Good afternoon. For those who need the simultaneous translation, you can press the globe icon on the lower right side of your Zoom screen, and then choose to enter in the English room. After that, select Mute Original Audio. [Foreign language] Ian Nunes.
Good afternoon to all. This is Ian Nunes speaking. I am the manager of Tegma. Welcome to the conference call for the earnings concerning the third quarter of 2024. This conference is being recorded, and the replay may be accessed in the investor relations website of Tegma. We inform that all participants will be in listen-only mode during the presentation, after which we will have the Q&A session when further instructions will be provided. For those listening in English, we have in the chat the link for the presentation in English because we will be showing only the version in Portuguese here on Zoom. I'd like to give the floor now to Nivaldo Tuba, CEO of the company, who will begin the presentation. Nivaldo, you may proceed.
[Foreign language] .
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Nivaldo Tuba speaking, CEO of Tegma. And on behalf of the entire company, I'd like to thank you once again for participating in another earnings conference call. With me here are Ramon Perez, our Chief Financial Officer and IRO, as well as Ian Nunes, our Investor Relations Executive Manager. As usual, we start our presentation on slide two, where you can find a disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements. Moving on to slide three, I'd like to talk about the third quarter highlights. First, we would like to highlight the payment of dividends and interest on equity approved at yesterday's board of directors meeting. The decision was, as it relates to the third quarter 2024, to pay BRL 51 million, or BRL 0.77 per share. The cut-off date being November 7th, payment to be made on November 21st.
This payout corresponds to 60% of the net income for the period, corresponding to a dividend yield for the last 12 months of 10.7%. The second highlight was the deployment of Oracle's ERP system to replace Datasul ERP, which is the current ERP we are using. A year after this announcement, we are very pleased to announce that on November 1st, Tegma successfully completed the deployment for the processes in the administrative and financial departments. The success of this initiative reinforces the company's constant search for technological innovation and process efficiency, marking an important step in the evolution of our digital transformation journey that we call Tegma 5.0. Undoubtedly, this move will bring multiple benefits for the company, including improvement of the customer's digital journey and, above all, the development of new business models.
The third highlight was Tegma's Investor Day, which we held on October 17th, and which we can say was a success with a qualified audience of almost 70 people, both in person and online. We presented topics that were important both for those who didn't know Tegma yet and for more experienced investors. Now, moving to slide four, we shall show a video summarizing our event.
[Foreign language] .
Investor Day is an annual event for investors, an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to those who believe in our potential, a day among friends and partners when we shared our progress and achievements in an equitable and collaborative way.
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We presented strategies and results, showing how aligned we are with our growth goals in an equitable and transparent way, always cherishing the trust our shareholders place in our company.
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We showed the future vision of the company so everyone can know exactly where we want to get and how we plan to continue to innovate, as well as how prepared we are for the future. We shared our growth goals and expectations, making it clear that we remain focused on delivering value to our investors, and, of course, the excellent results that we achieved as a consequence of the work and dedication of our whole team. We thank you all for joining us in this event and for trusting Tegma. Together, we will continue to build a successful future.
[Foreign language] .
For those of you who couldn't attend the event, I'd like to remind you that both the presentation and the broadcast of the full event are on our IRO website, and we're also sending you the link here in the Zoom chat. Now, moving to slide five, let's talk about the main data on the market of new vehicles in Brazil. As we can see in the top graph, domestic sales in the third quarter of 2024 were up 12% year on year. This performance is due to the continued improvement in economic conditions in the country, especially the fall in unemployment and higher income. We would point out that the recent increase in interest rates, both SELIC and future rates, have not yet been translated into higher auto loan rates.
One of the reasons for this behavior is believed to be the approval of the legal guarantees framework in October 2023. As we detailed in our Investor Day, automotive credit indicators have improved successively. Since then, there is also another factor worth mentioning related to the federal government's program for the acquisition of new vehicles last year, which inflated vehicle sales in July 2023, thus distorting the comparison base for the third quarter of this year. On the bottom left, we show that production grew by 18% in Q324. This increase stemmed from the performance of domestic sales, as well as exports of vehicles from Brazil, which grew by 30% in Q324, a consequence, in turn, of the depreciation of the Brazilian currency, BRL, and the positive reaction of some important markets. On slide five, we present the main operating indicators of the automotive logistics division.
