Florianópolis, Brazil, November 14, 2023 – Vitru Limited, or Vitru (Nasdaq: VTRU), the leading pure-player in the post-secondary digital education market in Brazil, today reported financial and operating results for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023 (“third quarter 2023” or “3Q23”) and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2023 (“9M23”). Financial results are expressed in Brazilian reais (R$) and are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Vitru operates its hubs under the Uniasselvi and UniCesumar brands with 860.7 thousand students enrolled in digital education undergraduate and graduate courses, and 2,385 hubs distributed throughout Brazil, in each case as of September 30, 2023.
Co-CEOs LETTER
Vitru, delivering consistent growth and scale
Dear valued shareholders,
This quarter, we celebrate our third anniversary as a listed company, and we are proud to share our consistent, sustainable, and responsible trajectory reflected both in the quality of our services and the value added to all our stakeholders.
It is important to highlight that the third quarter of 2023 (3Q23) reflected for the first time a complete or fully comparable performance between quarters of consecutive years, since we started consolidating Unicesumar on May 20, 2022. In this regard, in 3Q23 our digital student base expanded 15.6% when compared to the same period of last year, reaching a total of 837.6 thousand enrolled students in Digital Education courses as of September 30, 2023. In addition, while the intake of the second semester for both companies is still ongoing, the combined intake increase amounted to 35% during the 3Q23 versus the same period of 2022. This growth can be attributed to our robust marketing efforts, the ongoing enhancement of our course offerings, and the trust and engagement of our students.
Our Net Revenue for the quarter amounted to R$ 488.0 million, an increase of 21.8% compared to the same period in 2022. Reflecting our ability to manage the integration with Unicesumar and deliver the expected synergies, Vitru’s Adj. EBITDA in 3Q23 increased 29.4% vs 3Q22, amounting to R$ 185.7 million in 3Q23 with a 2.2 p.p. increase in Adj. EBITDA margin (reaching 38.1%) when compared to the same period of last year. We believe this growth demonstrates our ability to capitalize on the increasing demand for digital education solutions, positioning us as a market leader in Brazil.
Furthermore, we recently announced our third issuance of unsecured debentures in an aggregate principal amount of up to R$600 million (R$ 500 million plus an additional amount of R$100 million that may be issued). The proceeds of this new debentures issuance will be used to pay in advance the sellers’ financing contracted by Vitru in connection with the business combination with Unicesumar.
As we think about the future, we are confident about Vitru’s prospects. We believe the digital education market in Brazil will keep experiencing sustained growth, driven by advancements in new technologies, including A.I. Additionally, the rise of active methodologies is emerging as a potent pedagogical strategy, where the student takes center stage in the learning process, becoming the lead protagonist of their own educational journey. We believe that being the leading digital education company in Brazil puts us in a great position to benefit from these opportunities.
As we move towards the last quarter of 2023, we believe our commitment to excellence will continue to drive our growth and deliver long-term value for all our stakeholders. Our mission to democratize access to quality education in Brazil is still underway, empowering individuals and shaping future generations.