is typically the highest brand partner period, as partners who joined in the fall often go inactive in the summer after not making a sale in their first six months, then return in the fall. The company had about 5,300 members at one point and now has 5,100, reflecting normal seasonal churn. Q: Have gross margins improved, and what is the outlook for promotional activity?A: Craig White (CEO) said the company still carries significant inventory and has used discounting as a tactic, but plans to employ promotions fewer and further between, aiming to return to full retail pricing rather than training customers to buy only on discount. Heather Cobb (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer) confirmed gross margins are no longer deteriorating on an aggregate first-half basis. Q: Has the company considered moving inventory through third parties or online marketplaces like Amazon?A: Heather Cobb (Chief Sales and Marketing Officer) said the overall strategy is not to sell directly to Amazon or big box stores, but the company works with third parties that sell significant quantities of its titles. By selling to customers rather than directly to Amazon, EDC retains more control over sales pricing and can set guidelines on discounting, and those third parties may operate storefronts on Amazon. Q: What were the key financial results for the fiscal 2027 second quarter?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) reported net revenues of $4.1 million versus $4.6 million a year ago, an 11% decrease. Loss before income taxes was $1.6 million compared to $1.8 million last year, while net loss totaled $1.6 million versus $1.3 million, with loss per share of $0.19 compared to $0.15. Average active brand partners were 5,100 versus 5,800 a year ago but up about 19% from 4,300 at the end of February 2026. Q: What is the status of inventory levels and working capital?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) said inventory decreased from $37.7 million at the start of the fiscal year to $34.9 million at the end of August, generating $2.8 million of cash flow. The cash balance declined slightly from $1.3 million to $1.1 million, and there were no borrowings under the $2 million line of credit during the quarter. Q: What is the unusual accounting adjustment affecting tax expense and earnings per share?A: Dan O'Keefe (CFO) explained that due to historical losses and turnaround-period expectations, the company continues to recognize a valuation allowance offsetting its net deferred tax assets, eliminating the tax benefit on the income statement. The adjustment has no cash flow impact but directly affects tax expense, net earnings, and earnings per share, and it will be reversed when the company shows signs of returning to profitability. Q: How is the company using AI, and will it lead to further headcount reductions?A: Craig White (CEO) said AI is a tool to support strategic goals, not a solution to all problems, and it is not part of the plan to further reduce headcount. Instead, AI is intended to make current employees more efficient so fewer new hires are needed as the company returns to growth. Uses include real-time recognition emails to brand partners, building community, and a third-party front end on company data that enables natural-language queries and daily morning briefs on sales For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-10-15

Educational Development Corporation Q2 2027 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. - Management attributed the significant reduction in sales decline—from a forecasted 35% down to an actual 11%—to the successful execution of their fiscal 2027 turnaround plan. - The replenishment of best-selling titles and the introduction of the first full group of new titles in June served as a primary catalyst for energizing the sales force and driving customer engagement. - Operational focus has shifted toward restoring a consistent product release schedule of two main season and two mid-season intros annually to create predictable sales cycles. - The company is leveraging AI tools to improve internal efficiencies and automate routine communications, aiming to support growth without requiring proportional increases in headcount. - Management emphasized that while the second quarter is traditionally their softest period, the 19% increase in Active Brand Partners since February indicates a stabilizing foundation. - Strategic positioning is being reinforced through a renewed social media approach and the launch of 'Read,' an AI-assisted book discovery tool designed to personalize the e-commerce experience. - The company expects the fall selling season to drive a typical seasonal increase in both Active Brand Partner levels and cash position. - Management anticipates total operating expenses for fiscal 2027 to be approximately $1.2 million lower than the previous year due to staff reductions and facility consolidations. - Future profitability is tied to the reversal of a non-cash valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, which will occur once the company demonstrates sustained positive earnings. - Strategic initiatives for the second half of the year focus on re-engaging former brand partners and expanding the retail division's reach through Kane Miller and SmartLab Toys releases in January. - The company plans to vacate an outside warehouse facility in October, which is expected to save $15,000 in monthly rent expense starting in November. - A valuation allowance continues to offset net deferred tax assets due to historical losses, eliminating the tax benefit on the income statement but carrying no cash flow impact. - Inventory reduction generated $2.8 million in cash flow during the first half of the ye…Read full document

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. - Management attributed the significant reduction in sales decline—from a forecasted 35% down to an actual 11%—to the successful execution of their fiscal 2027 turnaround plan. - The replenishment of best-selling titles and the introduction of the first full group of new titles in June served as a primary catalyst for energizing the sales force and driving customer engagement. - Operational focus has shifted toward restoring a consistent product release schedule of two main season and two mid-season intros annually to create predictable sales cycles. - The company is leveraging AI tools to improve internal efficiencies and automate routine communications, aiming to support growth without requiring proportional increases in headcount. - Management emphasized that while the second quarter is traditionally their softest period, the 19% increase in Active Brand Partners since February indicates a stabilizing foundation. - Strategic positioning is being reinforced through a renewed social media approach and the launch of 'Read,' an AI-assisted book discovery tool designed to personalize the e-commerce experience. - The company expects the fall selling season to drive a typical seasonal increase in both Active Brand Partner levels and cash position. - Management anticipates total operating expenses for fiscal 2027 to be approximately $1.2 million lower than the previous year due to staff reductions and facility consolidations. - Future profitability is tied to the reversal of a non-cash valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, which will occur once the company demonstrates sustained positive earnings. - Strategic initiatives for the second half of the year focus on re-engaging former brand partners and expanding the retail division's reach through Kane Miller and SmartLab Toys releases in January. - The company plans to vacate an outside warehouse facility in October, which is expected to save $15,000 in monthly rent expense starting in November. - A valuation allowance continues to offset net deferred tax assets due to historical losses, eliminating the tax benefit on the income statement but carrying no cash flow impact. - Inventory reduction generated $2.8 million in cash flow during the first half of the year, partially offsetting $2.9 million in pre-tax operating losses. - The company maintained a debt-free position on its $2 million line of credit during the quarter despite the reported net loss. - Management noted that while they have significant Usborne inventory, they have no plans for inventory buy-backs and will rely on sales growth to normalize levels. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. - Management clarified that while new titles represent a relatively small percentage of total sales, they act as a critical 'hook' that drives enthusiasm. - New title purchases are almost always accompanied by 'backlist' titles, which are the core educational products that remain relevant over long periods. - The 19% increase in brand partners (from 4,300 to 5,100) is viewed as a recovery trend, though levels remain below the prior year. - Management explained that summer typically sees higher churn as inactive partners fall off, while the fall season historically attracts the highest levels of recruitment and re-engagement. - Management declined the suggestion of negotiating inventory returns to Usborne, stating there is no incentive for the publisher to take back sold goods. - The company confirmed they work with third parties who sell on platforms like Amazon, but they avoid direct sales to big-box stores to maintain control over retail pricing and prevent a 'race to the bottom.' - Management stated that gross margins are no longer deteriorating, though they still use periodic discounting as a tactic to move high inventory levels. - The long-term goal is to reduce the frequency of promotions to retrain customers to purchase at full retail prices.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-10-14

Educational Development Corporation Announces Fiscal 2027 Second Quarter and Year to Date Results

TMX Newsfile
Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - October 14, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company"), a publishing company specializing in books and educational products for children, today reports financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended August 31, 2026. Second Quarter Summary Compared to the Prior Year Second Quarter - Net revenues were $4.1 million compared to $4.6 million. - Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totaled 5,100 compared to 5,800. - Loss before income taxes were $(1.6) million, compared to $(1.8) million. - Net loss totaled $(1.6) million, compared to $(1.3) million. - Loss per share totaled $(0.19) compared to $(0.15) on a fully diluted basis. Year-to-Date Summary Compared to the Prior Year - Net revenues of $8.8 million, compared to $11.7 million. - Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totaled 5,200, compared to 6,800. - Loss before income taxes were $(2.9) million, compared to $(3.2) million. - Net loss totaled $(3.0) million, compared to $(2.4) million. - Loss per share totaled $(0.35), compared to $(0.28) on a fully diluted basis. Per Craig White, Chief Executive Officer, "During the first two quarters we ran several product and recruiting promotions to increase our Brand Partner headcount to increase sales. I am happy to say that we were successful in both areas, which helped turn excess inventory into cash. Although our cash position decreased slightly from $1.3 million at the end of February to $1.2 million at the end of August, I am proud that we were able to generate positive cash flow even during our slowest quarter of the year. I am also pleased to see our Brand Partner numbers starting to trend up. Through the first half of fiscal 2027 our Active Brand Partners increased by over 19%, from 4,300 to 5,100. This remains our primary focus as we work diligently to further strengthen and build our Brand Partner levels, which will have a direct impact on sales growth. "Our loss before taxes this quarter and year to date, were better than last year on reduced revenue levels. These results were possible due to our continued focus on reducing expenses. At the beginning of the year, we implemented a cost reduction plan, which is expected to reduce our overall general and administrative expenses during the fiscal year by over $1.2 million. In addition, during the first quarter of this fiscal y…Read full document

Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - October 14, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company"), a publishing company specializing in books and educational products for children, today reports financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended August 31, 2026. Second Quarter Summary Compared to the Prior Year Second Quarter - Net revenues were $4.1 million compared to $4.6 million. - Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totaled 5,100 compared to 5,800. - Loss before income taxes were $(1.6) million, compared to $(1.8) million. - Net loss totaled $(1.6) million, compared to $(1.3) million. - Loss per share totaled $(0.19) compared to $(0.15) on a fully diluted basis. Year-to-Date Summary Compared to the Prior Year - Net revenues of $8.8 million, compared to $11.7 million. - Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totaled 5,200, compared to 6,800. - Loss before income taxes were $(2.9) million, compared to $(3.2) million. - Net loss totaled $(3.0) million, compared to $(2.4) million. - Loss per share totaled $(0.35), compared to $(0.28) on a fully diluted basis. Per Craig White, Chief Executive Officer, "During the first two quarters we ran several product and recruiting promotions to increase our Brand Partner headcount to increase sales. I am happy to say that we were successful in both areas, which helped turn excess inventory into cash. Although our cash position decreased slightly from $1.3 million at the end of February to $1.2 million at the end of August, I am proud that we were able to generate positive cash flow even during our slowest quarter of the year. I am also pleased to see our Brand Partner numbers starting to trend up. Through the first half of fiscal 2027 our Active Brand Partners increased by over 19%, from 4,300 to 5,100. This remains our primary focus as we work diligently to further strengthen and build our Brand Partner levels, which will have a direct impact on sales growth. "Our loss before taxes this quarter and year to date, were better than last year on reduced revenue levels. These results were possible due to our continued focus on reducing expenses. At the beginning of the year, we implemented a cost reduction plan, which is expected to reduce our overall general and administrative expenses during the fiscal year by over $1.2 million. In addition, during the first quarter of this fiscal year, we made a $100,000 one-time write-down on our 'assets held for sale,' which includes our legacy pick & pack distribution system that we are marketing for sale. Even with this adjustment at the beginning of the year, our losses before taxes are less than the previous year. "Just like the previous quarter, our earnings per share were lower this quarter as we were not able to realize the deferred tax asset associated with our pre-tax losses. We are optimistic that as our Brand Partner levels increase along with increasing sales, we will return to profitability. Once we have affirmation of this direction, these deferred tax assets will become realizable resulting in a tax gain of approximately $0.28 per share as of August 31, 2026," concluded Mr. White. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) | Three Months Ended August 31, | | Six Months Ended August 31, | | 2026 | | 2025 | | 2026 | | 2025 | NET REVENUES | $ | 4,070,300 | | $ | 4,621,100 | | $ | 8,826,100 | | $ | 11,727,500 | | | | | | | | | | | | | LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES | | (1,561,600 | ) | | (1,750,200 | ) | | (2,940,700 | ) | | (3,199,500 | ) | | | | | | | | | | | | INCOME TAX EXPENSE (BENEFIT) | | 16,500 | | | (455,500 | ) | | 33,000 | | | (829,600 | ) NET LOSS | $ | (1,578,100 | ) | $ | (1,294,700 | ) | $ | (2,973,700 | ) | $ | (2,369,900 | ) | | | | | | | | | | | | LOSS PER SHARE | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.15 | ) | $ | (0.35 | ) | $ | (0.28 | ) | | | | | | | | | | | | WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON AND EQUIVALENT SHARES OUTSTANDING | | | | | | | | | | | | Basic | | 8,520,529 | | | 8,583,201 | | | 8,515,947 | | | 8,583,201 | Diluted | | 8,520,529 | | | 8,583,201 | | | 8,515,947 | | | 8,583,201 | Fiscal 2027 Second Quarter Earnings Call Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Time: 3:30 PM CT (4:30 PM ET) Dial-in number: (800) 717-1738 Conference ID: 19822 The conference call will be broadcast live and audio replays will be available following the event at www.edcpub.com/investors. About Educational Development Corporation (EDC) EDC began as a publishing company specializing in books for children. EDC is the owner and exclusive publisher of Kane Miller Books ("Kane Miller"); Learning Wrap-Ups, maker of educational manipulatives; and SmartLab Toys, maker of STEAM-based toys and games. EDC is also the exclusive United States MLM distributor of Usborne Publishing Limited ("Usborne") children's books. EDC-owned products are sold via 4,000 retail outlets and EDC and Usborne products are offered by independent brand partners who hold book showings through social media, book fairs with schools and public libraries, in individual homes, as well as other in-person events and internet sales. Contact: Educational Development Corporation Craig White, (918) 622-4522 Cautionary Statement for the Purpose of the "Safe Harbor" Provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information discussed in this Press Release includes "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "may," "expect," "estimate," "project," "plan," "believe," "intend," "achievable," "anticipate," "continue," "potential," "should," "could," and similar terms and phrases. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such expectations or assumptions will be achieved. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, our success in recruiting and retaining new brand partners, our ability to locate and procure desired books, our ability to ship the volume of orders that are received without creating backlogs, our ability to obtain adequate financing for working capital and capital expenditures, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory changes and other uncertainties, cybersecurity threats and incidents, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as those factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2026, all of which are difficult to predict. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2026 and speak only as of the date of this Press Release. Other than as required under the securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in expectations or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/319055

