Ispire Technology Inc. Common Stock 2026 Q4 Earnings Call

Please go ahead. Thank you, operator.

Before we begin, I would like to remind everyone that this conference contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in its announcement are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the company in terms of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the company believes are relevant. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown uncertainties, and many factors could cause the company's actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding this and other risk factors are included in the company's filings with the SEC.

The company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent or current events or circumstances or changes in expectations, except as may be required by law. I will now turn the call over to Steven Przybyla, President of Ispire Technology. Steve, you may begin. Thank you, James.

As we look at the fourth quarter and fiscal year, I want to start with what we believe is the most important takeaway. Ispire has reached an important inflection point in its turnaround. We began this turnaround a little over a year ago with clear objectives: clean up the balance sheet, reduce the cost structure, address legacy issues, and build the foundation for a more focused and sustainable business, all while advancing key growth catalysts. That work has not always been visible in the headline revenue numbers, but it has fundamentally changed the company, and we are now beginning to see that work reflected in the financial results. Fourth quarter revenue was $26.7 million, up 33% year-over-year and 43% sequentially. Cash also increased sequentially. At the same time, operating expenses remained substantially below where they were a year ago.

For me, that combination is important. We are seeing improving revenue momentum against a much leaner cost structure and a stronger balance sheet. But there is still work to do. The financial cleanup is not completely finished, and we remain disciplined around receivables and working capital. I believe we are much closer to the end of that process, and we expect the remaining legacy account receivable write-offs to be substantially addressed during fiscal 2027, with little or no carryover into following years. Completing that process, along with the underlying business's continued improvement, positions us to achieve positive GAAP earnings. The first major catalyst in this turnaround is Malaysia. Fiscal 2027 will be our first fiscal year of vapor and nicotine production at our company-owned facilities in Malaysia.

Recall, we obtained our nicotine manufacturing license for vapor products in March of 2026, and a license to produce nicotine pouches in May of 2026. This is important not only because of the additional production capacity, but because Malaysia changes both the economics of our manufacturing business and the markets we can serve. We are seeing strong interest from Chinese brands looking to diversify and move production outside of China. We also have recent visits to our facilities from major global tobacco companies, and I hope to announce the positive results of one such very recent visit in the near term. We believe the combination of our manufacturing capabilities, regulatory infrastructure, and Malaysian footprint gives us a differentiated proposition for brands looking for a reliable production partner. Our expectation is that several of these opportunities will mature and translate into commercial agreements during fiscal 2027.

We are excited about vapor ODM as well. The objective here is straightforward: expand our customer base by allowing brands to leverage our manufacturing capabilities and product expertise without having to build that infrastructure themselves. We believe the combination of Malaysia, ODM, and our existing manufacturing platform can create a meaningful new source of revenue while also increasing utilization of our facilities. Another major area of opportunity is our technology joint venture, IKE Tech. IKE is developing into a broader technology platform focused on age verification, product authentication, and compliance for regulated nicotine markets. We believe these capabilities address a growing need among regulators, manufacturers, and brands, and we are actively pursuing commercial partnerships with large international brands and manufacturers. IKE 2.0, which includes significant improvements to the user experience, is also scheduled to launch this fall. We have made meaningful progress on the regulatory front as well.

I have personally participated in four meetings with the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services over the past six months, including a June 15th meeting with FDA's acting commissioner. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The agency wants point-of-use age gating and applauds our technology. These discussions have reinforced our view that the need for this type of technology is real and growing on a global basis daily. Our component PMTA remains under review, but our strategy is broader than any single regulatory pathway. We are continuing to develop both age gating and product authentication technology platforms, pursue additional regulatory and commercial paths, and build relationships that can create value independent of any particular regulatory timeline. We also see a potential path to a significant liquidity event involving IKE during fiscal 2027 that would be separate from regulatory authorization.

We are not yet in a position to provide additional detail, but we do expect to have more to say as these discussions develop. Beyond IKE, GMASH continues to generate interest from leading global tobacco companies and other major international brands. We believe the technology has the potential to meaningfully differentiate the products we can offer and create additional opportunities within the global nicotine market. Finally, we are looking beyond the business and technologies we have already announced. We are evaluating several transformational investments in disruptive technology. We are being highly selective, but we believe there are opportunities where an investment could materially expand Ispire's value proposition and accelerate our evolution into a technology-forward company. Specifically, I want to emphasize that we are looking for opportunities where we believe our capital, manufacturing expertise, regulatory infrastructure, or global relationships can create a meaningful advantage.

When we look ahead, we believe fiscal 2027 will be a year of fundamental growth and change. We will have our first year of full vapor and nicotine pouch production in Malaysia. We expect major new commercial relationships to develop. We begin the transition of our branded products to Malaysia and work towards materially improving the economics of that business. IKE Tech will have several commercial and technology milestones ahead, and we expect GMASH and other proprietary technologies to create additional opportunities. Most importantly, we are entering this period with a much stronger foundation than we had a year ago. A leaner cost structure, a cleaner balance sheet, increasing manufacturing capabilities, and multiple paths to growth. Our job now is execution. The fourth quarter was an important first step in demonstrating the turnaround is working. Fiscal 2027 is about taking that momentum and building the next version of Ispire.

I will now turn the call over to Jay for a more detailed review of our financial results.

Jay? Thank you, Steve. For the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2026, Ispire Technology reported revenue of $26.7 million, an increase of 33% year-over-year, and 43% sequentially.

Compared with $20.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 and $18.7 million in the prior quarter. The increase reflects improving demand across the business and increased production activity as we entered the new fiscal year. Gross profit for the quarter was $1.7 million, and the gross margin was 6.3%, compared to $2.5 million and 12.3% respectively. The decline in gross margin was a result of an inventory impairment recognized in Q4. Total operating expenses, excluding credit loss, were $6 million, down 28.6% year-over-year from $8.5 million, and up a modest 2.3% sequentially from $5.9 million in the March quarter. The year-over-year decline reflects the continued benefits of a linear operating structure and a disciplined expense management.