The number of vehicles transported in the third quarter 2024 totaled 202,000 units, in other words, up 19% in the yearly comparison. This increase is a reflection of the growth in domestic sales and exports, as we explained before. Our market share grew 1 percentage point year on year to 25.7% in the third quarter of 2024. This increase in market share in the annual comparison was due to Tegma's increased share in automakers, to which we have significant exposure. Lastly, the average distance traveled in the third quarter of 2024 was 2% higher year on year due to the increase in the average distance of domestic trips. After these initial highlights, I will give the floor to our Chief Financial Officer, Ramon Perez, who will talk about our results, cash flow, and other indicators.
[Foreign language] .
Good afternoon, everyone. Moving on to slide seven, let's talk about the results of the automotive logistics division. We can see in the top graph that there was a 46% increase in the division's net revenue in the third quarter 2024, explained mainly by the 19% increase in number of vehicles transported and the 2% increase in average distance traveled, in addition to the transportation tariff adjustment in 2024. In this third quarter, Fastl ine, our operation focused on the logistics of used vehicles and new motorcycles contributed positively to the division's performance, as did the yard management and vehicle storage operations, due to the high demand from OEMs. Below is the evolution of EBITDA in the third quarter compared to the previous year, as well as EBITDA margin.
Based on the concept of EBITDA excluding the apportionment of expenses for 2024, we see the margin increasing from 17.3% to 20.4% by virtue of productivity gains in the automotive operation, with growth in operating indicators, revenues, as well as control of fixed costs and administrative expenses. On slide eight, we have the results of the integrated logistics division. We can see that the division's net revenue in the third quarter increased by 2% year on year. This performance was mainly due to the lower-than-expected arrival of ships carrying sodium sulfate and soda ash, which drive the chemicals operation.
On the other hand, the 12% growth of the division's growth revenue in the nine months 2024, also compared to the previous year, is the result of two new contracts to carry soda ash and the impaired comparative base due to reduced operations as a result of the fleet renewal that took place in 2023. It is worth noting that the household appliances operation recently signed its second contract with the largest manufacturer of such equipment in the country. This contract initially includes a smaller scope of services compared to the current client, but we intend to expand our operations and turn it into a new avenue of growth for the division. In the chart below, we can see that EBITDA margin in Q3 fell from 30.2% to 26.6%, excluding the apportionment of expenses.
This retraction is explained mainly by the reduced volumes of the chemicals operation, as explained when we talked about the revenue dynamics. Now, I hand the floor back to Nivaldo, who will comment on our joint venture, GDL.
Thank you, Ramon. On slide nine, we show GDL's financial highlights. We can see in the top graph that net revenue for the third quarter of 2024 grew by 81% year on year, totaling BRL 75 million. This growth is primarily the result of the 33% increase in sales of vehicles imported by Brazil in the third quarter 2024, which means a greater number of vehicles which are stored, nationalized, and operationalized by GDL. We would also point out that the company's other services related to general and bonded warehousing posted growth in the period as a result of positive dynamics in the sector.
On the bottom charts, we show on the left the evolution of the joint venture's net income, which totaled BRL 16 million in the third quarter 2024. This performance is a reflection of the expansion in revenue combined with operating efficiency in terms of costs and expenses. Net margin shrank in Q3 2024 compared to the previous year due to a retroactive adjustment of the contract, which increased the yard rental costs in the third quarter of 2024. Lastly, in the graph in the middle, GDL has already paid BRL 41 million in dividends in 2024. I'll now hand the floor to Ramon, who will continue with the presentation of the consolidated results.
Thank you, Nivaldo. Moving on to slide 10, we present the company's consolidated results.