TranscriptFY2027 Q22026-10-14

FY2027 Q2 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 60 paragraphs
Operator

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for participating in today's conference call to discuss Educational Development Corporation's financial and operating results for its fiscal 2027 second quarter and year-to-date results. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. On the call today are Craig White, President and Chief Executive Officer, Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, and Dan O'Keefe, Chief Financial Officer. After the market closed this afternoon, the company issued a press release announcing its results for the fiscal 2027 second quarter and year-to-date results. The release will be available later today on company's website at www.edcpub.com. Before turning to the prepared remarks, I would like to remind you that some of the statements made today will be forward-looking and are protected under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to a variety of factors.

Operator

We refer you to Educational Development Corporation's recent filings with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of the company's financial condition. With that, I would like to turn the call over to Craig White, the company's President and Chief Executive Officer. Craig?

Craig White

Thank you, Ellen, and welcome everyone to the call. We appreciate your continued interest. I will start today's call with some general comments regarding the quarter. Then I will pass the call over to Dan to run through the financials, after which Heather will provide an update on sales and marketing and IT projects, and then I will provide an update on our plans for the rest of fiscal 2027. First, I would like to remind everyone that our second quarter is typically our softest quarter of the year, and our quarters cannot be analyzed sequentially. During the quarter, we saw progress in the execution of our turnaround strategy. This is most evident by a reduction in our sales decline. Over the past quarters, we have reported sales declines of 30% or more, and our forecasts have been for 35% down.

Craig White

During the second quarter, our sales decline decreased to 11%. This shows that our strategies and turnaround plan is working. During the quarter, we were able to replenish some existing best-selling titles that were out of stock, as well as introduce several new titles, both energizing our sales force. The overall results for the quarter were driven by our lower revenue levels, offset by lower expenses. The focus of our fiscal 2027 turnaround plan remains on growing our revenue and Brand Partner levels back to pre-pandemic levels, and I'm happy with the progress we've made in the second quarter, which, as I said, is our softest period of the year. Heather will talk more about this progress in her marketing update. As I've said before, our turnaround plan is not an overnight change, but a carefully developed plan for growth over the next few quarters and years.

Craig White

With that, I'll now turn the call over to Dan O'Keefe to provide a brief overview of the financials. Dan?

Dan O'Keefe

Thank you, Craig. Our fiscal 2027 second quarter results compared to the second quarter last year include net revenues were $4.1 million compared to $4.6 million, a decrease of approximately 11%. Average active Brand Partners totaled 5,100 compared to 5,800 at the end of August 2025. Our average active Brand Partners increased from 4,300 at the end of February 2026 to 5,100 at the end of August 2026, an increase of approximately 19%. Our loss before income taxes were $1.6 million, compared to a loss in the second quarter last year of $1.8 million. Net loss totaled $1.6 million in the second quarter, compared to $1.3 million in the second quarter last year. Loss per share totaled $0.19 compared to a loss of $0.15 on a fully diluted basis. Now for an update on our working capital.

Dan O'Keefe

Inventory levels have decreased from $37.7 million at the beginning of the fiscal year to $34.9 million at the end of August, generating $2.8 million of cash flow from inventory reductions. Our cash balance decreased slightly from $1.3 million at the end of February 2026 to $1.1 million at the end of August. We had no borrowings under our $2 million line of credit during the quarter. I would also like to mention an unusual accounting adjustment that continues through the second quarter. Due to our historical losses and operational expectations during our turnaround period, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets. Based on this evaluation, we continue to recognize a valuation adjustment offsetting the deferred tax asset and eliminating the tax benefit on our income statement.

Dan O'Keefe

This adjustment has no cash flow impact but had a direct impact on our tax expense, net earnings, and earnings per share. When the company shows sign of returning to profitability, this valuation adjustment will be reversed. The reversal will have no cash flow impact, but it will have a direct impact to our tax expense, net earnings, and earnings per share. That concludes the financial update. I'll now turn the call back over to Heather Cobb for a sales and marketing update. Heather?

Heather Cobb

Thanks, Dan. As Craig mentioned earlier, our second quarter is traditionally our slowest selling period. As we entered June, our internal sales projections anticipated a decline of approximately 35% compared to the prior year, reflecting the trends we had seen in recent quarters. Instead, we finished the quarter with an overall revenue decline of approximately 11%, significantly outperforming those internal expectations. While we recognize there is still work ahead, we are encouraged by this progress, especially as several important initiatives began coming together during the quarter.

Heather Cobb

One of the most significant developments was the return of new product intros. In mid to late June, we released our first full group of new titles, and over the past several months, we have also replenished inventory for several of our best-selling titles and series. We have shared previously that new titles are an important sales driver for our business, and we believe the sales results we are seeing continue to reinforce that. Even more importantly, we are moving back toward a consistent release schedule with two main season and two mid-season product intros planned each year. This is an integral step forward because it creates a more predictable flow of new products and gives our Brand Partners and retail sales reps more opportunities to reconnect with customers, generate excitement, and drive repeat purchases throughout the year.

Heather Cobb

We are seeing encouraging activity within our EDC Pub retail division, where our retail partners continue to respond positively to our offerings across Kane Miller Books, Learning Wrap-Ups, and SmartLab Toys. We are receiving strong interest in sizable orders across these brands, reinforcing the demand we are seeing for our educational products. The response to our recently introduced new titles has been enthusiastic, and we are already seeing excitement surrounding additional releases planned for January from both Kane Miller and SmartLab Toys. As we return to a more consistent product intro schedule, we believe these offerings will create additional sales opportunities across both our sales channels. Alongside product availability, another key priority remains rebuilding and strengthening our PaperPie Brand Partner community.

Heather Cobb

During the quarter, we offered a special activation opportunity in June, along with a targeted summer sales event designed to encourage engagement, generate customer activity, and support our Brand Partners during a traditionally slower season. While our Brand Partner population remains below where it was a year ago, we are encouraged that we have grown from approximately 4,300 active Brand Partners at the beginning of the fiscal year to approximately 5,100 at the end of August. As Dan mentioned, that represents an increase of nearly 19% over the first six months of our fiscal year. We recognize that growing our Brand Partner community is only one part of the equation. Equally important is helping those Brand Partners become active, productive, and successful in building their businesses. We continue to focus on both growth and new customer acquisition because those two priorities are closely connected.

Heather Cobb

We're also taking a renewed strategic approach to social media and communications, focusing on strengthening our PaperPie brand presence, creating more consistent and engaging content, and expanding our reach to new audiences. We've added team members to support these efforts with an emphasis on connecting with today's consumers and the next generation of Brand Partners. Looking beyond the quarter, we've begun additional outreach directly to former Brand Partners, highlighting the many improvements we've made to our products, programs, and technology, and inviting them to take another look at the opportunities available with PaperPie today. That brings me to our IT and enterprise initiatives, where we've continued to make significant progress. Over the past several months, our team has successfully completed and launched numerous enhancements to our e-commerce platform and supporting systems.

Heather Cobb

These improvements are an important part of our overall strategy because we're not simply focused on bringing more people to PaperPie. We're also focused on making it easier for them to shop, share, and build their businesses. We continue to enhance our mobile shopping experience, knowing it's where most shopping trips happen today. We've also introduced Read, our new AI-assisted book discovery and search tool on the e-commerce site. Read helps customers navigate our product selection and discover books based on their interests, needs, and preferences, creating a much more personalized and intuitive shopping experience. Additionally, we've launched new wish list and registry features, making it easier for customers to save and share their favorite products with family and friends. While these may all sound like individual website enhancements, collectively, they represent something much more important.

Heather Cobb

We're building a much more modern, accessible, and efficient shopping platform that supports both the customers and the productivity of our Brand Partners. As we move into the second half of our fiscal year, our priorities remain clear. We're focused on growing and engaging our Brand Partner community, reaching new customers, maintaining a consistent flow of new products, and continuing to improve the tools and technology that support our business. We're especially encouraged to enter our stronger selling season period with improved product availability, new titles in the market, and these additional new releases on the horizon. We understand that sustainable growth won't happen overnight, and we recognize that we still have work to do.

Heather Cobb

But we're encouraged by the progress we've made this quarter, not only in our sales performance relative to our expectations, but also in restoring important elements of our business and strengthening the foundation that we have for future growth. We believe our products, people, and increasingly modernized tools and systems position us to keep making meaningful progress in the quarters ahead. As we continue to develop these things, we're placing an increased emphasis on improving internal efficiencies, simplifying processes, and creating technology solutions that can support this growth without requiring proportional increases in operating costs, which Craig will share a bit more about. With that, I'll turn the call back over to Craig.

Craig White

Thank you, Dan and Heather. As I mentioned before, we are happy with the initial results of our turnaround plan. Specifically, we are building our Brand Partner levels, and they are excited about our new titles and our IT improvements. You heard from Heather about some of our recent IT initiatives that are focused on making it easier to do business with us and improving the shopping experience. I believe you have also heard me say that I am a big proponent of AI, not as a solution to all our problems, but as a tool to assist in achieving our strategic goals. It is also not part of the plan to further reduce headcount as part of our AI strategy.

Craig White

I want it to be used to make our current employees more efficient so that we do not need to hire as many new employees as we get back to growth. Part of my overall strategy is to help us more effectively build community. AI can assist with this by recognizing patterns, good or bad, very quickly. I began using AI to help me create more touch points with our Brand Partners by recognizing certain achievements much closer to real time. I send weekly emails for large orders recognizing effort and impact, and emails when new Brand Partners make their first sale. It has been very well-received. Another key initiative is to be recognized by customers and the greater community as experts in providing educational resources, our books and toys, for their children.

Craig White

This, in part, can be achieved by establishing blogs or social media posts to build trust in our brands. This will, in turn, strengthen our positioning in AI LLMs recommendations of our products, which is becoming the new search engines. This is a major undertaking that we have many, many assets available for use and a clear path to get there, aided by our two new hires. In general, I support any employee or department in their AI exploration process to transform EDC. I believe that AI can help automate processes to free up employees to do more critical thinking work. We have also engaged a company who has created their own front end sitting on our data, which will allow us to ask natural language questions without IT involvement to make more informed, timely decisions.

