Xcel Brands, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results, Shows Continued Improvements in Operating Results as a Result of Its “Project Fundamentals” Restructuring Program

Rhea-AI Summary

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ: XELB) reported Q1 2025 financial results showing improved operating performance through its restructuring program. The company posted a net loss of $2.8 million, a 56% improvement from $6.3 million loss in Q1 2024. Revenue declined 39% to $1.3 million due to the Lori Goldstein brand divestiture. Operating costs decreased 42% to $2.3 million. The company's social media following grew from 5M to 45M followers in five months. Non-GAAP net loss improved 24% to $1.4 million, while Adjusted EBITDA improved 56% to negative $0.7 million. The balance sheet showed $25.7M in stockholders' equity, $0.3M in cash, and $8.5M in long-term debt. In April 2025, a debt refinancing added $3.0M to liquidity.

Positive

• 56% improvement in net loss from $6.3M to $2.8M year-over-year
• 42% reduction in operating costs to $2.3M
• Social media following grew significantly from 5M to 45M followers in 5 months
• 24% improvement in non-GAAP net loss to $1.4M
• Successfully refinanced term loan debt adding $3.0M in liquidity

Negative

• 39% decline in total revenue to $1.3M year-over-year
• Negative Adjusted EBITDA of $0.7M despite improvement
• Low cash position of $0.3M
• Working capital deficit of $0.6M
• High debt level of $8.5M in long-term debt

Insights

Financial Analyst

Xcel Brands reduced Q1 losses by 56% through cost-cutting despite revenue decline; cash position remains concerning at just $0.3M.

Xcel Brands' Q1 2025 results paint the picture of a company in transition, showing meaningful progress on cost structure while still facing significant revenue challenges. The 56% improvement in net loss (from $6.3 million to $2.8 million) and similar improvement in Adjusted EBITDA (from negative $1.6 million to negative $0.7 million) demonstrate that the "Project Fundamentals" restructuring program is delivering tangible results on the expense side.

However, this cost-cutting success is partially overshadowed by a concerning 39% revenue decline to just $1.3 million. While management attributes this primarily to the divestiture of the Lori Goldstein brand in June 2024, the limited revenue base creates significant pressure on the company's path to profitability. Operating at a $10 million annual expense run-rate against this revenue level leaves a substantial gap to bridge.

The balance sheet position remains precarious with only $0.3 million in unrestricted cash, a working capital deficit of $0.6 million, and $8.5 million in long-term debt. The April 2025 debt refinancing that provided $3.0 million in additional liquidity was likely essential given this cash position.

Management's focus on growing social media following from 5 million to 45 million followers signals a pivot toward leveraging digital presence for future revenue opportunities. However, the critical question remains whether Xcel can translate this audience growth into meaningful revenue streams before its improved but still constrained cash position becomes problematic. The company's expertise in livestream shopping could potentially align well with this social strategy, but execution risks remain substantial given the financial constraints.

• First quarter 2025 net loss of $2.8 million, representing a 56% improvement from the prior year quarter net loss of $6.3 million.
• Net loss on a non-GAAP basis was $1.4 million for the first quarter 2025, representing a 24% improvement from the first quarter of 2024 non-GAAP net loss of $1.8 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter 2025 was negative $0.7 million, compared with Adjusted EBITDA of negative $1.6 million for the first quarter 2024, representing a 56% improvement.
  

NEW YORK, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: XELB) (“Xcel” or the “Company”), a media and consumer products company with significant expertise in livestream shopping and social commerce, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025.

Robert W. D'Loren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel, commented, “Despite headwinds in the industry from tariffs and other external forces, I am extremely pleased with where we are headed given continued improvement in our operational cost and our recent new brand launches. The social media following of our brand portfolio has grown from 5 million to 45 million followers over the past five months. We believe this positions us well to drive new business growth and is a significant step toward our goal of reaching 100 million followers across our brands.”

