0001434588false00014345882023-11-022023-11-02

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 2, 2023

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

    

001-34211

    

20-3356009

(State or other Jurisdiction of

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Incorporation)

2600 W. Camelback Road

Phoenix, Arizona

85017

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (602) 247-4400

(Former name or former address if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock

LOPE

Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On November 2, 2023, the Company reported its results for the third quarter of 2023.  The press release dated November 2, 2023 is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On October 25, 2023, the Board of Directors of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. increased the authorization under its existing stock repurchase program by $200.0 million, reflecting an aggregate authorization for share repurchases since the initiation of our program of $2,045.0 million. The expiration date on the repurchase authorization is March 1, 2025. Repurchases occur at the Company’s discretion. Repurchases may be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to the applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

Item 9.01. Consolidated Financial Statements and Exhibits.

99.1       Press Release dated November 2, 2023

104Cover Page Interactive Date File (imbedded within the XBRL document)

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

    

Description

99.1

Press Release dated November 2, 2023

104

Cover Page Interactive Date File (imbedded within the XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Date: November 2, 2023

By:

/s/ Daniel E. Bachus

Daniel E. Bachus

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Investor Relations Contact:

Daniel E. Bachus

Chief Financial Officer

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

602-639-6648

[email protected]

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. REPORTS

THIRD QUARTER 2023 RESULTS

PHOENIX, AZ., November 2, 2023Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOPE), (“GCE” or the “Company”), is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 25 university partners. GCE provides a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale. GCE today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

For the three months ended September 30, 2023:

Service revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $221.9 million, an increase of $13.2 million, or 6.3%, as compared to service revenue of $208.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in GCU enrollments to 118,227 at September 30, 2023, an increase of 6.6% over enrollments at September 30, 2022 and an increase in revenue per student year over year. The increase in revenue per student between years is primarily due to the service revenue impact of the increased room, board and other ancillary revenues at GCU in the third quarter of 2023 as compared to the prior year period. In addition, service revenue per student for Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing students at off-campus classroom and laboratory sites generates a significantly higher revenue per student than we earn under our agreement with GCU, as these agreements generally provide us with a higher revenue share percentage, the partners have higher tuition rates than GCU and the majority of their students take more credits on average per semester. The increase in revenue per student in the three months ended September 30, 2023 was also positively impacted by the timing of the Fall semester for the ground traditional campus. The Fall semester started one day earlier in 2023 than in 2022, which had the effect of shifting $1.2 million in service revenue from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2023 in comparison to the prior year.
Partner enrollments totaled 123,165 at September 30, 2023 as compared to 116,202 at September 30, 2022. University partner enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites were 5,448, a decrease of 4.3% over enrollments at September 30, 2022, which includes 510 and 421 GCU students at September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We opened six new off-campus classroom and laboratory sites in the year ended December 31, 2022 and five sites in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 increasing the total number of these sites to 40 at September 30, 2023. Enrollments for GCU ground students were 25,232 at September 30, 2023 up from 25,083 at September 30, 2022. GCU online enrollments were 92,995 at September 30, 2023, up from 85,845 at September 30, 2022, an increase of 8.3% between years.
Operating income for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $41.5 million, an increase of $6.0 million as compared to $35.5 million for the same period in 2022. The operating margin for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was 18.7%, compared to 17.0% for the same period in 2022.

Income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $8.5 million, an increase of $2.3 million, or 36.6%, as compared to income tax expense of $6.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Our effective tax rate was 19.3% during the third quarter of 2023 compared to 17.2% during the third quarter of 2022. The increase in our effective tax rate between periods was primarily driven by changes in the magnitude of contributions in lieu of state income taxes as compared to prior periods.

Net income increased 19.1% to $35.7 million for the third quarter of 2023, compared to $30.0 million for the same period in 2022. As adjusted net income was $37.8 million and $32.2 million for the third quarters of 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Diluted net income per share was $1.19 and $0.96 for the third quarters of 2023 and 2022, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $1.26 and $1.02 for the third quarters of 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 7.4% to $57.0 million for the third quarter of 2023, compared to $53.1 million for the same period in 2022.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023:

Service revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $682.6 million, an increase of $30.0 million, or 4.6%, as compared to service revenue of $652.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in GCU enrollments to 118,227 at September 30, 2023, an increase of 6.6% over enrollments at September 30, 2022.

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Operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $151.5 million, an increase of $4.7 million as compared to $146.8 million for the same period in 2022. The operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was 22.2%, compared to 22.5% for the same period in 2022.

Income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $34.6 million, an increase of $0.1 million, or 0.5%, as compared to income tax expense of $34.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. Our effective tax rate was 21.8% during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to 23.3% during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The slight decrease in our effective tax rate between periods is attributable to changes in the magnitude of contributions in lieu of state income taxes as well as a mix of other discrete tax items recorded in the respective periods.

