CSG Systems International Reports Results for Second Quarter 2019

CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS), the trusted partner to simplify the complexity of business transformation in the digital age, today reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Key Highlights:

• Second quarter 2019 financial results:
  • Total revenues were $245.9 million and total non-GAAP adjusted revenues were $228.1 million.
  • GAAP operating income was $30.3 million, or 12.3% of total revenues, and non-GAAP operating income was $40.1 million, or 17.6% of non-GAAP adjusted revenues.
  • GAAP earnings per diluted share (EPS) was $0.60 and non-GAAP EPS was $0.85.
  • Cash flows from operations were $15.6 million.
• CSG declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.2225 per share of common stock, or a total of approximately $7 million, to shareholders.
• During the quarter, CSG repurchased approximately 144,000 shares of its common stock for approximately $7 million (weighted-average price of $45.39 per share) under its stock repurchase program.

“We continue to deliver strong results at a time that our customers are reinventing the way that they do business,” said Bret Griess, president and chief executive officer for CSG. “This quarter offers a great example of how we help our clients become more operationally efficient, monetize their offerings and services, and improve their agility, flexibility and cost structure with our cloud-based solutions. We are realizing the benefits of our strategy by delivering improved organic revenue growth and expanded margins.”

Financial Overview (unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentages):

For additional information and reconciliations regarding CSG’s use of non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the attached Exhibit 2 and the Investor Relations section of CSG’s website at www.csgi.com.

Results of Operations

GAAP Results: Total revenues for the second quarter of 2019 were $245.9 million, a 15% increase when compared to revenues of $213.0 million for the second quarter of 2018, and a slight increase when compared to $244.8 million for the first quarter of 2019. The year-over-year increase in revenues can be mainly attributed to the acquisition of Forte on October 1, 2018, and the continued growth in our cloud solutions and managed services arrangements.

GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2019 was $30.3 million, or 12.3% of total revenues, compared to $24.1 million, or 11.3% of total revenues, for the second quarter of 2018, and $32.1 million, or 13.1% of total revenues, for the first quarter of 2019.

GAAP EPS for the second quarter of 2019 was $0.60, as compared to $0.46 for the second quarter of 2018, and $0.59 for the first quarter of 2019. The year-over-year increase in GAAP EPS is reflective of the higher operating income for the quarter.

Non-GAAP Results: Non-GAAP adjusted revenues for the second quarter of 2019 were $228.1 million, a 7% increase when compared to $213.0 million for the second quarter of 2018, and relatively consistent with the $227.7 million for the first quarter of 2019.

Non-GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2019 was $40.1 million, or 17.6% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenues, compared to $35.6 million, or 16.7% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenues for the second quarter of 2018, and $41.3 million, or 18.1% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenues for the first quarter of 2019.

Non-GAAP EPS for the second quarter of 2019 was $0.85, compared to $0.73 for the second quarter of 2018, and $0.82 for the first quarter of 2019.

The increases in non-GAAP adjusted revenues and non-GAAP EPS between years are primarily due to the factors discussed above.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flows

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of June 30, 2019 were $131.5 million compared to $141.9 million as of March 31, 2019 and $162.9 million as of December 31, 2018. CSG had net cash flows from operations for the second quarters ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 of $15.6 million and negative $(3.6) million, respectively, and had non-GAAP free cash flow of $6.0 million and negative $(18.1) million, respectively. Cash flows from operating activities for both the second quarter of 2019 and 2018 were negatively impacted by an increase in accounts receivable, primarily related to the timing of a recurring client payment that was delayed and received subsequent to the quarter-end.

Summary of 2019 Financial Guidance

CSG is maintaining its financial guidance for the full year 2019 as follows:

For additional information and reconciliations regarding CSG’s use of non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the attached Exhibit 2 and the Investor Relations section of CSG’s website at www.csgi.com.

Conference Call

CSG will host a conference call on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, to discuss CSG’s second quarter results for 2019. The call will be carried live and archived on the Internet. A link to the conference call is available at http://ir.csgi.com. In addition, to reach the conference by phone, dial 1-888-254-3590 and ask the operator for the CSG conference call and Liz Bauer, chairperson.