Craig White

For example, I can use the software to provide me daily morning briefs of milestones that were achieved overnight as a result of posted sales. It just provides readily useful data more quickly. Many companies in the direct selling industry are evaluating their recruiting and engagement methods to attract and retain Brand Partners and customers. I can tell you that our PaperPie sales and marketing teams and the IT department are working actively to analyze our strategies to engage this target group as well. I really feel like we're rebuilding from a position of strength. What our small, scrappy staff throughout the building can accomplish is really amazing, and we have solid short-term strategies that everyone can get behind. We are truly all pulling in the same direction.

Craig White

Lastly, I want to thank our shareholders for their patience, our employees for their commitment to our mission, and our customers and Brand Partners for their loyalty. I'm confident that the steps we have taken and will continue to take will result in sales growth and our return to profitability. Now that we have provided a summary of some recent activity, I will now turn the call back over to the operator for question and answer. Ellen?

Operator

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer session. Should you have a question, please press star one on your touch-tone phone. You will hear a prompt that your hand has been raised. Should you wish to decline from the polling process, please press star two. If you're using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys. One moment, please, for your first question. Your first question comes from Igor Novgorodtsev of Lares Capital. Your line is already open.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Thank you, and hello, and nice to see that at least attrition is declining. I understand it will take some time to come around. So I have quite a few questions, and I'll probably ask a few, and if nobody else defines me, then I'll probably get some more and get back to the line. So let me get started by asking about the new versus titles already in your inventory. So you started selling new titles in June. How much, like what percentage of the titles that were sold is new titles, and what percentage is the titles from the inventory? And what is your inventory level looks like after this quarter?

Heather Cobb

I'll take the first part as far as the percentages. The percentage of new titles that go into actual sales of overall sales is actually relatively small. What it does is it provides that excitement and bump of enthusiasm to get out and share with customers. And what we consistently see over time is that when those new titles are placed on an order, they are almost always accompanied by what we call backlist titles, which are the additional titles that have always been there and available for purchase, but that people are going ahead and taking advantage of buying while they're on the site and doing so.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay, fair enough. We do not have the inventory levels yet. I assume I have to wait for the 10-Q, right, to see that?

Craig White

No, I think, Igor, you joined just a little bit late. We said that early on. Our inventory levels decreased from $37.7 million at the beginning of fiscal year 2027 to $34.9 million.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Oh, so very sorry. Okay. Thank you so much. Okay. Yeah. My next question is about the current quarter and active members. Obviously, right now is your most important quarter of the year. How is it looking? What is like active members? Are they increasing? What do the sales look like as much as you guys can tell us at this point now that you're halfway through the month?

Heather Cobb

Sure. I referenced that a little bit in my conversation, and Dan mentioned it as well. While the active Brand Partner count year-over-year is lower than it was at the same time last year, we've seen an almost 20% increase since the beginning of fiscal year 2027, which is promising and something that we look at as extremely positive.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Maybe we can just dig in a little bit more. I believe you run a promotion in last quarter, and at one point of time, you had 5,300 members. Now, I understand that is something is churning off and now it's 5,100 members. Should we expect that the numbers will start increasing or stabilize, or how should we look at that?

Dan O'Keefe

Igor, I will tell you that historically, in the fall, we have an increase in Brand Partners because it's the strongest selling season of the year. We have some Brand Partners that go inactive during the year but come back to us in the fall. Typically, our fall is our timeframe where our Brand Partner numbers increase. The summer is typically a time when they actually decrease because a lot of the fall people that join in the fall off in the summer, because they don't make a sale during the first six months of the year. But then they come back in the fall each year. Fall is typically our highest Brand Partner levels.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. Fair enough. Maybe you can talk a little bit about that operating expenses. I know that you've been doing a good job reducing your operating expenses. I'm just curious, is the job less done at this point, or you're still working on significantly reducing operating expenses going forward? I assume everything stays more or less equal.

Dan O'Keefe

Yeah. I'll take this one, too. We kind of mentioned at our fiscal year-end, our 10-K call and our Q1 call that we reduced our operating expenses for the budget for the fiscal 2027 year by $1.2 million. That includes some expense reductions immediately. Our executive team took compensation reductions. We actually did a staff reduction immediately in the beginning of the fiscal year. But we also have expenses that are dropping off during the year. For example, we have an outside warehouse facility that we're vacating in October, and it will save us $15,000 a month in rent expense by not using that outside warehouse, and that'll start in November. So throughout the year, we're doing expense cutting, but cumulatively, we expect our operating expenses to be about $1.2 million below where they were last year.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. My next question is, then I'll get in queue and see if anybody else wants to ask questions. I'm a bit confused about the cash flow. Your press release specifically said that you had a positive cash flow, yet the cash has been reduced, I believe, by $100,000 from the beginning, $1.3 million to $1.2 million, and you had $1.8 million in May, if I'm not mistaken. Could you just kind of walk me through this? I understand that I would need to see your cash flow statement to fully understand it, but what did you allude to in a press release when you said that the cash flow in the first half was positive?

Dan O'Keefe

Well, the cash flow in the first half of the year is positive because we're reducing our inventory levels. From a simple standpoint, we reduced our inventory levels $2.8 million, and all that inventory is fully paid for, Igor, so that just generates positive cash for us. Now, over the first six months, we've lost our earnings before taxes were negative $2.9 million. From a simple math perspective, $2.8 million of positive cash flow offset by $2.9 million of operating losses is negative $100,000, and that's what our cash decreased over the first six months. I will also tell you that the fall selling season is our busiest selling season of the year, and we expect cash to be higher at the end of this quarter than it is right now.

Igor Novgorodtsev

No, I understand. I would need to, I see this, but do you expect you're fairly confident that on a trailing 12 months, your operating cash flow will be positive this year, it seems, right? It's fair to say that, given that there's one quarter left and that's your strongest quarter. Basically, cash at the end of the year should be higher than it was in the beginning of the year. Are they on target on that?

Dan O'Keefe

I don't want to give forward-looking statements to Q4 since it's kind of ways, but I can tell you that typically at the end of Q3 is our biggest cash position of the year.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Oh, sorry. I may have skipped you. Right. Correct. Sorry. I'll try to get back into queue, and if nobody else is on, then I'll ask more questions, and if not, then I'll ask at the end. Thank you.

Dan O'Keefe

Yeah. Thank you, Igor.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you have a question, please press star one. The next question comes from Igor Novgorodtsev of Lares Capital. Your line is already open.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. I guess it's me again. All right, so let me ask a couple of more questions, if you don't mind. Usborne inventory. Last time I checked, it looks like about half of your inventory is from Usborne. Correct me if I'm wrong. It seems to be about one-third of your sales. Do you guys have any active conversations with Usborne? Because I would imagine some of the inventory is moving a little better, but some of it should be very slow-moving. I did a little bit of a deep dive into Usborne titles, and it seems to be that the titles do not change that much. Would they be interested in, let's say, maybe taking back some of the inventory and giving you credit and replacing with some other inventory?

Igor Novgorodtsev

Is any kind of the deal to basically push your slow-moving inventory through their channels, so you don't have to basically spend years trying to sell it off? What are your conversations right now with Usborne, if any?

Craig White

We have, at this point, limited conversations with Usborne. Dan has frequent, regularly scheduled conversations with them. It's not been a regular practice that they ever take back titles, so we're not counting on that. Our sales plans are like any of our other titles, just to sell through them best we can, replenish the bestsellers, and keep moving forward.

Heather Cobb

Yeah, Igor, I'll jump in there as well and say they do offer new titles just as any publisher does. As you've potentially heard Craig White say before, our books are on topics and in formats that don't go out of style. They're not necessarily trending topics, but more ABCs and 123s and all of the things that all parents want or should want to have in their homes for their kids. So we don't have any concern of them not lasting to a point that we would not be able to sell them.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Let me just understand this, because it seems to be, I just did a little projection, you have several years at the current sales level of Usborne inventory. Wouldn't they want to take this inventory at a discount? If I was Usborne, I would be all over it and, say, give you credit, so you can get some of the money because they sell it on Amazon, through HarperCollins, and through stores and so on. So they have other channels where they can actually move it through much quicker. Then in the end times, they can potentially give you credits, and you guys can buy their much higher hot items from them. It just seems strange that you guys don't have any active conversations. It's not policy based, talking about an unusual situation and kind of a deal where you guys have several years' worth of inventory.

Craig White

Well, we have several years of inventory at current sales levels. If we increase Brand Partners and increase sales, then the inventory will come down much quicker. Let's be realistic. They've already made that sale to us. There's no incentive for them to take it back. We'll sell through it. We're not concerned about that at all, us being able to sell through it. Again, like I said, if we increase Brand Partners and sales, it'll reduce more rapidly.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Just for me to understand the inventory from their perspective, do you have a lot of titles that's no longer being sold except the new inventory? Or pretty much the vast majority of Usborne titles are still being actively sold, let's say, by you and elsewhere, and they're still actively releasing them?

Heather Cobb

Yeah, that's a great question. The vast majority are still being sold. You could find them in other markets. Like I said, they're not on trending topics that are going to expire. Yeah, just as a whole, the publishing industry doesn't tend to rotate through, where they stop selling titles after two years. As long as those titles are still available, they will sell them and make them available to customers.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Right. My last question is, I know that you said no to Amazon and to others, and I can kind of understand that you don't want to be competing with discount and the race to the bottom. But again, given your high inventory level, did you guys talk to any third parties of potentially moving some of your inventory through internet? Not necessarily explicitly as you, but perhaps through third parties or something like that. Because I see a lot of titles that you carry on the internet. That is obviously a significant market for this. Is that a consideration?

Heather Cobb

Sure. While our overall strategy is not to sell to Amazon or big box stores, we do work with third parties already that are selling significant quantities of our titles and making those available to the market in a variety of different ways.

Igor Novgorodtsev

I see. So potentially somebody on Amazon may be selling your titles. It just would be a third party buying from you, something like this, right? Or eBay, or that-

Heather Cobb

Yeah. Through our retail division, we opted not to sell direct to Amazon because that gives us a little bit less control of the sales price that it can go for and things like that. So as we sell to a customer that may or may not have a storefront on Amazon, we can give them more parameters and guidelines of strict discounting opportunities or different things like that. So yes, they could be available on Amazon.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. My last question, and I am sorry for asking so many questions, but I think hopefully it is useful for other people who will read the transcripts. Gross margins and promotions. Last year, you mentioned several times that you had to do promotional activity and your gross margins were not particularly good. I have not had a chance to see your gross margins, but maybe you can talk a little bit. Have your gross margins improved, or you expect them to improve now that you do not have a bank breathing down your neck, so to speak?

Craig White

Well, we do not have a bank breathing down our neck, but we do have lots of inventory. We do have to discount, or we have employed that tool or tactic in the past. Our plans are to do those fewer and further between, right? We do not want our customers only thinking they want to purchase from us when they are on discount. We need to get back to full retail, but it has still been a tactic that we have used periodically.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. So the gross margins are no longer deteriorating, would be fair to say that, right? If I look at the aggregate as far as the first half of the year.

Heather Cobb

Right.

Igor Novgorodtsev

Okay. All right. I do not have anything else, and thank you so much for taking your time to answer all my questions.

Craig White

Yeah, no problem. Like you said, I think others would probably have the same questions, so I appreciate it.

Operator

There are no further questions at this time. I would hand over the call to Craig White for closing comments. Please go ahead.