Net income increased 9.4% to $124.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to $113.6 million for the same period in 2022. As adjusted net income was $129.7 million and $119.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Diluted net income per share was $4.10 and $3.47 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $4.28 and $3.65 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 1.2% to $191.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to $189.1 million for the same period in 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our liquidity position, as measured by cash and cash equivalents and investments decreased by $27.3 million between December 31, 2022 and September 30, 2023, which was largely attributable to share repurchases and capital expenditures exceeding cash flows from operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $154.4 million and $181.7 million at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

Share Repurchase Plan

GCE announced today that on October 25, 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors increased the authorization under its existing stock repurchase program by $200.0 million, reflecting an aggregate authorization for share repurchases since the initiation of our program of $2,045.0 million. The current expiration date on the repurchase authorization by our Board of Directors is March 1, 2025. As of October 31, 2023, there remained $272.4 million available under our current share repurchase authorization, which includes the increased authorization of $200.0 million. As of October 31, 2023, the Company had 30,010,536 shares of common stock outstanding. The plan permits the Company to make purchases in the open market at prevailing market prices or in privately negotiated transactions in compliance with applicable securities laws and other legal requirements. The level of purchase activity is subject to market conditions and other investment opportunities. The plan does not obligate GCE to acquire any particular amount of common stock and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The repurchase program may be funded using the Company’s available cash, investments and positive operating cash flows.

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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results and Full Year Outlook 2023

2023 Outlook

Q4 2023:

Service revenue of between $274.5 million and $275.5 million;
Operating margin of between 35.4% and 35.6%;
Effective tax rate of 20.3%;
Diluted EPS of between $2.64 and $2.67; and
29.7 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $1.7 million, which equates to a $0.06 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, Non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $2.70 and $2.73.

Full Year 2023:

Service revenue of between $957.1 million and $958.1 million;
Operating margin of between 26.0% and 26.1%;
Effective tax rate of 21.2%;
Diluted EPS between $6.74 and $6.77; and
30.1 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $6.6 million and losses on fixed asset disposals net of taxes of $0.5 million, which equates to a $0.24 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, Non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $6.98 and $7.01.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” which include information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies expectations, competitive environment, regulation, and availability of resources. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding: proposed new programs; whether regulatory, economic, or business developments or other matters may or may not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or liquidity; projections, predictions, expectations, estimates, and forecasts as to our business, financial and operating results, and future economic performance; and management’s goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Words such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions, the negative of these expressions, as well as statements in future tense, identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the harm to our business, results of operations, and financial condition, and harm to our university partners resulting from epidemics, pandemics, or public health crises: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of any of our key university partner agreements; our ability to properly manage risks and challenges associated with strategic initiatives, including potential acquisitions or divestitures of, or investments in, new businesses, acquisitions of new properties and new university partners, and expansion of services provided to our existing university partners; our failure to comply with the extensive regulatory framework applicable to us either directly as a third party education services provider or indirectly through our university partners, including Title IV of the Higher Education Act and the regulations thereunder, state laws and regulatory requirements, and accrediting commission requirements; regulatory actions taken against our university partners that impact their businesses and that directly or indirectly reduce the service revenue we can earn under our master services agreements; competition from other education services companies in our geographic region and market sector, including competition for students, qualified executives and other personnel; the pace of growth of our university partners’ enrollment and its effect on the pace of our own growth; our ability to, on behalf of our university partners, convert prospective students to enrolled students and to retain active students to graduation; our success in updating and expanding the content of existing programs and developing new programs in a cost-effective manner or on a timely basis for our university partners; the impact of any natural disasters or public health emergencies; and other factors discussed in reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including as set forth

4


in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for period ended December 31, 2022, as updated in our subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 10Q or Form 8-K.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made.  You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.  If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

Conference Call

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will discuss its third quarter 2023 results and full year 2023 outlook during a conference call scheduled for today, November 2, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (ET).

Live Conference Dial-In:

Those interested in participating in the question-and-answer session should follow the conference dial-in instructions below. Participants may register for the call here to receive the dial-in numbers and unique PIN to access the call seamlessly. Please dial in at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call.  Journalists are invited to listen only. 

Webcast and Replay:

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live webcast of this event at: Q3 2023 Grand Canyon Education Inc. Earnings Conference CallA webcast replay will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call at the same link.

About Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (“GCE”), incorporated in 2008, is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 25 university partners. GCE is uniquely positioned in the education services industry in that its leadership has over 30 years of proven expertise in providing a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale. GCE provides services that support students, faculty and staff of partner institutions such as marketing, strategic enrollment management, counseling services, financial services, technology, technical support, compliance, human resources, classroom operations, content development, faculty recruitment and training, among others. For more information about GCE visit the Company's website at www.gce.com.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc., 2600 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017, www.gce.com.

