Dec 31, 2023

TEGNA Q4 2023 Earnings Report

Reported fourth quarter and full-year 2023 results and provided a business update.

Key Takeaways

TEGNA Inc. reported a decrease in total company revenue for the fourth quarter, primarily due to the absence of political revenue from the prior year's mid-term election cycle. However, advertising trends showed sequential improvement, and the company is implementing a new capital allocation framework to return capital to shareholders.

Total company revenue was $726 million, down 21 percent year-over-year.

Subscription revenue was $339 million, down nine percent year-over-year, primarily due to a temporary service disruption.

AMS revenue was $352 million, in-line with the prior year, with underlying advertising trends up four percent year-over-year when adjusted for the loss of a single national Premion account.

GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.40, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.43.

Total Revenue
$726M
Previous year: $917M
-20.9%
EPS
$0.43
Previous year: $0.98
-56.1%
Gross Profit
$276M
Previous year: $484M
-43.1%
Cash and Equivalents
$361M
Previous year: $552M
-34.6%
Free Cash Flow
$130M
Previous year: $297M
-56.2%
Total Assets
$7B
Previous year: $7.33B
-4.5%

TEGNA

TEGNA

TEGNA Revenue by Segment

Forward Guidance

TEGNA provided full-year 2024 outlook and free cash flow guidance for 2024-2025. The company expects to generate free cash flow in the range of $900 million - $1.1 billion during the 2024-2025 period.

Positive Outlook

  • Free cash flow guidance of $900 million - $1.1 billion during the 2024-2025 period.
  • Extension of TEGNA’s affiliation agreements with NBC and ABC.
  • Completed renegotiation of retransmission agreements for approximately 30 percent of traditional subscribers.
  • Transformation initiatives to streamline operations, pursue innovation-driven opportunities, and achieve cost reductions.
  • Strategic investment in 6AM City to enhance the distribution of local content.

Challenges Ahead

  • Total Company GAAP Revenue Down Low-to-Mid-Single Digit percent
  • Total Non-GAAP Operating Expenses Up Low-Single Digit percent

Revenue & Expenses

Visualization of income flow from segment revenue to net income