Craig White

Yeah. I think we're not raising the banner that says mission accomplished. We know we have work to do, but we feel this has been a positive step in the right direction, so we're feeling better right now. Anyway, appreciate everyone being on the call. Thank you.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-09-09

Educational Development Corporation Announces Fiscal Year 2027 Second Quarter Earnings Call

TMX Newsfile

Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company") (http://www.edcpub.com) today announces the time and date of their fiscal year 2027 second quarter earnings call. EDC will host its Fiscal Year 2027 Second Quarter Earnings Call, including a live Q&A webcast, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 3:30 PM CT (4:30 PM ET). Craig White, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board; Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer; Dan O'Keefe, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary, will present the Company's second quarter results and be available for questions following the presentation. Phone lines for participants will be available at (800) 717-1738. The Conference ID is 19822. Audio replays will be available following the event at www.edcpub.com/investors. About Educational Development Corporation (EDC) EDC began as a publishing company specializing in books for children. EDC is the owner and exclusive publisher of Kane Miller Books ("Kane Miller"); Learning Wrap-Ups, maker of educational manipulatives; and SmartLab Toys, maker of STEAM-based toys and games. EDC is also the exclusive United States MLM distributor of Usborne Publishing Limited ("Usborne") children's books. EDC-owned products are sold via 4,000 retail outlets and EDC and Usborne products are offered by independent brand partners who hold book showings through social media, book fairs with schools and public libraries, in individual homes, as well as other in-person events and internet sales. Contact:Educational Development CorporationCraig White, (918) 622-4522 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/313730

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-14

Educational Development Corp (EDUC) Q1 2027 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Net Revenue: $4.8 million compared to $7.1 million in the previous year. Net Loss: $1.4 million compared to a net loss of $1.1 million last year. Loss Per Share: $0.16 compared to $0.13 on a fully diluted basis last year. Active Brand Partners: 5,300 compared to 7,700 last year. Inventory Levels: Decreased from $37.7 million to $36.2 million, generating $1.5 million of cash flow. Cash Balance: Increased from $1.3 million to $1.8 million. Expense Reductions: Expected to exceed $1.2 million in savings for the fiscal year. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with EDUC. Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 09, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) successfully added over 1,300 new brand partners, marking a 20% growth in brand partner numbers since the end of last year. The company implemented expense reductions expected to save over $1.2 million for the fiscal year, improving cash flow. New titles introduced have shown early success, energizing brand partners and retail representatives. The company's PaperPie Day celebration in March generated strong recruiting activity and increased engagement. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) is focusing on IT improvements, including AI-assisted tools, to enhance customer and brand partner experiences. Net revenues for the fiscal first quarter decreased to $4.8 million from $7.1 million in the previous year. The company reported a net loss of $1.4 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $1.1 million in the same quarter last year. Average Active Brand Partners decreased from 7,700 last year to 5,300 this quarter. Gross margins have not yet improved significantly due to ongoing promotional activities. The company continues to face challenges in balancing inventory reduction with maintaining gross margins. Q: Why is Randall White no longer listed as a 5% beneficial owner in the marketing circular? A: Dan O'Keefe, CFO, explained that they have no visibility into Randall White's ownership levels, so they could not confirm his share ownership for inclusion in the proxy. Q: Can you clarify the discrepancy in the Active Brand Partner numbers mentioned in the press release and during the call? A: Dan O…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Net Revenue: $4.8 million compared to $7.1 million in the previous year. Net Loss: $1.4 million compared to a net loss of $1.1 million last year. Loss Per Share: $0.16 compared to $0.13 on a fully diluted basis last year. Active Brand Partners: 5,300 compared to 7,700 last year. Inventory Levels: Decreased from $37.7 million to $36.2 million, generating $1.5 million of cash flow. Cash Balance: Increased from $1.3 million to $1.8 million. Expense Reductions: Expected to exceed $1.2 million in savings for the fiscal year. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with EDUC. Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 09, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) successfully added over 1,300 new brand partners, marking a 20% growth in brand partner numbers since the end of last year. The company implemented expense reductions expected to save over $1.2 million for the fiscal year, improving cash flow. New titles introduced have shown early success, energizing brand partners and retail representatives. The company's PaperPie Day celebration in March generated strong recruiting activity and increased engagement. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) is focusing on IT improvements, including AI-assisted tools, to enhance customer and brand partner experiences. Net revenues for the fiscal first quarter decreased to $4.8 million from $7.1 million in the previous year. The company reported a net loss of $1.4 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $1.1 million in the same quarter last year. Average Active Brand Partners decreased from 7,700 last year to 5,300 this quarter. Gross margins have not yet improved significantly due to ongoing promotional activities. The company continues to face challenges in balancing inventory reduction with maintaining gross margins. Q: Why is Randall White no longer listed as a 5% beneficial owner in the marketing circular? A: Dan O'Keefe, CFO, explained that they have no visibility into Randall White's ownership levels, so they could not confirm his share ownership for inclusion in the proxy. Q: Can you clarify the discrepancy in the Active Brand Partner numbers mentioned in the press release and during the call? A: Dan O'Keefe, CFO, clarified that the increase in Active Brand Partners was due to a successful recruiting promotion in March, which led to a net increase despite some partners falling off. Q: Do you have a pipeline of new recruiting initiatives to continue expanding the brand partner base? A: Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, stated that they consistently offer a variety of recruiting initiatives and promotions to attract different audiences and maintain growth in brand partner numbers. Q: Are you noticing that Brand Partners are sticking around longer now that you have new titles available? A: Heather Cobb mentioned that while they do track such data, it's too early to determine the impact of new titles on partner retention, as they were only recently released. Q: How are you balancing the need to reduce inventory levels with maintaining gross margins? A: Craig White, CEO, acknowledged the balancing act between generating cash and maintaining product value, emphasizing a strategic approach to discounting while focusing on new title acquisition. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-09

Educational Development Corporation Announces Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results

TMX Newsfile
Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company"), a publishing company specializing in books and educational products for children, today reports financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended May 31, 2026. First Quarter Summary Compared to the Prior Year First Quarter Net revenues were $4.8 million compared to $7.1 million. Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totalled 5,300 compared to 7,700. Loss before income taxes were $(1.4) million for both periods. Net Loss totalled $(1.4) million, compared to $(1.1) million. Loss per share totalled $(0.16) compared to loss per share of $(0.13), on a fully diluted basis. Per Craig White, Chief Executive Officer, "During the quarter we ran several product and recruiting promotions to increase sales, turning excess inventory into cash, and increasing our brand partner levels. I am happy to say that we were successful in both areas. Our cash position increased from $1.3 million at the end of February to $1.8 million at the end of May and our Active Brand Partners increased by 20%, from 4,300 to 5,200 over this same period. Our primary focus remains on building our Brand Partners back to historical levels before and after the pandemic, which will have a direct impact in increased sales. We are glad to see our numbers climbing." "Our net loss before taxes remained consistent with last year on much reduced revenue levels. These results were possible only due to our continued focus on reducing our expenses. At the beginning of the year, we implemented a cost reduction plan which is expected to reduce our overall general and administrative expenses during fiscal 2027 by over $1.2 million. In addition, during the quarter, we made a $0.1 million one-time write-down on our "assets held for sale" which includes our legacy pick & pack distribution system that we are marketing for sale. Excluding this adjustment, our losses before taxes would have been less than the first quarter last year." "Earnings per share were lower this quarter as we are not able to realize the deferred tax asset associated with our continued losses. We are optimistic that as we grow our brand partner levels with sales and profitability returning that these deferred tax assets will be realizable in the future," concluded Mr. White. Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Earnings Call…Read full document

Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company"), a publishing company specializing in books and educational products for children, today reports financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended May 31, 2026. First Quarter Summary Compared to the Prior Year First Quarter Net revenues were $4.8 million compared to $7.1 million. Average active PaperPie Brand Partners totalled 5,300 compared to 7,700. Loss before income taxes were $(1.4) million for both periods. Net Loss totalled $(1.4) million, compared to $(1.1) million. Loss per share totalled $(0.16) compared to loss per share of $(0.13), on a fully diluted basis. Per Craig White, Chief Executive Officer, "During the quarter we ran several product and recruiting promotions to increase sales, turning excess inventory into cash, and increasing our brand partner levels. I am happy to say that we were successful in both areas. Our cash position increased from $1.3 million at the end of February to $1.8 million at the end of May and our Active Brand Partners increased by 20%, from 4,300 to 5,200 over this same period. Our primary focus remains on building our Brand Partners back to historical levels before and after the pandemic, which will have a direct impact in increased sales. We are glad to see our numbers climbing." "Our net loss before taxes remained consistent with last year on much reduced revenue levels. These results were possible only due to our continued focus on reducing our expenses. At the beginning of the year, we implemented a cost reduction plan which is expected to reduce our overall general and administrative expenses during fiscal 2027 by over $1.2 million. In addition, during the quarter, we made a $0.1 million one-time write-down on our "assets held for sale" which includes our legacy pick & pack distribution system that we are marketing for sale. Excluding this adjustment, our losses before taxes would have been less than the first quarter last year." "Earnings per share were lower this quarter as we are not able to realize the deferred tax asset associated with our continued losses. We are optimistic that as we grow our brand partner levels with sales and profitability returning that these deferred tax assets will be realizable in the future," concluded Mr. White. Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Earnings Call Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026Time: 3:30 PM CT (4:30 PM ET)Dial-in number: (800) 717-1738Conference ID: 35042 The conference call will be broadcast live and audio replays will be available following the event at  www.edcpub.com/investors. About Educational Development Corporation (EDC) EDC began as a publishing company specializing in books for children. EDC is the owner and exclusive publisher of Kane Miller Books ("Kane Miller"); Learning Wrap-Ups, maker of educational manipulatives; and SmartLab Toys, maker of STEAM-based toys and games. EDC is also the exclusive United States MLM distributor of Usborne Publishing Limited ("Usborne") children's books. EDC-owned products are sold via 4,000 retail outlets and EDC and Usborne products are offered by independent brand partners who hold book showings through social media, book fairs with schools and public libraries, in individual homes, as well as other in-person events and internet sales. Contact:Educational Development CorporationCraig White, (918) 622-4522 Cautionary Statement for the Purpose of the "Safe Harbor" Provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information discussed in this Press Release includes "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "may," "expect," "estimate," "project," "plan," "believe," "intend," "achievable," "anticipate," "continue," "potential," "should," "could," and similar terms and phrases. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such expectations or assumptions will be achieved. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, our success in recruiting and retaining new brand partners, our ability to locate and procure desired books, our ability to ship the volume of orders that are received without creating backlogs, our ability to obtain adequate financing for working capital and capital expenditures, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory changes and other uncertainties, cybersecurity threats and incidents, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as those factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2026, all of which are difficult to predict. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2026 and speak only as of the date of this Press Release. Other than as required under the securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in expectations or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/304633

TranscriptFY2027 Q12026-07-09

FY2027 Q1 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 77 paragraphs
Operator

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for participating in today's conference call to discuss Educational Development Corporation's financial and operating results for its fiscal 2027 first quarter results. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. On the call today are Craig White, President and Chief Executive Officer, Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, and Dan O'Keefe, Chief Financial Officer. After the market closed this afternoon, the company issued a press release announcing its results for the fiscal 2027 first quarter results. The release will be available later today on the company's website at www.edcpub.com. Before turning to the prepared remarks, I would like to remind you that some of the statements made today will be forward-looking and are protected under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to a variety of factors.

Operator

We refer you to Educational Development Corporation's recent filing with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of the company's financial condition. With that, I would like to turn the call over to Craig White, the company's President and Chief Executive Officer. Craig?

Craig White

Thank you, Chloe, and welcome everyone to the call. We appreciate your continued interest. I will start today's call with some general comments regarding the quarter. I will pass the call over to Dan to run through the financials, after which Heather will provide an update on sales and marketing and IT projects, and then I will provide an update on our plans for the rest of fiscal 2027. During March, we ran a recruiting special surrounding our March 14th, Pi Day, which yielded better than expected results. We added over 1,300 new brand partners, which brought our active brand partner numbers above 5,200, and we have maintained this level of brand partners to this day. This was a 20% growth in brand partners numbers since the end of last year, and continuing our brand partner growth is a key focus.

Craig White

Also, at the beginning of the quarter, we made several expense reductions, which are expected to exceed $1.2 million in savings for the fiscal year. These savings, which include decreases in pay for our executive team, were made to improve our cash flow and give us the ability to continue to execute our conservative purchasing plan to replenish some of our best-selling titles, as well as bring in new titles. Bringing in new titles energizes our brand partners and gives our retail reps some new products to present. I'm happy to say that many of these new titles came in throughout the last several months, and we have introduced them with much very early success. That is some confirmation that our strategy is on point. The results for the quarter were driven by our lower revenue levels, offset by lower expenses.

