Fitness
Xponential Fitness Stock: Future Growth Is All But Guaranteed (NYSE:XPOF)
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The following segment was excerpted from this fund letter.
Xponential Fitness (NYSE:XPOF) is a franchisor of boutique fitness concepts including Club Pilates, Pure Barre, Stretch Lab and others. The stock was previously a stock market darling, having nearly tripled from the 2021 IPO through 2023 highs, but then became the subject of a well-regarded short seller at this time last year, causing shares to plummet.
The short report focused on
- questioning the integrity of XPOF’s CEO, and
- cherry picking commentary from unhappy franchisees in select verticals to imply that the entire business was at risk.
In May, XPOF’s CEO was removed, causing shares to plummet, and I purchased our position on this weakness.
Generally speaking, being a franchisor is a very good business, which explains why franchisors often trade at 20x EBITDA or more. At the time of the decline, if one assumed that every single franchisee had financed 75% of their franchise with debt, and then sued XPOF to recover this liability and won, I estimated that XPOF would have been trading at 12.5x their guidance for 2024 adjusted EBITDA.
The idea that every single franchise would sue was extremely farfetched because first, many franchisees own more than one franchise, and it is unlikely this would be true if they were unhappy with their first franchise. Second, information on franchisee/franchisor litigation is widely available, and through 2023 XPOF averaged less than 2 conflicts per 1,000 units. Importantly, Club Pilates – XPOF’s crown jewel – had zero lawsuits. Further, I believed that Club Pilates by itself could be worth more in a private sale than the price that public markets ascribed to the entire portfolio of concepts.
Since the time of our purchase, the company has named an impressive new CEO, made it clear that they are open to divesting underperforming concepts, and indicated that share repurchases are likely in the not-too-distant future.
Additionally, future growth is all but guaranteed as the number of global licenses sold far exceeds the number of global studios that are currently open. Importantly, this dynamic should cushion the business during any economic downturns as license holders who have not yet opened studios would be incentivized to take advantage of favorable lease terms during economic downturns. I would note that XPOF grew and gained market share through COVID, while the industry suffered.
Shares have rallied considerably since our purchase, but there is still a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding the business related to an SEC investigation instigated by the short report. I expect this investigation will be resolved with time, and shares will re-rate higher. If XPOF continues to execute and gets a franchise peer multiple, the stock could rally more than 200% from here. This leaves plenty of room for success if the market is suspicious about the durability of fitness concepts and XPOF trades at a discounted multiple.
Disclaimer This document, which is being provided on a confidential basis, shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy which may only be made at the time a qualified offeree receives a confidential private offering memorandum (“CPOM”) / confidential explanatory memorandum (“CEM”), which contains important information (including investment objective, policies, risk factors, fees, tax implications and relevant qualifications), and only in those jurisdictions where permitted by law. In the case of any inconsistency between the descriptions or terms in this document and the CPOM/CEM, the CPOM/CEM shall control. These securities shall not be offered or sold in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful until the requirements of the laws of such jurisdiction have been satisfied. This document is not intended for public use or distribution. While all the information prepared in this document is believed to be accurate, Laughing Water Capital, LP, Laughing Water Capital II LP and LW Capital Management, LLC make no express warranty as to the completeness or accuracy, nor can they accept responsibility for errors appearing in the document. An investment in the fund/partnership is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Opportunities for withdrawal/redemption and transferability of interests are restricted, so investors may not have access to capital when it is needed. There is no secondary market for the interests and none is expected to develop. The portfolio is under the sole trading authority of the general partner/investment manager. A portion of the trades executed may take place on non-U.S. exchanges. Leverage may be employed in the portfolio, which can make investment performance volatile. The portfolio is concentrated, which leads to increased volatility. An investor should not make an investment, unless it is prepared to lose all or a substantial portion of its investment. The fees and expenses charged in connection with this investment may be higher than the fees and expenses of other investment alternatives and may offset profits. There is no guarantee that the investment objective will be achieved. Moreover, the past performance of the investment team should not be construed as an indicator of future performance. Any projections, market outlooks or estimates in this document are forward-looking statements and are based upon certain assumptions. Other events which were not taken into account may occur and may significantly affect the returns or performance of the fund/partnership. Any projections, outlooks or assumptions should not be construed to be indicative of the actual events which will occur. The enclosed material is confidential and not to be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the prior written consent of LW Capital Management, LLC. The information in this material is only current as of the date indicated, and may be superseded by subsequent market events or for other reasons. Statements concerning financial market trends are based on current market conditions, which will fluctuate. Any statements of opinion constitute only current opinions of Laughing Water Capital LP and Laughing Water Capital II LP, which are subject to change and which Laughing Water Capital LP and Laughing Water Capital II LP do not undertake to update. Due to, among other things, the volatile nature of the markets, an investment in the fund/partnership may only be suitable for certain investors. Parties should independently investigate any investment strategy or manager, and should consult with qualified investment, legal and tax professionals before making any investment. The fund/partnership is not registered under the investment company act of 1940, as amended, in reliance on an exemption there under. Interests in the fund/partnership have not been registered under the securities act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any state and are being offered and sold in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of said act and laws. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 are indices of US equities. They are included for informational purposes only and may not be representative of the type of investments made by the fund. |
Editor’s Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.