Net revenue for the third quarter was 604 million BRL, increasing 41% year on year, basically related to growth in the automotive logistics division in the period. Below, we see that in the third quarter, EBITDA margin expanded by 2.2 percentage points, reflecting the increase in operating efficiency in the automotive division, with improved operational indicators and control of costs and expenses in the period. And finally, net income for the third quarter stood at 84.4 million BRL, up 50% year on year, with net margin expanding by 0.8 percentage points. This performance is due to the improvement in the operating result, as explained before, coupled with growth in equity income. Moving on to slide 11, the graph on the left shows the company's cash-to-cash cycle at the end of the third quarter, which was 37 days, lower than the level of recent quarters.
This was due to the supplement of overdue receivables and greater collection efficiency. With regard to the company's CapEx, in the third quarter of 2024, total CapEx was 13 million BRL, or 2.1% of net revenue. Among the most significant investments were, firstly, 4.9 million BRL, which represents part of the total investment in deploying the new ERP system, and secondly, improvements to the yard located in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, near the port of Suape, in Pernambuco state, with the aim of expanding storage capacity for imported vehicles and those investments totaling 3 million BRL. Finally, on the right, we show the company's free cash flow, which in the third quarter was positive at 54 million BRL. This cash generation is mainly the result of the positive operating result, combined with a reduction in the cash-to-cash cycle.
In addition, we could use some tax credits, which amounted to 16 million BRL. On slide 12, we present details of our capital structure. In the graph on the left, we can see the company's current cash of 264 million BRL, which is significantly higher than the gross debt to be repaid in the following years. In the third quarter, we didn't make any payments or raise any debt. In the table below, we can see that our net cash position in September of 2024 was 158 million BRL. Finally, on the top right, we present the history of our cost of debt, which currently stands at CDI plus 1.6%. Below, there's information on our rating, which was reaffirmed by Fitch in April of this year as a local with stable outlook. Moving on to slide 13, we showed the company's profitability indicators.
Return on invested capital for the third quarter, in gray, was 34.7%, an increase of 4.6 percentage points quarter on quarter, due to the performance of the automotive logistics division and the near stability of invested capital in the period. Also, in the case of ROE, the orange line, we see an increase of 2.2 percentage points, both due to the same reasons for the increase in ROIC and due to GDL's greater contribution to the company's results via equity income. In the graph in the bottom left, we can see that EVA in the third quarter rose to a range between BRL 94-124 million, depending on the weighted average cost of capital used as a base. This expansion is due to the improvement in operating results and the near stability of invested capital in the period.
On the bottom right, we show the history of dividends and interest on equity paid by the company. The black line shows the payout, which for the first nine months of 2024 was 71%, higher than the previous year, as well as the dividend yield for the last 12 months, which reached 10.8%. On the last slide, we show our share performance, the orange line, compared to the IBOVESPA index in black and the Small Caps Index in red, considering base zero to be last year's closing price. As shown in the top graph, Tegma's shares have outperformed both indices over the last three months, and this is due to the positive performance of the automotive market, as well as the company's results. Finally, in the chart below, we present a history of the multiples at which Tegma's shares have been trading.
Despite the robust indicators and results, we can see that we continue to show multiples below their historical average. With that, I would like to thank everyone once again for your participation and interest in the company, and let's start the question and answer session.
[Foreign language]
Thank you, Ramon. We are starting the Q&A session for investors and analysts. If you would like to ask a question, please press the raise hand button. If your question has been answered, you can leave the queue by clicking "put your hand down." If you would like to ask a question in writing, please type your question into the Q&A field at the bottom of the screen.
[Foreign language]
We'll start with the questions by Pedro and Victor. Pedro, can you hear us?
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Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking my question. Can you hear me well?
[Foreign language]
Yes, we can hear you.
That's good. I have two questions. The first, I'd like to understand how you see the OEMs talking about production of vehicles in 2025. And I'd like to understand your revenue. Your tariff for this quarter was surprisingly positive. So I'd like to understand Fastl ine to what extent it contributed to the quarter. And I'd like to understand how recurring this result is, given that it was a little stronger than we expected. These are my two questions. Thank you.
Hello, Pedro. This is Nivaldo speaking.