Craig White

The focus of our fiscal 2027 turnaround plan remains on growing our revenue and brand partner levels back to pre-pandemic levels, and I'm happy with the initial progress our team has achieved. Heather will talk more about this progress in her marketing update. As I have said before, our turnaround plan is not an overnight change, but a carefully developed plan for growth over the next few quarters and years. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Dan O'Keefe to provide a brief overview of financials.

Dan O'Keefe

Thank you, Craig. Our 2027 fiscal first quarter results compared to the first quarter last year include net revenues were $4.8 million, compared to $7.1 million. Our average active brand partners for the quarter totaled 5,300, compared to 7,700 last year. Loss before income taxes were $1.4 million in both quarters. Net loss totaled $1.4 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss last year of $1.1 million in the first quarter. Loss per share totaled $0.16, compared to a loss per share of $0.13 on a fully diluted basis. Now for an update on our working capital. Inventory levels decreased from $37.7 million at the beginning of fiscal year 2027 to $36.2 million at the end of May, generating $1.5 of cash flow from inventory reductions.

Dan O'Keefe

Our cash balance increased from $1.3 million at the end of February to $1.8 million at the end of the first quarter. I would also like to mention an unusual accounting adjustment we continue to make. Due to our historical losses and operating expectations during the turnaround period, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance for our deferred tax assets. Based on this evaluation, we continue to recognize a valuation adjustment offsetting the deferred tax asset and eliminating the tax benefit on our income statement. This adjustment has no cash flow impact but had a direct impact to our tax expense, net earnings, and earnings per share. When the company returns to profitability, this evaluation adjustment will be reversed. The reversal will have no cash flow impact but will have a direct impact to tax expense, net earnings, and earnings per share. This concludes the financial update.

Dan O'Keefe

I will now turn the call back to Heather Cobb for a sales and marketing update. Heather?

Heather Cobb

Thanks, Dan. As Craig mentioned, our PaperPie Day celebration in March delivered positive results across the business. The promotion generated strong recruiting activity, drove sales through our site-wide offer, increased engagement with our newly created account credits program, and helped introduce several new titles to customers. It was a great example of how coordinated initiatives can create engagement across multiple areas of the company at the same time. In April, members of our team attended the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the premier event in children's publishing

Heather Cobb

The fair provides an important opportunity to discover new content, strengthen relationships with our publishing partners, and evaluate future additions to our catalog. We also had the privilege of then traveling and celebrating many of our top performers during our incentive trip to Bermuda, recognizing those who continue to share our products and build thriving businesses, helping to expand our reach and impact. May brought the announcement of our next StoryScape incentive trip, which will take earners to Zion National Park in 2027. These experiences continue to be a powerful way to recognize achievement while inspiring future growth across the field. While brand partners were focused on serving customers and building their businesses throughout the spring, our home office team was busy preparing for Unfold, our annual convention.

Heather Cobb

The event generated tremendous energy and optimism as attendees explored new product releases, participated in recruiting focus initiatives, and received an early look at several technology enhancements currently in development. These include our new AI-assisted book buddy named Read, which launched this week, as well as our upcoming projects like our wish list and registry options, and the ability to identify and market to specific audiences with targeted offers. The response to all of this reinforced what we're seeing throughout the organization, a strong belief in where we're headed, and excitement about what lies ahead. Throughout this time period, our retail team was attending trade shows and showrooms, highlighting the new titles that we have available, as well as our vast backlist offerings. As we move forward through the summer months, our attention is centered on our well-read summer campaign.

Heather Cobb

We're leaning into the growing consumer interest in analog experiences, reading, and intentional time together by focusing on book lovers and families seeking alternatives to screen-based entertainment. With additional promotions planned throughout the season, we believe that there are tailwinds to build on the engagement that we've seen so far this year. I will now turn the call back over to Craig White.

Craig White

Thank you, Heather and Dan. As I mentioned before, we are happy with the initial results of our turnaround plan. Specifically, we are continuing our effort to build our brand partner levels. They are excited about our new titles and our IT improvements. You heard from Heather about some of our recent IT initiatives are focused on making it easier to do business with us and adapting to the new way that different generations prefer to transact with us. This new generation presents challenges, not just for our company, but many companies in the direct selling industry to revise their engagement methods. I can tell you that our sales and marketing, as well as IT departments, are working actively to ensure our strategies take into account this important group.

Craig White

Lastly, I want to thank all shareholders for their patience, our employees for their commitment to our mission. Our customers and brand partners for their loyalty. I am confident that the steps we have taken and will continue to take will result in sales growth and our return to profitability. Now that we have provided a summary of some recent activity, I'll now turn the call back over to the operator for question and answer.

Operator

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer session. To join the question queue, you may press star then one on your touchtone phone. You will hear a tone acknowledging your request. If you are using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing any keys. To withdraw your question, please press star, then the number 2. We'll pause for a moment to compile the Q&A roster. We have a question from Paul Carter from Capstone Asset Management. Your line is open.

Paul Carter

Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for taking my questions.

Craig White

Sure.

Paul Carter

First question is more of a housekeeping question. Most shareholders probably know Randall White's long history with EDC. I was just curious about the beneficial owners disclosure in your proxy circular. He's no longer listed as a 5% beneficial owner. Was there an ownership transition or was that just?

Craig White

It's a good question, Paul. The challenge is we don't know. He's not a NOBO owner. We have no visibility to his ownership levels. We could not include it in the proxy because we could not confirm his share ownership.

Paul Carter

Okay. No, that's fine. I was just curious about that. Just to clarify one thing on the brand partner numbers. Your press release referenced average active brand partners of 5,300 for the quarter. Your comment said that it started at 4,300 and then ended the quarter at 5,200. What happened there? Is that a reflection of an increased quite a bit after the March promotion and then sort of even then towards the end of the quarter?

Craig White

Well, it increased in March and then kind of remained pretty consistent through the end of the quarter. Yeah. Based on the way we count active, at the end of every month, there's some people that fall off that we had such a great addition that that's why we increased as a net.

Paul Carter

Okay, great. Just related to that, maybe this is a question for Heather. I know in your fiscal fourth quarter, the average Beachbody account, I think, was 4,500. In Q1, you ran several recruiting promotions, including that successful March initiative. By the end of May, the average number was up to 5,200, which is definitely encouraging. I'm just trying to understand the sustainability of this trajectory. Do you feel you have a pipeline of new recruiting initiatives and ideas that you can continue to use to expand the Brand Partner base from here, or was the March recruiting promotion the big one that caused a spike in anything, and sort of going forward might not be as big as that?

Heather Cobb

That's a great question, Paul. I would say we consistently offer a variety of different kind of recruiting initiatives and promotions, not only just because we know that different audiences may be paying attention at different times of the year, but also different things attract different audiences as well. When we offer any sort of recruiting special or promotion, it will vary in some way, shape, or form, whether it's cost or what is available as part of the kit, different things like that. We did a promotion immediately out of convention. We have other promotions planned coming later in the year as well. I don't think that we are now or have ever been in the business that we can lean solely on a single promotion in a year and think that that is a place that we're in good standing.

Heather Cobb

Direct selling as a whole is a business of people coming in and people staying and people going at some sort of level. I think that we're definitely looking ahead and planning ahead, both in the current day and in the coming six months to a year. Does that answer your question?

Paul Carter

Yeah, that's helpful.

Craig White

Let me add just a little bit, Paul. While I'm certainly not forecasting what's going to be happening the rest of this year, I think this is evidence that our strategy is somewhat working. They were waiting for new titles, and now that we've released some new titles, everyone's excited. There's a buzz in the field. Convention was incredible. That's how it works. It's word of mouth, and while our Brand Partners are energized and excited and enthusiastic, it's just easier for them to recruit. I think that's basically what's happening.

Paul Carter

Actually, that's a really good point. I'm curious, do you measure that? I'm sure you measure a lot of behaviors within the Brand Partners, but since you are now able to buy new titles, are you noticing in the data that Brand Partners are sticking around and being active for longer than maybe they were a year ago, or is it just too early to say at this point?

Heather Cobb

That's a great question. I will say we do look at all sorts of data like that. I think considering our new titles dropped, we released a few in March and April, but when I say a few, I mean that pretty literally. Considering we're not even a full month into our full release of new titles, it's really too early to look at any concrete data that would show that.

Paul Carter

Okay, great. Just switching gears, and I apologize, I just have two quick last questions here. Last quarter, you talked about moving away from deeper promotional discounting and just returning more towards historical gross margins. You had product promotions during Q1 to reduce inventory. Did gross margins kind of move closer to historical levels, or are you still seeing some impact from clearing out some of that excess inventory?

Craig White

I would say that we're still seeing impact related to that. The promotions that we ran and the site-wide sale we ran were surrounding our PaperPie Day, kind of was consistent with the promotions that we ran in the first quarter last year. We don't see a lot of margin improvement yet.

Paul Carter

Okay. Just one observation about that. I know as of now, I think your book value per share is around $4.87, which is obviously quite a bit above your current stock price. 90% of that, give or take, is represented by inventory. I recognize the need to generate cash and improve inventory turns, but given the amount of shareholder value that's tied up in inventory, how are you balancing the desire to reduce inventory levels with ensuring that you're not sacrificing too much in terms of gross margin through promotions?

Craig White

Well, again, good question. It's kind of a balancing act, right? We need to bring in cash, but we don't want to reduce the value of our product. We look at it every single month. Okay, do we need to do something in the next quarter or things like that. It's not, I'd like to say it's an overall strategy where we're not going to discount as much, and that is the case, but there's just times where it's necessary.

Paul Carter

Is that balance shifting more towards not sacrificing gross margin? You said you need to raise cash, and obviously when you had the bank facility, there was that ongoing need and pressure from your bank. You don't have that, and I think you said your cash actually went up from $1 million to $1.5 million during the quarter. It doesn't sound like you actively need cash, or at least your cash balance to grow as much as maybe you did in the past, and just wondering if that is directly playing into your decision on promotions.

Craig White

Well, it's a great question. I'd like to say we're back, we've just so recently come out of difficult periods. I am somewhat conservative, but I think you're right. We need to focus on new title acquisition and really make sure we're not missing the window of opportunity here. It's a point well taken, I agree with you. We need to try to reduce the times that we're discounting so much. You're right.

Heather Cobb

I think I'll add too, Paul, that when we do look at times that we're discounting, we're looking at it through a different lens. When we were doing deep discounting across the board as a site-wide sale, that looks very different than some of the things that we've done recently, where we've done more of a category sale approach. We've deep discounted a handful of titles as opposed to just an across the board. Things like that while from an outside view, it might look like, oh, they're still offering site-wide sales. If you dig a little deeper, you will see that move that will get us back to those normal gross margins without just stopping that activity altogether in anticipation that the consumers are ready for that.

Paul Carter

Okay. That's great. That's very helpful. Well, that's it for me. Thanks very much, everybody.

Craig White

Yeah, appreciate it.

Heather Cobb

Thanks, Paul.

Craig White

Thanks, Paul.

Operator

Our next question is from Ignov Krotsov. Your line is open.

Speaker 5

Thank you very much. Can you hear me okay?

Heather Cobb

There's an echo that makes it hard to hear you.

Speaker 5

Okay. It should be better now. Now it's a little better, right? Apologies.

Heather Cobb

Yes.

Speaker 5

Okay. Sounds good. I have several questions, and hopefully I won't take that much of your time. Regarding the new, we're happy to see the new partners. I actually want to point out, I did the count today. This is the first time in 10 quarters that the partner number is actually up, not down. That's nice to see. However, it doesn't look like it's translated into actual sales. I understand this is the new partners and it takes time. What's a typical ramp-up time when you start seeing the actual tangible results from these new partners?

Heather Cobb

Yeah, that's a great question. I think that goes back a little bit to the question that Paul had about, we've released new titles, we have these new brand partners. Do we consider that a success? We brought in these new brand partners in March. We have a decent amount of turnaround time to get them into the culture, into selling, introducing new titles, different things like that. I would say within the next couple of quarters, we'll definitely see some of that fall into place in the bottom line.

Speaker 5

There is a significant lag. Just because you sign up new partners, it takes them time, basically, to get up to speed and to start delivering the revenue. It's usually there's a couple of quarters lag, right? That's how I understood this.

