Arco Platform Limited

NasdaqGS:ARCE Stock Report

Market Cap: US$929.0m

This company has been acquired

The company may no longer be operating, as it has been acquired. Find out why through their latest events.

Arco Platform Balance Sheet Health

Financial Health criteria checks 2/6

Arco Platform has a total shareholder equity of R$2.7B and total debt of R$1.9B, which brings its debt-to-equity ratio to 69.1%. Its total assets and total liabilities are R$6.4B and R$3.7B respectively. Arco Platform's EBIT is R$120.1M making its interest coverage ratio 0.3. It has cash and short-term investments of R$517.5M.

Key information

69.13%

Debt to equity ratio

R$1.89b

Debt

Interest coverage ratio0.3x
CashR$517.46m
EquityR$2.73b
Total liabilitiesR$3.71b
Total assetsR$6.44b

Recent financial health updates

Analysis Article • Aug 09

Does Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...
Analysis Article • Oct 07

These 4 Measures Indicate That Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Is Using Debt Extensively

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...
Analysis Article • Jun 12

Is Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) A Risky Investment?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the...
Analysis Article • Nov 13

Is Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Using Too Much Debt?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the...
Analysis Article • Jul 29

These 4 Measures Indicate That Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...

Recent updates

Analysis Article • Aug 09

Does Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...
Analysis Article • May 04

Be Wary Of Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) And Its Returns On Capital

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for...
Analysis Article • Oct 07

These 4 Measures Indicate That Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Is Using Debt Extensively

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...
Seeking Alpha • Sep 08

Arco Platform: Still A Pricey 'EdTech' Play

Summary Arco Platform is a Brazilian edtech play riding some attractive secular tailwinds in the region. Headline margins clouded its Q2 numbers, but adjusted for one-offs, the underlying business looks very strong coming out of the pandemic. The fundamentals look great, but the stock is at a wide relative valuation premium, and investors might be better off waiting for a better entry point. Brazilian edtech company, Arco Platform (ARCE), posted another quarter of solid operating results, featuring strong revenue growth and resilient EBITDA margins (excluding one-offs), as well as a positive sales cycle update for next year. While the inflationary environment in Brazil could weigh on future results, Arco will likely be one of the more resilient LatAm edtech players, given its pricing power and focus on operating efficiency. That said, I have concerns about its leveraged balance sheet, which could result in P&L headwinds in a prolonged high-interest rate backdrop. So even with the recent improvement in FCF generation, Arco could end up spending most of its cash flow on financial expenses in the coming years. On a YTD basis, Arco stock has sold off more than premium higher education peer Afya (AFYA), as well as peers in the mass category like Yduqs (YDUQY), but with the stock still at a lofty relative premium, I would hold off on valuation grounds for now. ARCE PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts Stronger ACV Recognition Drives Revenue Outperformance Coming off two pandemic-impacted years of weaker growth in 2020 and 2021, Arco's recent results signal the start of a new growth cycle. In Q2 2022, net revenues came in well ahead of expectations at R$412mn (+61% YoY and +47% organic YoY). In turn, these numbers equate to an impressive ~26% of full-year annual contract value ((ACV)), well above the prior 20%-22% guidance range. The core solutions business was the key driver at R$367mn (+83% YoY), and while supplemental sales were down 20% YoY at R$45m, this was largely down to timing as most of the segment revenue is booked for Q4 2022. On a cycle-to-date basis, the strong revenue numbers mean Arco has now recognized >80% of its full-year ACV. This implies the remainder of its revenues will be recognized over the next quarter or so, given the annual profile of Arco's business (i.e., the school year from Q4 2021 to Q3 2022). In other words, Q3 will likely see lower expected revenues on a QoQ basis at ~R$260m or so, assuming full-cycle revenue approximates ACV (per guidance). Arco Platform One-Offs Skew Headline Margins but Underlying Expansion Intact Despite the solid organic growth in Q2, Arco's headline operating margins were well below expectations on a larger-than-usual volume of late orders from schools with late enrollments. This forced Arco to incur smaller and higher-cost printing lots as well as less efficient transportation shipping modes - hence, gross margin came down by ~230bps YoY. Elsewhere, selling expenses were also up ~54% YoY on more in-person events, offsetting any benefits from a net reversal of bad-debt provisions this quarter. G&A was a positive highlight, though, moving down ~410bps YoY to ~16% of revenue on increased back-office integration. While the headline numbers were far from impressive, adjusting for the impact of negative one-offs (~R$8m in M&A expenses and ~R$4m in share-based compensation, along with the transitory impact of late orders this quarter) yields a different picture. On an adjusted basis, Arco's EBITDA margin would have been a resilient 31.4% (+320bps YoY expansion) - a notable divergence from the R$100m accounting EBITDA and 24.4% margin for the quarter. Arco Platform Operating cash flow numbers should give investors comfort as well - even after accounting for capex, cash flow would have been up on a YoY and QoQ basis. This wasn't a light quarter for capex either - Arco's organic capex reached ~R$43m in Q2 (up 10% YoY), although, at 10.5% of net revenues (vs. 15.4% last year), capex intensity is noticeably lower YoY. With the 2022 guidance calling for capex at 10-12% of net revenues as well, expect a consistent run-rate through year-end. This bodes well for the free cash flow outlook, which has more than doubled YoY and QoQ after accounting for organic capex. That said, movements on the financing cash flow side will be worth watching, in particular, M&A disbursements and interest payments, both of which drove net debt (including leasing and M&A payables) up to R$2.43bn this quarter. Unless Arco de-levers quickly, upcoming rate hikes could result in higher interest payments, weighing on the P&L. That said, Arco is making good progress in extracting synergies from recent acquisitions (~R$30m in G&A in H1 2022), with an incremental ~ R$10m in G&A synergies slated for H2 2022 as management further streamlines expenses related to third parties, corporate personnel, and software. On balance, the reiterated full-year guidance for an adj EBITDA margin of 36.5%-38.5% and capex of 10-12% of revenue looks very achievable (if not a tad conservative) as the post-pandemic growth engine picks up steam. Arco Platform 2023 Sales Cycle Gaining Traction Building on the recent strength, the outlook for next year's ACV cycle looks good as well. Per management, YTD renewals and core sales growth (from new schools and upselling) are largely within expectations (i.e., in line with 2022), but supplemental sales have shown signs of outperformance. Cross-selling contracts originated by referrals within Arco's sales teams are another area to look out for, having risen +40% YoY. Of note, management cited on the call (replay here) that about half of renewals have been completed at higher prices as well, indicating the underlying pricing power of the Arco model. Thus, it came as no surprise that management reaffirmed the guidance of fully delivering ACV bookings for the school year, with this cycle's (Q4 2021-Q3 2022) revenue set to converge to ACV of R$1.56bn.
Analysis Article • Aug 30