Additional Information

For information about CSG, please visit CSG’s web site at www.csgi.com. Additional information can be found in the Investor Relations section of the website.

About CSG

CSG is a provider of software and services that help companies around the world monetize and digitally enable the customer experience. For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, providing revenue management and digital monetization, payments, and customer engagement solutions to help our customers tackle any business challenge and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace.

Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually. CSG is the trusted partner driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Arrow Electronics, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Eastlink, Formula One, iflix, MTN, and Telstra.

To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that are based on assumptions about a number of important factors and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from what appears in this news release. Some of these key factors include, but are not limited to the following items:

• CSG derives approximately forty percent of its revenues from its two largest clients;

• Continued market acceptance of CSG’s products and services;

• CSG’s ability to continuously develop and enhance products in a timely, cost-effective, technically advanced and competitive manner;

• CSG’s ability to deliver its solutions in a timely fashion within budget, particularly large and complex software implementations;

• CSG’s dependency on the global telecommunications industry, and in particular, the North American telecommunications industry;

• CSG’s ability to meet its financial expectations as a result of its dependency on software solution sales, which are subject to greater volatility;

• Increasing competition in CSG’s market from companies of greater size and with broader presence;

• CSG’s ability to successfully integrate and manage acquired businesses or assets to achieve expected strategic, operating and financial goals;

• CSG’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights;

• CSG’s ability to maintain a reliable, secure computing environment;

• CSG’s ability to conduct business in the international marketplace;

• CSG’s ability to comply with applicable U.S. and International laws and regulations; and

• Fluctuations in credit market conditions, general global economic and political conditions, and foreign currency exchange rates.

This list is not exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to review the additional risks and important factors described in CSG’s reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and other filings made with the SEC.

EXHIBIT 2
CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
DISCLOSURES FOR NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Limitations

To supplement its condensed consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), CSG uses non-GAAP adjusted revenues, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP adjusted operating margin percentage, non-GAAP EPS, non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA, and non-GAAP free cash flow. CSG believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when reviewed in conjunction with its GAAP financial measures, provide investors with greater transparency to the information used by CSG’s management in its financial and operational decision making. CSG uses these non-GAAP financial measures for the following purposes:

• Certain internal financial planning, reporting, and analysis;

• Forecasting and budgeting;

• Certain management compensation incentives; and

• Communications with CSG’s Board of Directors, stockholders, financial analysts, and investors.

These non-GAAP financial measures are provided with the intent of providing investors with the following information:

• A more complete understanding of CSG’s underlying operational results, trends, and cash generating capabilities;

• Consistency and comparability with CSG’s historical financial results; and

• Comparability to similar companies, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors.

Non-GAAP financial measures are not measures of performance under GAAP, and therefore should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial information. Limitations with the use of non-GAAP financial measures include the following items:

• Non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles;

• The way in which CSG calculates non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the way in which other companies calculate similar non-GAAP financial measures;

• Non-GAAP financial measures do not include all items of income and expense that affect CSG’s operations and that are required by GAAP to be included in financial statements;

• Certain adjustments to CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures result in the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in CSG’s financial statements in future periods; and

• Certain charges excluded from CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures are cash expenses, and therefore do impact CSG’s cash position.

CSG compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement only. Additionally, CSG provides specific information regarding the treatment of GAAP amounts considered in preparing the non-GAAP financial measures and reconciles each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Basis of Presentation

The table below outlines the exclusions from CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures:

CSG believes that excluding certain items in calculating its non-GAAP financial measures provides meaningful supplemental information regarding CSG’s performance and these items are excluded for the following reasons:

• Transaction fees are primarily comprised of interchange and other payment-related fees paid, in conjunction with the delivery of service to clients under CSG’s payment services contracts, to third-party payment processors and financial institutions by CSG. Because CSG controls the integrated service provided under its payment services client contracts, these transaction fees are presented gross, and not netted against revenues; however, other payments companies who do not provide and/or control an integrated service present their revenues net of transaction fees. The exclusion of these fees in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP adjusted revenues provides management and investors an additional means to use to compare CSG’s current revenues with historical and future periods, as well as with other payments companies.