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6


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Income Statements

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2023

    

2022

    

2023

    

2022

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Service revenue

$

221,913

$

208,720

$

682,615

$

652,606

Costs and expenses:

Technology and academic services

 

39,174

 

37,641

 

115,643

 

112,136

Counseling services and support

 

73,824

 

67,235

 

219,565

 

200,773

Marketing and communication

 

53,097

 

50,651

 

156,797

 

151,237

General and administrative

 

12,175

 

15,576

 

32,838

 

35,323

Amortization of intangible assets

 

2,105

 

2,105

 

6,315

 

6,315

Total costs and expenses

 

180,375

 

173,208

 

531,158

 

505,784

Operating income

 

41,538

 

35,512

 

151,457

 

146,822

Interest expense

 

(1)

 

 

(27)

 

(5)

Investment interest and other

 

2,739

 

745

 

7,482

 

1,294

Income before income taxes

 

44,276

 

36,257

 

158,912

 

148,111

Income tax expense

 

8,537

 

6,249

 

34,636

 

34,463

Net income

$

35,739

$

30,008

$

124,276

$

113,648

Earnings per share:

Basic income per share

$

1.20

$

0.96

$

4.12

$

3.48

Diluted income per share

$

1.19

$

0.96

$

4.10

$

3.47

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

 

29,776

 

31,302

 

30,138

 

32,623

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

 

29,912

 

31,387

 

30,277

 

32,709

7


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of September 30, 

As of December 31,

(In thousands, except par value)

    

2023

    

2022

ASSETS:

(Unaudited)

Current assets

 

  

 

  

Cash and cash equivalents

$

56,871

$

120,409

Investments

 

97,553

 

61,295

Accounts receivable, net

 

104,475

 

77,413

Income taxes receivable

 

3,770

 

2,788

Other current assets

 

12,069

 

11,368

Total current assets

 

274,738

 

273,273

Property and equipment, net

 

164,638

 

147,504

Right-of-use assets

 

90,393

 

72,719

Amortizable intangible assets, net

 

170,485

 

176,800

Goodwill

 

160,766

 

160,766

Other assets

 

2,136

 

1,687

Total assets

$

863,156

$

832,749

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

 

  

 

  

Current liabilities

 

  

 

  

Accounts payable

$

23,696

$

20,006

Accrued compensation and benefits

 

25,446

 

36,412

Accrued liabilities

 

33,527

 

22,473

Income taxes payable

 

91

 

12,167

Deferred revenue

 

6,237

 

Current portion of lease liability

 

10,518

 

8,648

Total current liabilities

 

99,515

 

99,706

Deferred income taxes, noncurrent

 

26,694

 

26,195

Other long-term liabilities

 

416

 

436

Lease liability, less current portion

86,001

68,793

Total liabilities

 

212,626

 

195,130

Commitments and contingencies

 

  

 

  

Stockholders’ equity

 

  

 

  

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2022

 

 

Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 53,970 and 53,830 shares issued and 30,092 and 31,058 shares outstanding at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively

 

540

 

538

Treasury stock, at cost, 23,878 and 22,772 shares of common stock at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively

 

(1,832,686)

 

(1,711,423)

Additional paid-in capital

 

319,266

 

309,310

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(593)

 

(533)

Retained earnings

 

2,164,003

 

2,039,727

Total stockholders’ equity

 

650,530

 

637,619

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

863,156

$

832,749

8


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

(In thousands)

2023

2022

Cash flows provided by operating activities:

Net income

    

$

124,276

    

$

113,648

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

  

Share-based compensation

 

9,958

 

9,484

Depreciation and amortization

 

16,994

 

17,023

Amortization of intangible assets

6,315

6,315

Deferred income taxes

 

517

 

368

Other, including fixed asset impairments

 

(134)

 

1,013

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

  

Accounts receivable from university partners

 

(27,062)

 

(31,107)

Other assets

 

(1,154)

 

(1,288)

Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities

1,404

700

Accounts payable

 

3,894

 

(5,768)

Accrued liabilities

 

(910)

 

2,162

Income taxes receivable/payable

 

(13,058)

 

(8,172)

Deferred revenue

 

6,237

 

6,092

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

127,277

 

110,470

Cash flows used in investing activities:

 

  

 

  

Capital expenditures

 

(34,186)

 

(26,301)

Additions of amortizable content

(809)

(294)

Purchases of investments

 

(73,462)

 

(132,096)

Proceeds from sale or maturity of investments

 

37,927

 

63,373

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(70,530)

 

(95,318)

Cash flows used in financing activities:

 

  

 

  

Repurchase of common shares and shares withheld in lieu of income taxes

 

(120,285)

 

(576,206)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(120,285)

 

(576,206)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

(63,538)

 

(561,054)

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

 

120,409

 

600,941

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

$

56,871

$

39,887

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

  

