Volatility is coming back into the market and one of our most affected stocks today is SelectQuote (SLQT).
This isn’t random. Peer Ehealth (EHTH) reported last night and had a good quarter but a very messy conference call. Topics of discussion included lower lifetime value (LTV) trend and the mix shift of online customer support versus telephone support.
Also customer churn was discussed (churn is when a customer leaves).
This is all relevant because EHTH is off about 30% and that’s hurting SLQT, which was down over 20% at one point (it’s doing better now, but not great).
The obvious question is this: are Ehealth’s issues company-specific, or representative of what we should expect from SelectQuote?
My read through is that there is some noise in the Medicare insurance market due to multiple enrollment opportunities throughout the year. But that Ehealth is having some company-specific issues too. Management’s comments about “strategy decisions” and “we need to have” and “working with urgency to address” support this assertion.
Does this mean that all Ehealth’s s issues mean customers are flocking to SelectQuote? It might. But that’s likely a very simplified way of looking at it. There are probably market forces that are affecting SelectQuote’s business as well (either positively or negatively).
What we do know is that SelectQuote favors agents working with customers, and that tends to mean better retention. It also tends to have higher LTV and margins. But it is not generating free cash flow and will likely need to raise capital before it gets there.
It is a little risky, but I’m keeping SLQT at buy. I don’t necessarily expect a blowout quarter when the company reports but with shares now well off their highs and below the IPO price I think more investors will be kicking the tires on the stock. BUY