First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Total revenue for the first quarter of 2025 was $1.3 million, representing a decrease of approximately $0.9 million (-39%) from the first quarter of 2024. This decrease was driven by a decline in net licensing revenue as a result of the June 30, 2024 divestiture of the Lori Goldstein brand, the impact of which was partially offset by increased licensing revenues generated by the Company’s other brands.

Direct operating costs and expenses decreased approximately $1.7 million (-42%) from the prior year quarter to $2.3 million in the current quarter. As of the end of the first quarter of 2025, the Company has reduced its direct operating expenses to an expected run rate of less than $10 million per annum.

Net loss attributable to Xcel Brands stockholders for the quarter was approximately $2.8 million, or $(1.18) per share, compared with a net loss of $6.3 million, or $(3.09) per share, for the prior year quarter.

After adjusting for certain cash and non-cash items, results on a non-GAAP basis were a net loss of approximately $1.4 million, or $(0.58) per share for the current quarter and a net loss of approximately $1.8 million, or $(0.88) per share, for the prior year quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA also improved on a year-over-year basis, from negative $1.6 million in the prior year quarter to negative $0.7 million for the current quarter, representing 56% improvement.

Balance Sheet

The Company's balance sheet at March 31, 2025 reflected stockholders' equity of approximately $25.7 million, unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.3 million, and a working capital (exclusive of the current portion of lease obligations, deferred revenue, and contingent obligations payable in shares or via other non-cash means) deficit of approximately $0.6 million. The Company’s balance sheet at March 31, 2025, also reflected $8.5 million of long-term debt.

In April 2025, the Company refinanced its term loan debt, resulting in a net increase of approximately $3.0 million in the Company’s liquidity.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a conference call with members of the executive management team to discuss these results and together with the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 results. Details of the date and time of this call will be released shortly.

About Xcel Brands

Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: XELB) is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce. Xcel owns the Halston, Judith Ripka, and C. Wonder brands, as well as the co-branded collaboration brands TowerHill by Christie Brinkley, LB70 by Lloyd Boston, Trust. Respect. Love. by Cesar Millan, and GemmaMade by Gemma Stafford, and also holds noncontrolling interests or long-term license agreements in the Isaac Mizrahi brand, Orme Live and Jenny Martinez Live brands. Xcel also owns and manages the Longaberger brand through its controlling interest in Longaberger Licensing, LLC. Xcel is pioneering a true modern consumer products sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels to be everywhere its customers shop. The company’s brands have generated in excess of $5 billion in retail sales via livestreaming in interactive television and digital channels alone and consisting of over 20,000 hours of content production time in live-stream and social commerce. The brand portfolio reaches in excess of 40 million social media followers with broadcast reach into 200 million households. Headquartered in New York City, Xcel Brands is led by an executive team with significant live streaming, production, merchandising, design, marketing, retailing, and licensing experience, and a proven track record of success in elevating branded consumer products companies. For more information, visit www.xcelbrands.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including statements regarding future events, our future financial performance, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "anticipates," "believes," "can," "continue," "ongoing," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "appears," "suggests," "future," "likely," "goal," "plans," "potential," "projects," "predicts," "seeks," "should," "would," "guidance," "confident" or "will" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our anticipated revenue, expenses, profitability, strategic plans and capital needs. These statements are based on information available to us on the date hereof and our current expectations, estimates and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, including, without limitation, the risks discussed in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and its other filings with the SEC, which may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors, nor can we address the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason.

For further information please contact:
Seth Burroughs
Xcel Brands
sburroughs@xcelbrands.com

Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS are non-GAAP unaudited terms. We define non-GAAP net income as net income (loss) attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders, exclusive of asset impairment charges, amortization of trademarks, income (loss) from equity method investments, reduction in equity ownership and carrying value of IM Topco, LLC, stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants, loss on extinguishment of debt, gains on sales of assets and investments, gain on lease termination, and income taxes. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS measures do not include the tax effect of the aforementioned adjusting items, due to the nature of these items and the Company’s tax strategy.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP unaudited measure, which we define as net (loss) income attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders before interest and finance expenses (including loss on extinguishment of debt, if any), accretion of lease liability for exited leases, income taxes, other state and local franchise taxes, depreciation and amortization, income (loss) from equity method investments, reduction in equity ownership and carrying value of IM Topco, LLC, asset impairment charges, stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants, gains on sales of assets and investments, gain on lease termination, and costs associated with restructuring of operations. Costs associated with restructuring of operations include operating losses generated by certain of our businesses that have been restructured or discontinued (i.e., wholesale apparel and fine jewelry), as well as non-cash charges associated with the restructuring of certain contractual arrangements.