Heather Cobb

It can be. It can also happen the other way, where you see an immediate bolt to that and then it continues. It can happen either way. We just don't consider it completely negative if it doesn't happen that way immediately.

Speaker 5

Right. Fair enough. I know you put some effort in the promotion, but promotion cannot be continuous. How are you planning to keep the numbers of partners up going forward? What are your plans? What are you going to do differently? Because the count has been falling for two years, and this time it seems to be turning around, but obviously you're just in the beginning of a turnaround. What are your plans to keep the numbers up?

Heather Cobb

Yeah, I think that's a great question, and I think it's what Craig and I both mentioned and alluded to as we shared the summary. Two main things are making sure that our inventory that we have in place is really what consumers are looking for right now, whether that means new titles or staying in stock of some of the most beloved titles that we need to order reprints for and things like that. That's where our conservative phase purchasing approach, we really feel is key as part of that strategy. The other thing is those IT initiatives that we mentioned.

Heather Cobb

Some of the ones that we very specifically mentioned is they all filter through this lens of just removing any sort of friction points and making it easier, not only for the consumer to actually make that purchase, but also for the brand partner to get the information to them, and help them along through the process of finding what they're looking for.

Speaker 5

Okay, that's helpful. Regarding the new titles, I know it's not a precise equation, but could you give us some sense of how your mix of sales has changed, or has it changed so far? Like of new titles versus the titles coming of your inventory, or how it's going to change going forward. Is there percentages or how do you think about this?

Heather Cobb

Yeah, that's a great question. We are going to have to really dig through the data on that one since we haven't introduced new titles in quite a bit of time. As we shared with Paul, we did that big drop in the middle of June, and so we aren't even a month into full sales cycle of new titles. It really is too early to tell any of those percentages. If I were to give any sort of percentages right now, they'd be so inflated with people that are buying new titles because they're excited about them, that it really wouldn't be accurate of the representation of what that means going forward.

Speaker 5

Well.

Craig White

Oh.

Speaker 5

Oh, sorry. Go ahead.

Craig White

Yeah, I was just going to add that the new title drop was in the second quarter, it's not been reported. I just alluded in my summary that we're happy with the results, you could take that however you'd like.

Speaker 5

Okay. No, I get it. What that would be looking at is strictly old titles, so that makes sense.

Heather Cobb

Right.

Speaker 5

Speaking about the Q2, and I know you're not providing guidance, but Q2 is summer, is usually your slowest quarter. Do you think this is going to remain this way? Is that always seasonally this way, or something is different about the summer?

Heather Cobb

No, I think it's still hot and people are still on vacation. I think unless something drastically changes there, summer just remains one of the lowest quarters for us as a whole.

Speaker 5

Right. Q3 is basically where we'll probably see the real results if things are turning around, right? Realistically speaking.

Craig White

Well, all the results that we report, we're comparing not sequentially, but year-over-year.

Speaker 5

Right.

Craig White

I mean, even though Q2 was slow, we're still hoping and planning and working towards it being up over last summer. I'm not saying it is, but that's the plan.

Heather Cobb

Right.

Speaker 5

Yeah. Okay. You alluded that there is a significant expense reduction. I can see that you're basically doing much better on a much lower revenue level, which is nice. I have a twofold question. Cash flow. You basically right now, earnings are not that important because we understand there is a depreciation, amortization and all that, and I don't have your balance sheet in front of me. I just want to understand, what does your cash flow look like from operations? Even with your falling revenue levels, you were still able to pay the bank loan and your cash flow stayed positive. Is that still the story that you expect that your cash flow will still stay positive even at this reduced levels?

Craig White

Well, I'll answer that on two points. The first point is that we had $1.4 million of operating losses in this quarter that we just reported, but our cash build was at $500,000. Turning inventory into cash, it should translate into positive cash flow. The key thing for us is sales growth, because the faster we grow brand partners, and now that we're able to have new titles for our retail side, the faster we grow revenues overall, the more cash we'll build. I don't have the crystal lens to tell you how much cash flow we're going to build over the next three quarters of fiscal 2027, the plan is to be cash flow positive and hopefully be very cash flow positive.

Speaker 5

Okay. The cash flow cash increase came out of your inventory reduction, not from reduction of your accounts receivable, right? Is that what I'm reading from the comments?

Craig White

Yeah. Receivables dropped a little bit, it was primarily from inventory reductions.

Speaker 5

Okay. That's really great to hear and that sort of gives comfort to investors' heart. My last question, and it's sort of a comment. I know that I read your presentation, and that's one of the things it says, you said no to Amazon. Given that you have so much inventory, have so many titles, and I actually did a dig into your titles, and you have some tremendous titles that have been around forever, and you have IP to them, intellectual property, the ownership. Do you guys would ever consider partnering with somebody to move some of your biggest inventory items, which are slow-moving, or you have too much and maybe making not exclusive and putting them on sale? Maybe not building your own channels, I understand that takes cash and time, but maybe partnering with somebody to put it on an online store. Any thoughts to that?

Heather Cobb

Yeah. That's a good question. We made the concerted effort and decision to not sell directly to Amazon over a decade ago, and we would say that we still consider that to be a good decision for us and both of our sales channels. We do focus on the retail side with brick and mortar stores mainly. Whether it be independent bookstores or larger entities like a Barnes & Noble or someplace like that. In addition to that, our retail side, we have several partnerships with various different distributors and reps who sell through places, which it sounds like are ones that you are recommending. We continue to work with places that are interested in potential large quantities. We've worked on that over time and are continuing to do so to sell off larger quantities of inventory where we can.

Speaker 5

Right now, I believe you're something around 15% is non-partner revenue part. Do you think you can grow that part?

Heather Cobb

I think it can grow. Can it grow to 50%? We don't anticipate that that's the case. It definitely has the potential to grow. We've seen great response, not only in the book-selling side of it, but also in toy and gift, especially related to our SmartLab Toys division, and our Learning Wrap-Ups line. Yeah, I definitely think that there's room to grow.

Speaker 5

Okay. Thank you very much. I don't have any more questions.

Craig White

Thank you.

Heather Cobb

Thanks for your question.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-06-16

Educational Development Corporation Announces Fiscal Year 2027 First Quarter Earnings Call

TMX Newsfile

Tulsa, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2026) - Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) ("EDC", or the "Company") (http://www.edcpub.com) today announces the time and date of their fiscal year 2027 first quarter earnings call. EDC will host its Fiscal Year 2027 First Quarter Earnings Call, including a live Q&A webcast, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 3:30 PM CT (4:30 PM ET). Craig White, Chief Executive Officer and President, Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Dan O'Keefe, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary, will present the Company's first quarter results and be available for questions following the presentation. Phone lines for participants will be available at (800) 717-1738. The Conference ID is 35042. Audio replays will be available following the event at www.edcpub.com/investors. About Educational Development Corporation (EDC) EDC began as a publishing company specializing in books for children. EDC is the owner and exclusive publisher of Kane Miller Books ("Kane Miller"); Learning Wrap-Ups, maker of educational manipulatives; and SmartLab Toys, maker of STEAM-based toys and games. EDC is also the exclusive United States MLM distributor of Usborne Publishing Limited ("Usborne") children's books. EDC-owned products are sold via 4,000 retail outlets and EDC and Usborne products are offered by independent brand partners who hold book showings through social media, book fairs with schools and public libraries, in individual homes, as well as other in-person events and internet sales. Contact:Educational Development CorporationCraig White, (918) 622-4522 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/301774

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-05-20

Educational Development Corp (EDUC) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Restructuring ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: May 19, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) has initiated a conservative purchasing plan to replenish best-selling out-of-stock items and introduce new titles, generating excitement in sales divisions. The company has successfully reduced inventory levels, generating $7 million in cash flow from inventory reductions. EDUC is focusing on attracting, onboarding, and retaining new brand partners, with a successful March Join Special adding 1,400 new brand partners. The company is investing in technology and platform enhancements to improve product discovery and customer experience, supporting long-term engagement and retention. EDUC has executed a strategic restructuring, including executive pay reductions and a small reduction in force, to improve financial stability and support growth. Net revenues for the fourth quarter decreased significantly to $4.2 million from $6.6 million in the prior year. The company reported a net loss of $3.1 million for the quarter, a decline of $1.8 million compared to the previous year. Average active PaperPie brand partners decreased to 4,500 from 9,400, indicating a decline in sales force engagement. EDUC had to make a $3.6 million reclassification of inventory from current to long-term due to declining sales, indicating slower inventory turnover. The company is still under pressure from bank restrictions, impacting its operational flexibility and financial decisions. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with EDUC. Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Could you talk a little bit about how much inventory was reduced in this quarter and the cash flow from the inventory reduction or from operations? A: Hi, Igor, this is Dan O'Keefe, CFO. I don't have that information right now, but we will be filing the 10-K later today, where you can find that information. However, Q4 is typically our softest quarter, and cash flow from inventory reductions and our earnings before losses for the quarter would have been close to netting even. Q: Are there any covenants on your revolving loan that would prevent you from buying back stock or paying dividends if your business improves? A: There are no covenants with the new $2 million lin…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: May 19, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Educational Development Corp (NASDAQ:EDUC) has initiated a conservative purchasing plan to replenish best-selling out-of-stock items and introduce new titles, generating excitement in sales divisions. The company has successfully reduced inventory levels, generating $7 million in cash flow from inventory reductions. EDUC is focusing on attracting, onboarding, and retaining new brand partners, with a successful March Join Special adding 1,400 new brand partners. The company is investing in technology and platform enhancements to improve product discovery and customer experience, supporting long-term engagement and retention. EDUC has executed a strategic restructuring, including executive pay reductions and a small reduction in force, to improve financial stability and support growth. Net revenues for the fourth quarter decreased significantly to $4.2 million from $6.6 million in the prior year. The company reported a net loss of $3.1 million for the quarter, a decline of $1.8 million compared to the previous year. Average active PaperPie brand partners decreased to 4,500 from 9,400, indicating a decline in sales force engagement. EDUC had to make a $3.6 million reclassification of inventory from current to long-term due to declining sales, indicating slower inventory turnover. The company is still under pressure from bank restrictions, impacting its operational flexibility and financial decisions. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with EDUC. Is EDUC fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Could you talk a little bit about how much inventory was reduced in this quarter and the cash flow from the inventory reduction or from operations? A: Hi, Igor, this is Dan O'Keefe, CFO. I don't have that information right now, but we will be filing the 10-K later today, where you can find that information. However, Q4 is typically our softest quarter, and cash flow from inventory reductions and our earnings before losses for the quarter would have been close to netting even. Q: Are there any covenants on your revolving loan that would prevent you from buying back stock or paying dividends if your business improves? A: There are no covenants with the new $2 million line of credit. Q: I noticed an increase in revenue per partner despite the decline in the number of partners. Is this due to operational changes or because the remaining partners are more active? A: That's a great question. One trend we're seeing is the growth in in-person events, such as book fairs and in-home parties, which have contributed to higher sales per brand partner. Q: Do you consider any of your inventory unsellable, or are you exploring liquidation channels? A: We consider all our inventory sellable. The move to long-term inventory is not about writing off anything; it's just going to take longer to sell. We are exploring creative marketing ways to move inventory rather than participating in the remainder market, which offers low returns. Q: What kind of gross margin are you expecting for new titles, and what was your traditional margin? A: We aim to return to business as usual with gross margins closer to normal, around 10-15% discounting. Traditionally, our model involves selling a $10 book with a landed cost of $2.50, resulting in a $5 margin after commissions and costs. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-05-20