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We are practically finishing the budget for 2025. We had a round of conversation with all OEMs and authorities, and what you're saying, all of them is very similar. Given the good results achieved in 2024, at least until now, they are expecting a very stable 2025. In other words, practically repeating the 2024 results or with a slight improvement. As regards to Fastl ine, we don't talk about one-time results, but it's been growing on a growing trend, increasing the number of vehicles carried. We expect to end 2024 with carrying 60,000 vehicles and vehicles registered, which is a record vehicle handling for us, and more than that, a growth horizon that seems quite interesting. I'd like to say that the number of cars registered is normally five, six times the brand new cars. So we have a very positive evolution looking forward.
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Perfect, this was very clear. If I may ask one more question, could you give us some color in terms of the payout for this quarter? It was about 60%.
If we look at past quarters, we were talking about a little more than that. For the first quarter, about 80%.
Do you have an intention to increase the payout? How should we expect dividend payout in the coming quarters?
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This is Ramon speaking. Good afternoon. Actually, in our prior was actually Q1. The payout that we are having now in Q3 is kind of in keeping with what we did in previous years.
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In the previous quarter, we had a payout of 80%, but that was more like an adjustment we had to make to adjust our free cash position. It doesn't necessarily mean a new level of dividend payout, because our policy is to pay 50%.
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This reduction now, actually, it was a reduction. We actually returned to the previous level of 60%. Again, it's a consequence of our cash analysis, given the demand for working capital. So look at our working capital.
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It increased a lot, which is to be expected, considering the strong growth of sales of vehicles in the recent quarter. And this is, in a way, related to cash demands in the short to midterm, given our M&A projects. Thank you.
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Super clear. Thank you very much.
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Okay, now we have a question from Victor Velasques from Primo Capital.
[Foreign language .
I don't think your mic is enabled, Pedro.
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I think Victor's microphone is muted. Victor, we cannot hear you. Your mic is off.
[Foreign language]
We are enabling your microphone here on Zoom, but it seems that you cannot open your mic.
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Victor, if you want to ask a question in writing in the chat, that's okay, because for some reason we cannot enable your microphone. Caio Baroni joined the queue. While Victor is trying to solve his mic issue, let's enable the microphone of Caio Baroni.
Good afternoon. Can you hear me?
Beleza.
Yes. Congratulations on the results. I'd like to hear more about the Automotive Logistics Division, because I think it was the biggest highlight in the results. When we do the math to look at the gross revenue per kilometer traveled, this number was very surprising and drew my attention. It draws my attention in the quarterly comparison and yearly comparison. So I'd like to get a sense of what led to that. I know that there was an adjustment, which was high, but perhaps something regarding the mix. Perhaps you could speak about the mix, and I'd like to understand how recurring this is looking forward.
I understand that the readjustment should be passed through up and down, but there's also a mixed effect that could be more recurring. So I'd like to understand this number this quarter. Hello, Baroni. This is Nivaldo speaking. INCT, the National Index of Cargo Transportation in the last period, in terms of adjustments, was 10%. Coupled with that, there was a significant increase in revenues coming from yard management and the other logistics services that we provide for the automotive business line. Additionally, our subsidiary Fastl ine also posted growth above that of the division. So you put it all together, and we see this growth above inflation.
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That's perfect. Thank you very much.
[Foreign language]
I have a question in writing by Iris Z. Caz. Good afternoon. Could you detail the outlook and guide us of revenue EBITDA and CapEx for 2025? I'll turn the floor to Ramon.
[Foreign language]
Thank you for the question. But unfortunately, it is not our policy to provide a guidance for revenue and EBITDA.
[Foreign language]
for the coming years, or even for the next quarter.
However, I'd like to invite you all to visit our investor relations website, because in the website, we provide a correlation between volumes and margins, and that will give you a good insight of our future results.
Obrigado, Ramon.
Thank you, Ramon.
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This is a last reminder for questions. Anybody else would like to ask a question?
Bom, agradeço a presença de todos.
If not, I'd like to thank all of you for participating. I'll turn the floor to Nivaldo for closing remarks. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us, for your attention. Indeed, we are very pleased with third quarter earnings and consequently with the year-to-date results until September. I'd like to once again thank you very much for your attention, and I wish you a very good rest of the day.