CenturyLink Reports Strong Second Quarter 2014 Results

MONROE, La., Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink, Inc. CTL today reported strong operating revenues, operating cash flow and free cash flow for second quarter 2014.

"CenturyLink second quarter results reflect strong demand for our high-bandwidth data services and cloud and hosting solutions, solid consumer demand for Prism TV service and our continued mitigation of legacy revenue declines," said Glen F. Post III, chief executive officer and president. "Total operating revenues increased slightly year-over-year and exceeded our revenue guidance for the quarter. Cash flows for the quarter were also strong, primarily due to solid revenue performance and continued focus by our employees on containing costs.

"Our reliable, secure solutions that meet both network and hosting needs remain a strong driver of increasing demand from business customers. We continue to experience success with our managed service solutions, as well as multi-site MPLS[3] sales. Our development of advanced cloud infrastructure technology significantly strengthens our capabilities to meet the growing demand for highly automated cloud and managed services, and we have further expanded our hosting footprint with the opening of the new Minneapolis – St Paul data center. Additionally, the expansion of symmetrical 1 gigabit service to 16 cities, announced yesterday, will enhance our capability to provide higher broadband speeds and an enhanced service experience to both residential and business customers.

"Overall, we are pleased with our second quarter results, which reflect our continued progress toward revenue stability. We had a strong funnel of sales opportunities entering the third quarter and we are looking forward to continuing to execute on our strategic priorities to create value for shareholders," Post concluded.

Second Quarter 2014 Highlights

• Achieved core revenues of $4.10 billion in second quarter, a 0.2% year-over-year decline, compared with a 1.6% year-over-year decline in second quarter 2013; Strategic revenues[4] grew 5.1% from the second quarter a year-ago.
• Generated free cash flow of $677 million, excluding special items and integration-related capital expenditures.
• Experienced continued strength in sales of high bandwidth data services to business customers.
• Added nearly 16,000 CenturyLink^® Prism^TM TV customers during second quarter, ending the period with approximately 215,000 customers in service.
• Ended the quarter with more than 6 million high-speed Internet customers, a decrease of approximately 2,100 in second quarter 2014 due to typical seasonality.
• Purchased and retired an additional 4.5 million shares of CenturyLink common stock for $160 million during second quarter 2014, of which 1.2 million shares were under the $1 billion follow-on program.

Consolidated Financial Results

Operating revenues for second quarter 2014 increased to $4.54 billion from $4.53 billion in second quarter 2013 driven by higher strategic and data integration revenues. The increase in strategic revenues was primarily due to increased business customer demand for high-bandwidth data services and hosting solutions, along with the year-over-year growth in high-speed Internet and CenturyLink^® Prism^TM TV customers. This increase was partially offset by lower legacy services revenues, primarily due to the impact of access line losses and lower access revenues.

Operating expenses, excluding special items, increased to $3.82 billion from $3.79 billion in second quarter 2013. The year-over-year increase was primarily driven by higher customer premise equipment (CPE) sales costs, expenses related to the growth of Prism^TM TV and a higher Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution factor, which were partially offset by lower depreciation and amortization expenses.

Operating cash flow (as defined in our attached supplemental schedules), excluding special items, decreased to $1.81 billion from $1.86 billion in second quarter 2013. For second quarter 2014, CenturyLink achieved an operating cash flow margin, excluding special items, of 39.9% versus 41.1% in second quarter 2013. These decreases were primarily driven by the result of lower legacy revenues and the expense increases described above.

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share (Adjusted Diluted EPS)

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS exclude the after-tax impact of special items, the non-cash after-tax impact of the amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions since mid-2009, and the non-cash after-tax impact to interest expense of the assignment of fair value to the outstanding debt assumed in connection with those acquisitions.

Excluding the items outlined above, CenturyLink's Adjusted Net Income for second quarter 2014 was $408 million compared to Adjusted Net Income of $417 million in second quarter 2013. Second quarter 2014 Adjusted Diluted EPS was $0.72 compared to $0.69 in the year-ago period. See the attached schedules for additional information.

GAAP Results

Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), net income for second quarter 2014 was $193 million compared to $269 million for second quarter 2013, and diluted earnings per share for second quarter 2014 was $0.34 compared to $0.44 for second quarter 2013.

Details regarding the Company's special items for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 are provided in the accompanying financial schedules.

Segment Financial Results[5]

Consumer

The Consumer segment achieved year-over-year revenue growth driven by increased high-speed Internet and CenturyLink^® Prism^TM TV customers and price increases on certain products.

• Strategic revenues were $709 million in the quarter, an 8.6% increase over second quarter 2013.
• Generated $1.50 billion in total revenues, slightly higher than second quarter 2013, reflecting strong growth in strategic services partially offset by the continued decline in legacy services.
• Added nearly 16,000 CenturyLink^® Prism^TM TV customers during second quarter 2014, increasing penetration of the more than 2.1 million addressable homes to approximately 10%.

Business

The Business segment achieved its fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year core revenue growth driven by continued demand for high-bandwidth data services and solid sales momentum.