Management uses non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA as measures of operating performance to assist in comparing performance from period to period on a consistent basis and to identify business trends relating to our results of operations. Management believes non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA are also useful because these measures adjust for certain costs and other events that management believes are not representative of our core business operating results, and thus these non-GAAP measures provide supplemental information to assist investors in evaluating our financial results.

Non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net income, earnings per share, or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Given that non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA are financial measures not deemed to be in accordance with GAAP and are susceptible to varying calculations, our non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies, including companies in our industry, because other companies may calculate these measures in a different manner than we do. In evaluating non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may or may not incur expenses similar to some of the adjustments in this document. Our presentation of non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA does not imply that our future results will be unaffected by these expenses or any unusual or non-recurring items. When evaluating our performance, you should consider non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including our net income and other GAAP results, and not rely on any single financial measure.

Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
	For the Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2025				2024
Revenues
Net licensing revenue	$	1,332			$	2,184
Operating costs and expenses
Salaries, benefits and employment taxes		1,086				1,933
Other selling, general and administrative expenses		1,197				2,029
Total direct operating costs and expenses		2,283				3,962
Other expense, including non-cash expenses
Depreciation and amortization		900				1,589
Asset impairment charges		-				2,295
Loss from equity method investment		576				533
Change in contingent reduction in equity ownership of IM Topco, LLC		(240	)			-
Operating loss		(2,187	)			(6,195	)
Interest and finance expense
Interest expense		473				146
Other interest and finance charges		87				4
Total interest and finance expense		560				150
Loss before income taxes		(2,747	)			(6,345	)
Income tax provision (benefit)		50				-
Net loss		(2,797	)			(6,345	)
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest		-				(51	)
Net loss attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders	$	(2,797	)		$	(6,294	)
Loss per common share attributed to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders:
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(1.18	)		$	(3.09	)
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding		2,373,583				2,037,397

Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
		March 31, 2025				December 31, 2024
Assets
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	298			$	1,254
Accounts receivable, net			2,105				2,269
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			508				520
Total current assets			2,911				4,043
Property and equipment, net			180				182
Operating lease right-of-use assets			3,573				3,751
Trademarks and other intangibles, net			33,877				34,759
Equity method investment			9,534				10,110
Other assets			2411				911
Total non-current assets			49,575				49,713
Total Assets		$	52,486			$	53,756
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities		$	2,714			$	2,734
Deferred revenue			1,398				1,380
Accrued income taxes payable			546				554
Current portion of operating lease obligation			1,594				1,513
Current portion of long-term debt			250				-
Current portion of contingent obligations			3,973				4,213
Total current liabilities			10,475				10,394
Long-Term Liabilities:
Deferred revenue			2,444				2,667
Long-term portion of operating lease obligation			4,956				5,297
Long-term debt, net, less current portion			8,470				6,569
Other long-term liabilities			431				431
Total long-term liabilities			16,301				14,964
Total Liabilities			26,776				25,358
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders' Equity:
Preferred stock, $.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding			-				-
Common stock, $.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, and 2,386,325 and 2,368,072 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively			2				2
Paid-in capital			106,775				106,666
Accumulated deficit			(79,041	)			(76,244	)
Total Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders' equity			27,736				30,424
Noncontrolling interest			(2,026	)			(2,026	)
Total Stockholders' Equity			25,710				28,398
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity		$	52,486			$	53,756

Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
		For the Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2025				2024
Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss		$	(2,797	)		$	(6,345	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense			900				1,589
Asset impairment charges			-				2,295
Amortization of deferred finance costs			102				26
Stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants			109				144
Contingent reduction in equity ownership of IM Topco, LLC			(240	)			-
Loss from equity method investment			576				533
Accounts receivable			164				(149	)
Inventory			-				8
Prepaid expenses and other assets			12				(156	)
Deferred revenue			(205	)			(223	)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities			27				(560	)
Lease-related assets and liabilities			(82	)			(237	)
Other Liabilities			-				466
Net cash used in operating activities			(1,434	)			(2,609	)
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property and equipment			(14	)			-
Net cash used in investing activities			(14	)			-
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from public offering and private placement transactions, net of transaction costs			-				1,902
Proceeds from long-term debt			2,050				-
Shares repurchased including vested restricted stock in exchange for withholding taxes			(58	)			-
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			1,992				1,902
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			544				(707	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			1,993				2,998
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		$	2,537			$	2,291
Reconciliation to amounts on consolidated balance sheets:
Cash and cash equivalents			298				1,552
Restricted cash (reported in other non-current assets)			2,239				739
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash		$	2,537			$	2,291

		For the Three Months Ended
($ in thousands)		March 31,				March 31,
		2025				2024
		(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Net loss attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders		$	(2,797	)		$	(6,294	)
Asset impairment			-				2,295
Amortization of trademarks			875				1,519
Loss from equity method investments			576				533
Contingent reduction in equity ownership of IM Topco, LLC			(240	)			-
Stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants			166				144
Income tax provision (benefit)			50				-
Non-GAAP net (loss)		$	(1,370	)		$	(1,803	)
		For the Three Months Ended
		March 31,				March 31,
		2025				2024
		(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Diluted loss per share attributable to Xcel Brand Inc. stockholders		$	(1.18	)		$	(3.09	)
Asset impairment			-				1.13
Amortization of trademarks			0.37				0.75
Loss from equity method investments			0.24				0.26
Contingent reduction in equity ownership of IM Topco, LLC			(0.10	)			-
Stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants			0.07				0.07
Income tax provision (benefit)			0.02				-
Non-GAAP diluted EPS		$	(0.58	)		$	(0.88	)
Non-GAAP weighted average diluted shares			2,373,583				2,037,397
		For the Three Months Ended
($ in thousands)		March 31,				March 31,
		2025				2024
		(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Net loss attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders		$	(2,797	)		$	(6,294	)
Asset impairment			-				2,295
Depreciation and amortization			900				1,589
Loss from equity method investments			576				533
Contingent reduction in equity ownership of IM Topco, LLC			(240	)			-
Interest and finance expense			560				150
Income tax benefit			50				-
State and local franchise taxes			8				12
Stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants			166				144
Accretion of lease liability for exited lease			61				-
Costs associated with restructuring of operations			17				-
Adjusted EBITDA		$	(699	)		$	(1,571	)

FAQ

What were Xcel Brands (XELB) Q1 2025 earnings results?

Xcel Brands reported a Q1 2025 net loss of $2.8 million ($1.18 per share), improved from a $6.3 million loss in Q1 2024. Revenue was $1.3 million, down 39% year-over-year.

How much did XELB reduce their operating costs in Q1 2025?

Xcel Brands reduced their direct operating costs by 42% year-over-year to $2.3 million, with an expected annual run rate of less than $10 million.

What is Xcel Brands' (XELB) current social media following?

Xcel Brands grew their social media following from 5 million to 45 million followers over the past five months, targeting a goal of 100 million followers across their brands.

How much debt does XELB have as of Q1 2025?

As of March 31, 2025, Xcel Brands had $8.5 million in long-term debt, and subsequently refinanced their term loan debt in April 2025, adding $3.0 million in liquidity.

What caused XELB's revenue decline in Q1 2025?

The 39% revenue decline was primarily driven by the June 30, 2024 divestiture of the Lori Goldstein brand, partially offset by increased licensing revenues from other brands.