Investors Could Be Concerned With Arco Platform's (NASDAQ:ARCE) Returns On Capital

There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and...
Seeking Alpha • Aug 26

Arco plunges after Credit Suisse lowers rating

Education sector technology company Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) is trading 11% lower after brokerage credit Suisse downgraded rating to neutral from outperform. Last week, the company stock were down after reporting Q2 results, impacted by late orders from schools. "The typical high level of late orders placed by partner schools in the beginning of the year led to part of such content being delivered in early April, therefore explaining the strong revenue recognition in the quarter," CFO Roberto Otero said last Friday. (ARCE) has been down ~40% YTD and is currently trading close to its 52-week low of $12.84. The stock fell 11% to $12.95.
Analysis Article • Jun 12

Is Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) A Risky Investment?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the...
Analysis Article • May 07

Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Could Be Struggling To Allocate Capital

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. One common...
Analysis Article • Apr 02

Are Investors Undervaluing Arco Platform Limited (NASDAQ:ARCE) By 28%?

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Arco Platform Limited ( NASDAQ:ARCE ) by...
Analysis Article • Nov 13

Is Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Using Too Much Debt?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the...
Analysis Article • Sep 04

Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Could Be Struggling To Allocate Capital

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an...
Analysis Article • Jul 29

These 4 Measures Indicate That Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...
Analysis Article • May 10

Investors Could Be Concerned With Arco Platform's (NASDAQ:ARCE) Returns On Capital

Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'd want to...
Analysis Article • Apr 13

Is Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) A Risky Investment?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the...
Analysis Article • Mar 18

Reflecting on Arco Platform's (NASDAQ:ARCE) Share Price Returns Over The Last Year

It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both...
Analysis Article • Feb 20

Does The Market Have A Low Tolerance For Arco Platform Limited's (NASDAQ:ARCE) Mixed Fundamentals?

Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) has had a rough three months with its share price down 14%. It is possible that the markets...
Analysis Article • Dec 30

Arco Platform (NASDAQ:ARCE) Seems To Use Debt Quite Sensibly

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says...
Analysis Article • Dec 04

Earnings Miss: Arco Platform Limited Missed EPS And Analysts Are Revising Their Forecasts

It's been a sad week for Arco Platform Limited ( NASDAQ:ARCE ), who've watched their investment drop 10% to US$37.46 in...
Analysis Article • Dec 02

If You Had Bought Arco Platform's (NASDAQ:ARCE) Shares A Year Ago You Would Be Down 13%

Arco Platform Limited ( NASDAQ:ARCE ) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 11% in the last month. But...

Financial Position Analysis

Short Term Liabilities: ARCE's short term assets (R$1.8B) exceed its short term liabilities (R$1.5B).

Long Term Liabilities: ARCE's short term assets (R$1.8B) do not cover its long term liabilities (R$2.2B).

Debt to Equity History and Analysis

Debt Level: ARCE's net debt to equity ratio (50.2%) is considered high.

Reducing Debt: ARCE's debt to equity ratio has increased from 0% to 69.1% over the past 5 years.

Balance Sheet

Cash Runway Analysis

For companies that have on average been loss-making in the past, we assess whether they have at least 1 year of cash runway.

Stable Cash Runway: ARCE has sufficient cash runway for more than a year based on its current free cash flow.

Forecast Cash Runway: Insufficient data to determine if ARCE has enough cash runway if its free cash flow continues to grow or shrink based on historical rates.

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Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2023/12/11 15:41
End of Day Share Price 2023/12/06 00:00
Earnings2023/06/30
Annual Earnings2022/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Arco Platform Limited is covered by 7 analysts. 2 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Frederico MendesBofA Global Research
Frederico MendesBradesco S.A. Corretora de Títulos e Valores Mobiliários
Samuel Campos AlvesBTG Pactual