 

  

Cash paid for interest

$

27

$

5

Cash paid for income taxes

$

47,654

$

41,118

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities

 

  

 

  

Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable

$

927

$

1,827

ROU Asset and Liability recognition

$

17,674

$

17,434

Excise tax on treasury stock repurchases

$

978

$

9


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Adjusted EBITDA  (Non-GAAP Financial Measure)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income plus interest expense, less interest income and other gain (loss) recognized on investments, plus income tax expense, and plus depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), as adjusted for (i) contributions to private Arizona school tuition organizations in lieu of the payment of state income taxes; (ii) share-based compensation, and (iii) unusual charges or gains, such as litigation and regulatory reserves, impairment charges and asset write-offs, and exit or lease termination costs. We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it to be an important supplemental measure of our operating performance. We also make certain compensation decisions based, in part, on our operating performance, as measured by Adjusted EBITDA. All of the adjustments made in our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA are adjustments to items that management does not consider to be reflective of our core operating performance. Management considers our core operating performance to be that which can be affected by our managers in any particular period through their management of the resources that affect our underlying revenue and profit generating operations during that period and does not consider the items for which we make adjustments (as listed above) to be reflective of our core performance.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA allows us to compare our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with the operational performance of other companies in our industry because it does not give effect to potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting relative interest expense, including the impact of write-offs of deferred financing costs when companies refinance their indebtedness), tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates or net operating losses), the book amortization of intangibles (affecting relative amortization expense), and other items that we do not consider reflective of underlying operating performance. We also present Adjusted EBITDA because we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties as a measure of performance.

In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, investors should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments described above. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by expenses that are unusual, non-routine, or non-recurring. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool in that, among other things it does not reflect:

cash expenditures for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital requirements;

interest expense, or the cash required to replace assets that are being depreciated or amortized; and

the impact on our reported results of earnings or charges resulting from the items for which we make adjustments to our EBITDA, as described above and set forth in the table below.

In addition, other companies, including other companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of Adjusted EBITDA as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a substitute for net income, operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with and reported under GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a measure of our liquidity. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and only use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental performance measure.

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The following table provides a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure for the periods indicated:

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2023

    

2022

    

2023

    

2022

 

(Unaudited, in thousands)

(Unaudited, in thousands)

Net income

$

35,739

$

30,008

$

124,276

$

113,648

Plus: interest expense

 

1

 

 

27

 

5

Less: investment interest and other

 

(2,739)

 

(745)

 

(7,482)

 

(1,294)

Plus: income tax expense

 

8,537

 

6,249

 

34,636

 

34,463

Plus: amortization of intangible assets

2,105

2,105

6,315

6,315

Plus: depreciation and amortization

 

6,055

 

5,671

 

16,994

 

17,023

EBITDA

 

49,698

 

43,288

 

174,766

 

170,160

Plus: contributions in lieu of state income taxes

 

3,500

 

5,000

 

3,500

 

5,000

Plus: loss on fixed asset disposal

440

491

575

1,155

Plus: litigation and regulatory reserves

24

1,188

2,571

3,316

Plus: share-based compensation

 

3,336

 

3,123

 

9,958

 

9,484

Adjusted EBITDA

$

56,998

$

53,090

$

191,370

$

189,115

Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Diluted Income Per Share

The Company believes the presentation of non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted income per share information that excludes amortization of intangible assets and loss on disposal of fixed assets allows investors to develop a more meaningful understanding of the Company’s performance over time. Accordingly, for the three-months and nine-months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the table below provides reconciliations of these non-GAAP items to GAAP net income and GAAP diluted income per share, respectively:

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2023

2022

    

2023

2022

(Unaudited, in thousands except per share data)

GAAP Net income

$

35,739

$

30,008

$

124,276

$

113,648

Amortization of intangible assets

 

2,105

 

2,105

 

6,315

 

6,315

Loss on disposal of fixed assets

 

440

 

491

 

575

 

1,155

Income tax effects of adjustments(1)

 

(491)

 

(447)

 

(1,502)

 

(1,738)

As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Net income

$

37,793

$

32,157

$

129,664

$

119,380

GAAP Diluted income per share

$

1.19

$

0.96

$

4.10

$

3.47

Amortization of intangible assets (2)

0.06

0.05

0.16

0.15

Loss on disposal of fixed assets (3)

0.01

0.01

0.02

0.03

As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Diluted income per share

$

1.26

$

1.02

$

4.28

$

3.65


(1)The income tax effects of adjustments are based on the effective income tax rate applicable to adjusted (non-GAAP) results.
(2)The amortization of acquired intangible assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.01 for each of the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, and net of an income tax benefit of $0.05 and $0.04 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(3)The loss on disposal of fixed assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.00 for each of the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and net of an income tax benefit of $0.00 and $0.01 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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