• Restructuring and reorganization charges are expenses that result from cost reduction initiatives and/or significant changes to CSG’s business, to include such things as involuntary employee terminations, changes in management structure, divestitures of businesses, facility consolidations and abandonments, and fundamental reorganizations impacting operational focus and direction. These charges are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring core business operating results. The exclusion of these items in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods.

• Acquisition-related expenses include amortization of acquired intangible assets, earn-out compensation, and transaction-related costs. Transaction-related costs, which typically include expenses related to legal, accounting, and other professional services, are direct and incremental expenses related to business acquisitions, and thus, are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring core business operating results. The total amount of acquisition-related expenses can vary significantly between periods based on the number and size of acquisition activities, previously acquired intangible assets becoming fully amortized, and ultimate realization of earn-out compensation. In addition, the timing of these expenses may not directly correlate with underlying performance of the CSG’s operations. Therefore, the exclusion of acquisition-related expenses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods.

• Stock-based compensation results from CSG’s issuance of equity awards to its employees under incentive compensation programs. The amount of this incentive compensation in any period is not generally linked to the level of performance by employees or CSG. The exclusion of these expenses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to evaluate the non-cash expense related to compensation included in CSG’s results of operations, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash generating capabilities of CSG’s business.

• The convertible notes OID is the result of allocating a portion of the principal balance of the debt at issuance to the equity component of the instrument, as required under current accounting rules. This OID is then amortized to interest expense over the life of the respective convertible debt instrument. The interest expense related to the amortization of the OID is a non-cash expense, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash interest costs of CSG’s convertible notes for cash flow, liquidity, and debt service purposes.

• Gains and losses related to the extinguishment of debt are a result of the refinancing of CSG’s credit agreement and/or repurchase of CSG’s convertible notes. These activities are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring core business operating results. Any resulting gain or loss is generally non-cash income or expense, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash impact of these repurchases for cash flow and liquidity purposes. In addition, the exclusion of these gains and losses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP EPS allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current operating results with historical and future periods.

• Unusual items within CSG’s quarterly and/or annual income tax expense can occur from such things as income tax accounting timing matters, income taxes related to unusual events, or as a result of different treatment of certain items for book accounting and income tax purposes. Consideration of such items in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods.

CSG also reports non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP free cash flow. Management believes non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure to investors in evaluating CSG’s operating performance, debt servicing capabilities, and enterprise valuation. CSG defines non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA as income before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, foreign currency transaction adjustments, acquisition-related expenses, and unusual items, such as restructuring and reorganization charges, and gains and losses related to the extinguishment of debt, as discussed above. Additionally, management uses non-GAAP free cash flow, among other measures, to assess its financial performance and cash generating capabilities, and believes that it is useful to investors because it shows CSG’s cash available to service debt, make strategic acquisitions and investments, repurchase its common stock, pay cash dividends, and fund ongoing operations. CSG defines non-GAAP free cash flow as net cash flows from operating activities less the purchases of software, property and equipment.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenues:

The reconciliations of GAAP revenues to non-GAAP adjusted revenues for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands):

Non-GAAP Operating Income:

The reconciliations of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP operating income for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

Non-GAAP EPS:

The reconciliations of GAAP EPS to non-GAAP EPS for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA:

CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA measure to GAAP net income is provided below for the indicated periods (in thousands, except percentages):

Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow:

CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP free cash flow and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP free cash flow measure to cash flows from operating activities are provided below for the indicated periods (in thousands):

Non-GAAP Financial Measures – 2019 Financial Guidance

Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenues:

The reconciliation of GAAP revenues to non-GAAP adjusted revenues, as included in CSG’s 2019 full year financial guidance, is as follows:

Non-GAAP Operating Income:

The reconciliation of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP operating income, as included in CSG’s 2019 full year financial guidance, is as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

Non-GAAP EPS:

The reconciliation of GAAP EPS to non-GAAP EPS as included in CSG’s 2019 full year financial guidance is as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):