Champions Oncology (CSBR) Q1 Fiscal 2027 Earnings Call: Revenue Up 9%, Services Margin Reaches 51%

Key Takeaways

• First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue increased approximately 9% year over year to $15.2 million from $14.0 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA rose to $671,000 from $59,000, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA.
• GAAP net loss was approximately $426,000, including $1.1 million of noncash expense, compared with a prior-year loss of $527,000.
• Translational oncology services generated $14.3 million in revenue. The segment’s margin improved to 51% from 43%, supported by lower third-party radiolabeling costs and operating leverage.
• Data licensing revenue reached $893,000, exceeding the total generated in all of fiscal 2026. Management attributed the increase to a broader customer base.
• Champions Oncology ended the quarter with approximately $4.4 million in cash and no debt after using about $500,000 of cash, primarily due to working-capital movements.

Key Financial Data

Business and Operating Performance

The translational oncology services business benefited from stronger conversion of contracted study value into revenue. Management said the quality of recent sales improved, while conversion expectations for contracts signed during the quarter remained strong.

Services profitability also improved. Cost of oncology revenue declined despite higher revenue, primarily because Champions Oncology brought more radiolabeling capabilities in-house and reduced third-party costs. Higher revenue provided additional operating leverage.

The data business delivered $893,000 of quarterly licensing revenue. Management said demand is supported by the scarcity of deeply characterized, clinically annotated, patient-derived data used in AI and machine-learning development decisions. The company aims to expand the use of its data from individual study predictions toward biomarker discovery, patient selection and clinical trial design.

Corellia, the company’s wholly owned therapeutic subsidiary, continued discussions with venture groups and potential pharmaceutical partners. Management said the supporting data continue to strengthen the program’s case.

Management Guidance

Champions Oncology did not provide a numerical fiscal 2027 forecast. Management said its focus remains on revenue growth, expense discipline and converting growth into higher profitability.

The company evaluates the data licensing business primarily on an annual basis because contracts close on varying timelines and quarterly revenue is expected to remain lumpy.

If Champions Oncology secures external funding or a licensing partnership for Corellia, management said the capital currently invested in that business could be redirected toward data initiatives, other growth priorities and the bottom line. No timeline was provided for an agreement.

Risks and Items to Watch

• Data licensing revenue may fluctuate significantly between quarters because contract timing is uneven.
• The timing and outcome of Corellia funding or partnership discussions remain uncertain.
• Sales and marketing expense increased to $3.0 million from $1.8 million following commercial expansion, placing greater emphasis on converting that investment into revenue and profit growth.
• Quarterly cash use was approximately $500,000, mainly due to lower accounts payable and higher accounts receivable.

Full Earnings Call Transcript

Complete Earnings Call Transcript

Management Remarks

Operator

Greetings. Welcome to the Champions Oncology First Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions]

Please note, this conference is being recorded.

I will now turn the conference over to your host, Rob Brainin, Chief Executive Officer. You may begin.

Robert Brainin

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining our first quarter fiscal 2027 earnings call. I'm Rob Brainin, CEO of Champions Oncology, and I'm joined today by our CFO, David Miller.

Before we begin, I'll remind everyone that today's remarks may include forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially, and you can find more information in our filings with the SEC. When we spoke in July, I said fiscal '26 was an investment year and that the onus was on us to deliver in fiscal 2027.

The first quarter was a strong data point that we're moving in the right direction. Revenue was $15.2 million, compared to $14 million in the first quarter of fiscal '26. Gross margin was 15%, up from 43% in Q1 fiscal '26. Adjusted EBITDA was approximately $700,000 and on a GAAP basis, we reported a net loss of $0.4 million. That included $1.1 million of noncash expense. This represents our fifth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA. Both our services business and our data business contributed to that improvement, and I'll touch on them in turn.

Our translational oncology services business generated $14.3 million of revenue in the quarter. And margins in that business held where we want today and the operating discipline we described in July showed up again this quarter. This is the part of Champions that has always been a predictive modeling business. A customer brings us to therapy, we run it through the most clinically relevant models in the industry, and we predict how the drug is likely to behave in patients. The demand environment for that work is healthy, and the quality of our tuber bank continues to be a core reason customers come to us.