Educational Development Corporation Q4 2026 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Performance was constrained by a lack of new product excitement over the last two years due to bank-imposed operating restrictions. Management is executing a conservative purchasing plan to replenish best-selling out-of-stock items and introduce new titles to re-engage the sales force. The decline in active brand partners to 4,500 is being addressed through a strategic focus on attracting Gen Z, who require revised recruiting and engagement methods. Operational efficiency is being targeted through the adoption of AI in system development and support tickets to limit future headcount growth. A strategic restructuring of office and warehouse staff, including executive pay reductions and a small reduction in force, was implemented at fiscal year-end. Management attributes a recent increase in revenue per partner to a shift toward in-person events, such as book fairs and home parties, as consumers seek analog experiences. The turnaround plan focuses on a 4 to 6 month lead time from purchase order to product availability, with most new titles expected to arrive by June. Fiscal 2027 strategy centers on attracting and retaining brand partners through strategically timed initiatives and platform enhancements for product discovery. The company expects to generate cash flow from inventory reductions to fund operations, supported by a new $2 million line of credit for growth opportunities. Management intends to move away from excessive discounting, targeting a return to historical gross margins as bank pressure has subsided. Future IT initiatives will focus on simplifying the customer journey and making it easier for brand partners to share products digitally. A $3.6 million reclassification of inventory from current to long-term was made due to declining sales volumes, though management maintains all inventory remains sellable. A one-time $1.5 million valuation allowance was recognized against net deferred tax assets, which impacted net earnings but had no cash flow impact. The company successfully resolved all debt with its previous bank following a building sale, removing significant operational overhang. Management explored the remainder market for slow-moving inventory but determined the 2% retail price recovery w…Read full document

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Performance was constrained by a lack of new product excitement over the last two years due to bank-imposed operating restrictions. Management is executing a conservative purchasing plan to replenish best-selling out-of-stock items and introduce new titles to re-engage the sales force. The decline in active brand partners to 4,500 is being addressed through a strategic focus on attracting Gen Z, who require revised recruiting and engagement methods. Operational efficiency is being targeted through the adoption of AI in system development and support tickets to limit future headcount growth. A strategic restructuring of office and warehouse staff, including executive pay reductions and a small reduction in force, was implemented at fiscal year-end. Management attributes a recent increase in revenue per partner to a shift toward in-person events, such as book fairs and home parties, as consumers seek analog experiences. The turnaround plan focuses on a 4 to 6 month lead time from purchase order to product availability, with most new titles expected to arrive by June. Fiscal 2027 strategy centers on attracting and retaining brand partners through strategically timed initiatives and platform enhancements for product discovery. The company expects to generate cash flow from inventory reductions to fund operations, supported by a new $2 million line of credit for growth opportunities. Management intends to move away from excessive discounting, targeting a return to historical gross margins as bank pressure has subsided. Future IT initiatives will focus on simplifying the customer journey and making it easier for brand partners to share products digitally. A $3.6 million reclassification of inventory from current to long-term was made due to declining sales volumes, though management maintains all inventory remains sellable. A one-time $1.5 million valuation allowance was recognized against net deferred tax assets, which impacted net earnings but had no cash flow impact. The company successfully resolved all debt with its previous bank following a building sale, removing significant operational overhang. Management explored the remainder market for slow-moving inventory but determined the 2% retail price recovery was not worth the resource investment. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management clarified that only approximately $500,000 of the $37.7 million inventory is considered for creative marketing exits. The company decided against the remainder market because returns were only about 2% of retail price, which was deemed an inefficient use of resources. The increase in revenue per partner despite falling partner counts is driven by a growth in in-person events like school book fairs and home parties. This trend aligns with a broader cultural shift toward intentional, analog, and screen-free educational experiences for families. Management expects gross margins to return to 'business as usual' levels, avoiding the 40% to 60% discounts previously used to satisfy bank cash flow requirements. The core business model targets a $5.00 margin on a $10.00 retail book that costs $2.50 to land, regardless of the sales channel used.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-05-20

Educational Development (EDUC) Q4 2026 Earnings Transcript

Motley Fool
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET President and Chief Executive Officer — Craig White Chief Financial Officer — Dan O’Keefe Chief Sales and Marketing Officer — Heather Cobb Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Craig White: Thank you, Alan, and welcome, everyone, to the call. We appreciate your continued interest. I will start today's call with some general comments regarding the quarter, then I will pass the call over to Dan to run through the financials. After which Heather will provide an update on sales and marketing and IT projects, and then I will provide an update on our plans for fiscal 2027. Much of our fourth quarter was focused on our turnaround plan of selecting and ordering critical inventory. During the quarter, we began a conservative purchasing plan to replenish some of our best-selling out-of-stock items as well as purchased new titles. To remind everyone, it takes anywhere from 4 to 6 months from the time we issue a purchase order until the product is received and available for sale. I am pleased to report that we have received some of these replenishment and new titles and I've seen the excitement this has created in both our sales divisions. We are still expecting most of these new titles over the next few weeks and plan to showcase them at our annual convention in June. Heather will talk more about this in her marketing update. As I've said before, our turnaround plan is not an overnight change, but a carefully developed plan for growth over the next few quarters and years. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Dan O’Keefe to provide a brief overview of the financials. Dan O'Keefe: Thank you, Craig. To start our fourth quarter summary compared to the prior year fourth quarter, net revenues for the quarter were $4.2 million compared to $6.6 million. Average active PaperPie brand partners totaled 4,500 compared to 9,400. Loss before income taxes were $2.1 million, a $600,000 decline over the prior fiscal fourth quarter. Income tax for the quarter -- income tax expense for the quarter was $1 million due to a onetime valuation allowance of $1.5 million. Net loss for the quarter totaled $3.1 million, a decline of $1.8 million over the prior year fiscal fourth quarter. Loss per share totaled $0.37 compared to a loss per share of $0.16 on a fully diluted basis. Next to the fiscal year…Read full document

Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET President and Chief Executive Officer — Craig White Chief Financial Officer — Dan O’Keefe Chief Sales and Marketing Officer — Heather Cobb Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Craig White: Thank you, Alan, and welcome, everyone, to the call. We appreciate your continued interest. I will start today's call with some general comments regarding the quarter, then I will pass the call over to Dan to run through the financials. After which Heather will provide an update on sales and marketing and IT projects, and then I will provide an update on our plans for fiscal 2027. Much of our fourth quarter was focused on our turnaround plan of selecting and ordering critical inventory. During the quarter, we began a conservative purchasing plan to replenish some of our best-selling out-of-stock items as well as purchased new titles. To remind everyone, it takes anywhere from 4 to 6 months from the time we issue a purchase order until the product is received and available for sale. I am pleased to report that we have received some of these replenishment and new titles and I've seen the excitement this has created in both our sales divisions. We are still expecting most of these new titles over the next few weeks and plan to showcase them at our annual convention in June. Heather will talk more about this in her marketing update. As I've said before, our turnaround plan is not an overnight change, but a carefully developed plan for growth over the next few quarters and years. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Dan O’Keefe to provide a brief overview of the financials. Dan O'Keefe: Thank you, Craig. To start our fourth quarter summary compared to the prior year fourth quarter, net revenues for the quarter were $4.2 million compared to $6.6 million. Average active PaperPie brand partners totaled 4,500 compared to 9,400. Loss before income taxes were $2.1 million, a $600,000 decline over the prior fiscal fourth quarter. Income tax for the quarter -- income tax expense for the quarter was $1 million due to a onetime valuation allowance of $1.5 million. Net loss for the quarter totaled $3.1 million, a decline of $1.8 million over the prior year fiscal fourth quarter. Loss per share totaled $0.37 compared to a loss per share of $0.16 on a fully diluted basis. Next to the fiscal year summary compared to the prior year, net revenues of $22.9 million compared to $34.2 million. Average active PaperPie brand partners totaled 5,800 compared to 12,300. Earnings before income taxes totaled $5.3 million, excluding the gain on the building sale of $12.2 million, the loss before income taxes were $6.9 million. Income tax expense was $3 million with an effective tax rate of 56.5% due to a onetime valuation allowance of $1.5 million. Net earnings totaled $2.3 million. Earnings per share totaled $0.27 compared to a loss of $0.63 last year on a fully diluted basis. Now for an update on our working capital. Inventory levels decreased from $44.7 million at the beginning of the fiscal year to $37.7 million at the end of the fiscal year, generating $7 million of cash flow from inventory reductions. At the end of the fiscal year, the company had approximately $1.3 million of cash on our balance sheet. I would also like to mention some unusual accounting adjustments made during the fourth quarter. First, due to our accounting policy surrounding classification of long-term inventory, coupled with our decline in sales, we made a $3.6 million reclass of inventory during the fourth quarter from current inventory to long-term inventory. The reclass had no P&L impact as it only means that we have a longer-term supply of titles, we continue to sell each month based on current sales volumes. As sales increase, we expect more and more inventory to be reclassed from long-term inventory to current inventory. Secondly, due to our historical losses prior to the fiscal 2026, our operational and our operational expectations during our turnaround period, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance offsetting our net deferred tax assets. Based on this evaluation, we recognized a onetime valuation adjustment of $1.5 million to offset our net deferred tax assets. This adjustment had no cash flow impact but had a direct impact on our fourth quarter tax expense, net earnings and earnings per share. When the company returns to profitability, this valuation adjustment will be reversed. The reversal will have no cash flow impact, but will have a direct impact to our tax expense, net earnings and earnings per share. This concludes the financial update. I'll now turn the call over to Heather Cobb for a sales, marketing and IT update. Heather? Heather Cobb: Thanks, Dan. While our current results reflect the challenges of the past 2 years, we remain confident in both the direction of our strategy and the opportunity ahead of us. One of the clearest drivers of future growth for our business is growth on our PaperPie side through the brand partner community. As our active brand partner count increases, we count on that momentum to positively impact sales, customer engagement and overall business performance. For that reason, much of our sales and marketing focus in fiscal 2027 is centered on attracting, onboarding and retaining new brand partners while also continuing to engage existing leaders and teams. We were encouraged by the response to our March joint special, which produced meaningful engagement, adding almost 1,400 new brand partners, showing that there is still strong interest in our opportunity when paired with the right timing, messaging and product excitement. We have additional strategically timed initiatives planned throughout the year that are designed to support both recruiting and sales activities. At the same time, we are being intentional about protecting the long-term value of our products and our brand. We believe there is an important balance between offering thoughtful promotions or sales that meet consumer expectations while avoiding excessive discounting that can weaken our overall brand perception over time. Our strategy moving forward is focused on creating excitement and urgency in purposeful ways while continuing to reinforce the quality, educational value and uniqueness of our product offering. We also believe we are well positioned within a growing cultural shift towards more intentional and analog experiences. Parents and families are increasingly looking for opportunities to disconnect from constant screen time and reconnect through hands-on learning, reading, creativity and meaningful interaction. That trend aligns directly with who we have always been as a company. Our mission is creating the story of tomorrow through people, purpose and products continues to resonate and we believe our educational books, games and learning resources meet an important need in today's marketplace. As Craig mentioned earlier, the arrival of new titles and replenishment inventory has already generated renewed excitement across both of our sales channels. Combined with our continued investment in technology and enterprise-level initiatives, we believe we are building a stronger foundation for long-term growth. Our IT and marketing teams are actively developing tools and platform enhancements designed to simplify how brand partners share our products while also creating a more seamless and enjoyable customer experience. Upcoming initiatives include a variety of platform enhancements, focused on improving product discovery, streamlining and personalizing the customer journey, expanding functionality for both brand partners and customers and supporting long-term engagement and retention. While we continue to adapt to changes in consumer behavior and the direct selling landscape as a whole, our overall strategy remains consistent, increase our retail presence, strengthen the brand partner experience, provide exceptional products that support literacy and learning and create sustainable growth through community connection and product sharing. And one of the best ways that we do that, and Craig referenced it earlier is through our National Convention that happens each year. Next month, we will have several hundred brand partners come into Tulsa to hear from speakers like Rory Vaden, 2 of our Kane Miller author and creators and we'll spend an entire weekend focusing on solving the problem of disconnection with a way to connect with both their customers, new hosts and next team member. We understand that turnarounds take time, and we are encouraged by the progress that we are making and confident in the path ahead. Our team remains deeply committed to the mission of this company, and we believe that, that commitment, combined with strategic execution and renewed sales force growth positions us to build momentum throughout fiscal 2027 and beyond. Now I will turn the call back over to Craig. Craig White: Thank you, Heather and Dan. As Dan mentioned, we had some unusual adjustments during the quarter but expect these to improve our results in the future with the execution of our turnaround plan. During the last couple of years, we have been challenged to operate our business under restrictions from our bank. I am excited about the position we are in today and the plan for growth in fiscal 2027. While we need to execute on our plan that increases sales and therefore, cash, we're putting the most focus on increasing our brand partner counts and retaining existing brand partners. Over the last 2 years, our sales force has been anxious and waiting to see what will happen. A major factor for the reduced activity has been the lack of new products for them to get excited about for the last 2 years. As I mentioned initially, we have already received a few of these new titles and are seeing the sales excitement from both of our sales channels. We have continued to work with our vendors and are very excited about what is recently been presented to us for release in the new year. As always, and as you heard extensively from Heather, increasing our brand partner count is a big part of our overall strategy, and that means putting consistent effort toward attracting Gen Z. This new generation is challenging, not just for our company, but all companies in the direct selling industry to revise the recruiting and engagement methods. Many of our recent IT initiatives are focused on getting Gen Z to join as new brand partners by making it easier to do business with us. They work and shop differently, and we are well positioned to meet them where they are. These are revisions to our existing model that's certainly not an overhaul. We are evaluating programs and systems that haven't brought enough of a return and trying new tactics in new markets. We are embracing AI not as a strategy to eliminate or replace employees but to become more effective so that as we grow, we do not have to hire as many new employees. We are already seeing returns in system development or coding and basic inquiries to support tickets. I also want to make sure everyone understands that we expect to generate cash flow from inventory reductions to fund operations. Having said this, we executed a new agreement for a $2 million line of credit with our new bank to ensure we have the cash needed for growth. And although we are currently not using line and have a higher cash balance than we had at year-end, this line ensures we can capitalize on new opportunities. Also, at the end of the fiscal year, as the next step in our turnaround plan, we executed a strategic restructuring of our office and warehouse staff, including executive pay reductions, a small reduction in force along with other expense reductions. Lastly, I want to thank all of our shareholders for their patience, our employees, customers and brand partners for their commitment to our mission and our vendors for their willingness to stick with us. I am confident in our collective ability to emerge stronger and more resilient than ever before because I really believe we are tackling our growth from a plan -- our growth plan from a position of strength. While we were doing what we had to do to satisfy the bank, we are also thinking and planning for when we are out from under their control and continue to build. Now that we have provided a summary of some recent activity, I will now turn the call back over to Alan for question and answer. Alan? Operator: [Operator Instructions]. Your first question comes from Igor Novgorodtsev of Lares Capital. Igor Novgorodtsev: Thank you for taking my question and pronouncing my last name correctly. I have 2 questions. Unfortunately, I cannot see for some reason, your balance sheet on your press release. Could you talk a little bit how much inventory was reduced in this quarter? And as related to this, how much was the cash flow from the inventory reduction from operations. Dan O'Keefe: This is Dan O’Keefe. I'm sorry, I don't have that information for you right now. We will be filing the 10-K later today. And you can obviously glean that from the 10-K coming out. Igor Novgorodtsev: Okay. Fair enough. But would it be fair to say that the cash flow still stayed positive in Q4? Dan O'Keefe: Well, Q4 is typically our softest quarter that in the summer months, which is Q2, our 2 softest quarters of the year. So I would say that cash flow, when you look at inventory reductions and our losses for the -- our earnings before losses for the quarter would have been close to netting even. Igor Novgorodtsev: Okay. Fair enough. I'll just wait for your 10-K. My next question is, I appreciate that you take a revolving loan just in case, and it's actually nice to know. So hopefully, that shows to -- points towards the improvement of your business. But are there any covenants on your revolving loan than if your business improves enough doesn't allow you to buy stock back or pay a dividend to the shareholders? Or there is no such covenants? Dan O'Keefe: There are no covenants with the new $2 million line of credit. Igor Novgorodtsev: Okay. Excellent. Again, it's a little bit too early. I understand you just removed your biggest problem is the overhang from the loan. But did you have already made any improvements to your inventory or your operations in this quarter or that you basically just didn't have a time or given that this is the weakest quarter traditionally, these will not see the results until the next quarter? Craig White: Okay. So we touched on it briefly. But once we sold the building and knew we were going to be able to resolve all of our debt with our previous bank, we executed a Phase 1 of our purchasing plan, which is a very conservative $0.5 million in purchases, which was executed in the fourth quarter. We are kind of just now seeing new titles come in. But as we see the results of selling new titles, we've already kind of started our Phase 2, which is another $0.5 million. Does that answer your question? Igor Novgorodtsev: Yes. Somewhat -- okay. Sorry, somebody was adding something, I believe? Can I just continue? Is it okay? Unknown Executive: Yes. Igor Novgorodtsev: I just run a quick numbers on your revenue per partner, and I know that's an interesting trend in the last 2 quarters, your revenue per partner actually increased, like if you do the comparable revenue per partner, it's actually increasing and despite the account of the partner is falling, the revenue is increasing. Is that because there is something operationally changed about the partners or simply the partners that remained as the most active ones? Heather Cobb: That's a great question. One of the trends that we're seeing that tends to mean slightly higher sales per brand partner is the growth in our in-person events that are happening whether that's book fairs, inside schools or in-person booths and things like that, which even goes back to what I mentioned in my report of moving from digital to analog. Some people are having even more in-person home parties, which we haven't done in several years. And so we believe that, that trend that you are referencing point back to the growth of these in-person events. Igor Novgorodtsev: Okay. That's great to know. And my last question, and hopefully, it's not a long question. Given that you have such a large inventory, do you consider any of your inventory unsellable or you try to basically go for some inventory put through liquidation channels? Or you think that it's just slow moving and it will just take time, but everything is potentially sellable still? Craig White: Yes. We consider everything salable still. And that's why I want to reiterate the move to long-term inventory. It's not that we're going to have to write off anything at all. It's still all good sellable inventory is just going to take a little longer. That being said, we make mistakes in purchasing every now and again. It happens very, very rarely. We're kind of exploring the remainder market, but the returns are just not worth it. So while we're looking into it, it's very unlikely that we'll participate in the remainder of market. Yes, we're looking at other creative marketing ways to move this inventory. And it's more of a kind of one-off here and there of the things that are more highly inventory. Operator: Your next question comes from Paul Carter of Capstone Asset Management. Paul Carter: Craig, your comments about exploring the remainder market [indiscernible] say that. Is there -- can you provide some numbers around that, like what percentage of your long-term inventory are you thinking about in ways such as that? Craig White: Well, yes, no, the creative marketing ways were as opposed to the remainder market. We looked into it, it's just not worth our time. We're just going to find other ways. As an example, just some quotes that we got back, we get like 2% of the retail price. It's just not even remotely worth it. So we're not going to participate in that. Heather Cobb: Paul, I'll jump into you and say that in our meetings, one of the points of conversation that was important to us that may be important to you is using our time and energy and resources on this as a potential short-term or one-off strategy didn't seem like our best use of resources. And so since this wasn't going to be an ongoing strategy for us, once we discovered that it wasn't going to be worth it, we just aren't really pursuing it. Paul Carter: Okay. Fair enough. And maybe more to that point, is -- of my question is sort of how much of your $37.7 million of inventory [indiscernible] characterize as inventory that you don't -- that you would want to maybe get rid [indiscernible] obviously not through the remainder of market. Obviously, you looked at the remainder market because you felt there was a sufficient amount of inventory that may be [indiscernible]. Can you just give us some numbers around what that is and what that is? Craig White: No. It's roughly in the neighborhood of $500,000. I mean, it's not even a big part of our inventory. Paul Carter: Okay. No, that's great. And then Craig, you mentioned in the press release throughout fiscal '26, you continue to run promotions with -- pricing, prioritizing cash flow, et cetera. And I know that was obviously driven [indiscernible] driven by the bank. Was that the case in Q4 or maybe -- I'm sorry, I missed a little bit of your earlier comments, maybe you already talked [indiscernible] what was your gross margin change year-over-year [indiscernible] the fourth quarter? Dan O'Keefe: Yes. We haven't disclosed gross margin yet, Paul. And I don't have that information right in front of me, but I'm thinking back to the fourth quarter, Heather, did we run some promotional sales in December, January and February. Heather Cobb: Yes. I mean there's always some sort of saving shelf-type promotions. It's not one of the quarters that we typically do large sales. I will say that oftentimes, our Black Friday sale trickles over into the fourth quarter just because of when the date falls on the calendar. So that can have them impact there. Paul Carter: But would you say that the whatever promotional activity you have been experiencing, obviously, as not -- you're not feeling the pressure of the bank anymore. So that [indiscernible] coming back -- kind of normal, would you say? Heather Cobb: Yes. That's kind of what I was alluding to when I talked about trying to meet consumer expectations, which even on the other side of it as a consumer, I like to shop a good sale. But putting out there the fact that our books are so reasonably priced with an average price point hovering right around, if not below $10, not discounting ourselves and the value that we can offer even at regular price. And so we're trying to temper that by not throwing as many large-scale promotional sales out at them, but more falling in line with the traditional timing of the Black Friday sale or a Summer Blowout or something like that. It's kind of expected, but not negatively impacting our business side of things. Paul Carter: Okay. And then just lastly, regarding [indiscernible] admittedly, 4,500 is lower than if [indiscernible] a couple of years ago, and that's obviously [indiscernible]. It sounds like the March joint special that you mentioned -- positively. Is it kind of [indiscernible] the current quarter average active brand partner count might be higher than 4,500? Heather Cobb: The fourth quarter that we just reported on or the current quarter that we're working on. Paul Carter: The quarter we're in right now, the March, April quarter. Heather Cobb: Yes. I mean as always, and you're familiar with how this works, we constantly have ins and outs of people coming. We have been energized and hopeful about what we saw with what happened in March and are focusing even more than normal on not only bringing those people in, but also retaining them. And so I do think that we will see more of a balance shift to more coming and staying than we have losing. Paul Carter: Okay. Great. Thanks very much, everybody. Craig White: Thanks, Paul. Operator: [Operator Instructions]. There are no further questions at this time. I would hand over the call to Craig White for closing comments. Please go ahead. Craig White: Yes. It looks like maybe Igor jumped in late. Do we want to -- I'm happy to take his question. Operator: Sure, no problem. Go ahead and Igor Novgorodtsev of Lares Capital for the next question. Your line is already open. Igor Novgorodtsev: Sorry, I jumped in a little bit late. Yes, I just have a couple of follow-up questions. So now that you're going to start getting finally new titles, what kind of gross margin you're thinking about if we just said the old titles also side, just purely for the new titles? What would you consider like for your new businesses, acceptable gross margin? Craig White: Well, hopefully getting back to more business as usual, if we're not discounting and when we've talked about discounting to satisfy the bank, we were talking about 40%, 50%, 60% discounting, and that's absolutely not normal. So if we do kind of some not normal discounting to meet customers' expectations, it's going to be in the 10% to 15% range. So our gross margins are going to be getting closer back to business as usual. Igor Novgorodtsev: What was your traditional margin like over the years? Dan O'Keefe: So Igor, we have kind of a pretty simple model. As Heather said, our average book is $10. The average cost -- landed cost of that book is $2.50. And when we sell it through the retail division like Barnes & Noble or Ingram's or one of our retail customers, we sell that $10 book to them for $5 and they sell it for $10 to their customers and they make $5 and we get $5 on that $2.50 book. When we sell it through PaperPie, we typically sell it for the retail price of $10. But we pay out commissions to the salespeople and overrides to the leadership team of about $5. So on both -- in both sales channels, we get $5 for a $10 book that cost $2.50 and then -- and we have $2.50 to run our business on. Igor Novgorodtsev: Right. This is very, very helpful. My other question is about... Craig White: Do we lose Igor? Heather Cobb: I think we lost him. Craig White: Well, all right. Somebody let Igor know he can e-mail me. Operator: Are there no further questions at this time, I would hand over the call to Craig White for closing remarks. Please go ahead. Craig White: Yes. I have nothing else to add. I appreciate everyone's questions and the interest in the call. So thank you for joining us, and have a good day. We'll talk to you in July. Thanks. Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect. Before you buy stock in Educational Development, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Educational Development wasn’t one of them. 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As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Educational Development (EDUC) Q4 2026 Earnings Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool

As of 2026-10-24 • Updated weeklySource: Earnings sourceIngestion runbook