■Future outlook
● Consolidated Earnings Forecast for the Fiscal Year Ending January 2025
HowTV's consolidated earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending 2025/1 (transition to consolidated accounts) is sales of 2,390 million yen, operating income of 450 million yen, ordinary income of 446 million yen, and net income attributable to parent company shareholders of 303 million yen. Compared to unconsolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending 2024/1, sales increased 29.7%, operating profit increased 10.6%, ordinary profit increased 10.1%, and net income attributable to parent company shareholders increased 0.8%. It is expected that high sales growth (548 million yen increase in sales) will continue, mainly in the new graduate area, and will absorb the increase in costs (costs+SG&A expenses) (505 million yen increase).
The breakdown of sales is 2,084 million yen for the new graduate service “foreign job hunting dot com,” up 35.7% from the previous fiscal year, and the mid-career service “Liiga,” which remained flat at 306 million yen. In addition to the steady increase in the number of trading companies and members, effects such as customer unit price increases in the new graduate service “foreign job hunting dot com” are anticipated. The mid-career service “Liiga” will be spun off, and measures aimed at improving profit margins and re-accelerating growth will be worked on. Loglio, which became a subsidiary in 2024/4, was not factored into the plan. Also, sales are not anticipated for the new business knowledge sharing platform “Mond,” and studies for product development and monetization will be accelerated. On the cost side, it is planned that labor costs will increase by 319 million yen, outsourcing costs will increase by 120 million yen, and advertising/sales promotion costs will increase by 34 million yen due to growth investments aimed at business expansion, but the company has a policy of continuing cost control during the period with an emphasis on achieving operating profit targets. The estimated number of employees as of the end of the 2025/1 fiscal year is expected to be around 70 people.
The company plan is a 2-digit forecast for sales and regular profit growth. Operating profit margins are planned to decline, but we believe that there is room for improvement in company forecasts if the business environment is good, customer unit prices are on an upward trend due to growth in highly profitable distribution-type products in the new graduate service “foreign job hunting dot com,” and that Loglio's contributions are not factored in at the time the plan was formulated.
(Author: FISCO Visiting Analyst Masashi Mizuta Exhibition)