We feel good about how we're showing up in the market and look forward to continuing to share updates over the coming quarters as the year goes on. Data licensing revenue was $893,000 in the first quarter. To put that in context, we generated more data revenue in this 1 quarter than in all of fiscal 2026, reflecting the broader base of customers we spent the last year building. Let's look at TOS business, we look at this on an annual basis rather than a quarterly one, though. Contracts closed on their own time lines and what we're very pleased with the progress, revenue will remain lumpy.

Pipeline continues to be robust and the strategic case keeps strengthening. As sponsors lean harder on AI and machine learning to make development decisions, the constraint isn't the model. It's the data underneath it. Deeply characterized clinically annotated, patient-derived data is scarce, and we have it. That's what will let us move from predicting the outcome of one study at a time toward helping sponsors find signatures, select the right patients and design better trials.

On Corellia, our wholly-owned therapeutic subsidiary, we remain encouraged. The external conversations continue with both venture groups and potential pharmaceutical partners and the data we're generating continues to strengthen the case. I'm not going to put a date on any outcome for the same reason I came in July. If we're successful in securing outside funding or licensing partnership, the investment currently flowing into that business would be redeployed toward our other growth initiatives, particularly data and to the bottom line.

In conclusion, fiscal 2026 was an investment year. The first quarter of fiscal 2027 is evidence that those investments are paying off in revenue, in margin and in data as well as progress in our discussions related to Corellia's pipeline. We have 3 more quarters to prove it out in fiscal '27 and we'll be reporting against it in the same way each time.

With that, I'll turn the call over to David to walk through the financials in more detail.

David Miller

Thanks, Rob, and good afternoon, everyone. Our full financial results for the quarter will be filed with the SEC on Form 10-Q on or before September 14. As Rob highlighted, revenue for the first quarter was $15.2 million, an increase of approximately 9% from $14 million in the prior year quarter.

On a GAAP basis, we reported a net loss of approximately $426,000 compared with a net loss from operations of $527,000 a year ago.

Turning to the cash-based operating results as we typically discuss them. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $671,000 from $59,000 in the prior year quarter. This is our fifth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA and our focus is on continuing to grow revenue while expanding profitability.

Let me provide a little more detail on the drivers of the quarter, starting with revenue. The improved quality of our sales over the last several quarters resulted in a higher percentage of contracted study value converting to revenue in Q1. Importantly, that trend continued with sales made during the first quarter with expected conversion percentages remaining strong. And as Rob discussed, data license revenue also contributed to the year-over-year growth, reflecting the broader customer base we built last year.

Another meaningful development was the improvement in oncology services margin, which increased to 51% from 43%. The improvement was driven by a few factors. Cost of oncology revenue declined by approximately $500,000 to $7.5 million from $8 million a year ago despite the increase in revenue. The reduction was driven primarily by lower third-party radio labeling costs. As we've discussed over the past year, we've been working to bring those capabilities in-house, resulting in a lower cost structure. Increased revenue also contributed to the margin improvement, reflecting the leverage we have in the business.

Turning to operating expenses. R&D expense was $1.9 million compared with $2.1 million in the prior year quarter. We were able to reduce spending in our core services business, while redirecting resources towards Corellia and our data initiatives.

Sales and marketing expense was $3 million compared with $1.8 million a year ago. As we've discussed previously, we made a deliberate investment last year to expand our commercial organization across both our research services and data businesses. That investment is now reflected in our expense base and our focus is on generating greater revenue and profitability from it.

G&A expense was essentially flat at approximately $2.1 million in both periods.

Turning to cash. We used approximately $500,000 of cash during the quarter, primarily reflecting working capital movements in the ordinary course of business, including a reduction in accounts payable and higher accounts receivable. We ended the quarter with approximately $4.4 million of cash and no debt.

Overall, the quarter demonstrates the operating leverage we've been working towards. Revenue grew, oncology services margin improved significantly and adjusted EBITDA expanded while we continue to support the investments we've made for future growth. We are continuing to build on the foundation established last year with a focus on maintaining expense discipline and converting revenue growth into improved profitability.

With that, I'll turn the call back over to Rob and ask for any questions.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]

We currently have no questions in the queue. I'd like to turn the floor back to Rob Brainin, for any closing remarks.

Robert Brainin

Great. Thank you. Really appreciate. I appreciate everyone dialing in or listening to the recording. As you can tell, we're really encouraged and excited about the progress we've been making and the trajectory of the business. And look forward to in the coming quarters, sharing more about that progress and how we're doing. We'll speak to you then. Have a great afternoon. Thanks.

Operator

Thank you. This concludes today's conference, and you may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.