• Strategic revenues were $663 million in the quarter, a 7.8% increase over second quarter 2013, driven by strength in high-bandwidth offerings such as MPLS and Ethernet services.
• Generated $1.56 billion in total revenues, an increase of 2.6% from second quarter 2013, as growth in high-bandwidth offerings and data integration revenues offset lower legacy services revenues. Data integration revenues were $20 million higher in second quarter 2014 compared to second quarter 2013.
• Achieved segment margin of 37.9%, which declined from 40.2% a year-ago. This decrease was primarily due to higher costs related to business revenue growth such as CPE, facility and sales and marketing, along with the decline in legacy revenues.
• Continued strong sales momentum in second quarter with solid sales funnel entering third quarter and continued success in sales of Managed Office and Managed Enterprise solutions.

Wholesale

The Wholesale segment ended the quarter with more than 19,700 fiber-connected towers, an increase of 18% from second quarter 2013.

• Strategic revenues were $568 million in the quarter, down slightly from second quarter 2013, as increases in wireless carrier bandwidth demand and Ethernet sales were offset by declines in low-speed data revenue.
• Generated $866 million in total revenues, a decrease of 4.8% from second quarter 2013, reflecting the continued decline in low-speed data revenues and in legacy revenues, primarily driven by lower long distance and switched access minutes of use, along with access rate reductions from implementation of the CAF Order[6].
• Completed approximately 500 fiber builds in second quarter 2014; lowered the annual estimate for fiber builds to between 2,000 to 2,500 for full-year 2014 due to continued customer decisions to defer certain sites into 2015.

Hosting

The Hosting segment grew managed hosting (including cloud) and colocation revenues as cross-selling initiatives continue to strengthen sales opportunities.

• Operating revenues were $358 million in the quarter, a 3.2% increase from second quarter 2013.
• Managed hosting revenues[7] were $148 million, representing a 9.6% increase from second quarter 2013, and colocation[7] revenues were $158 million, a 1.9% increase over the same period a year ago.
• Expenses increased $10 million from second quarter 2013 primarily due to higher employee costs.
• Opened a data center in Minneapolis, Minnesota offering colocation, cloud and managed hosting services connected to CenturyLink's IP backbone and global data center footprint.

Guidance – Third Quarter 2014

The Company expects third quarter 2014 revenues and operating cash flow to decrease compared to second quarter 2014 primarily due to the continued decline of legacy revenues and increased operating expenses related to the normal seasonality of outside plant maintenance and utility costs.

All 2014 guidance figures and 2014 outlook statements included in this release (i) speak as of August 6, 2014 only, (ii) exclude the impact of any share repurchases made after June 30, 2014 and (iii) exclude the effects of special items, future changes in regulation or accounting rules, integration expenses associated with our recent acquisitions, any changes in operating or capital plans or other unforeseen events or circumstances that impact our financial performance, and any future mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or other similar business transactions. See "Forward Looking Statements" below. For additional information on how we define certain of the terms used above, see the attached schedules.

Investor Call

As previously announced, CenturyLink's management will host a conference call at 4:00 p.m. Central Time today, August 6, 2014. Interested parties can access the call by dialing 866-835-8905. The call will be accessible for replay through August 14, 2014, by dialing 888-266-2081 and entering the access code 1640411. Investors can also listen to CenturyLink's earnings conference call and webcast replay by accessing the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website at www.centurylink.com through August 28, 2014. Financial, statistical and other information related to the call will also be posted to our website.

Reconciliation to GAAP

This release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including but not limited to operating cash flow, free cash flow, core revenues, Adjusted Net Income and adjustments to GAAP measures to exclude the effect of special items. In addition to providing key metrics for management to evaluate the Company's performance, we believe these measurements assist investors in their understanding of period-to-period operating performance and in identifying historical and prospective trends. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached financial schedules. Reconciliation of additional non-GAAP financial measures that may be discussed during the earnings call described above will be available in the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website at www.centurylink.com. Investors are urged to consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, and not in substitution for, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by technology industry analyst firms. The Company is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprise customers. CenturyLink provides data, voice and managed services in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers for businesses and consumers. The company also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLink^® Prism^TM TV and DIRECTV brands. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. For more information, visit www.centurylink.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain non-historical statements made in this release and future oral or written statements or press releases by us or our management are intended to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the timing, success and overall effects of competition from a wide variety of competitive providers; the risks inherent in rapid technological change, including product displacement; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry, including the outcome of regulatory or judicial proceedings relating to intercarrier compensation, access charges, universal service, broadband deployment, data protection and net neutrality; our ability to effectively adjust to changes in the communications industry, and changes in our markets, product mix and network caused by our recent acquisitions; our ability to successfully integrate recently-acquired operations into our incumbent operations, including the possibility that the anticipated benefits from our recent acquisitions cannot be fully realized in a timely manner or at all; our ability to effectively manage our expansion opportunities, including retaining and hiring key personnel; possible changes in the demand for, or pricing of, our products and services, including our ability to effectively respond to increased demand for high-speed broadband service; our ability to successfully introduce new product or service offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis; the adverse impact on our business and network from possible equipment failures, security breaches or similar attacks on our network; our ability to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements on reasonable terms without work stoppages; our ability to use net operating loss carryovers of Qwest in projected amounts; our continued access to credit markets on favorable terms; our ability to collect our receivables from financially troubled communications companies; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our key business partners, suppliers, vendors, landlords and financial institutions; any adverse developments in legal or regulatory proceedings involving us; changes in our operating plans, corporate strategies, dividend payment plans or other capital allocation plans, including those caused by changes in our cash requirements, capital expenditure needs, debt obligations, pension funding requirements, cash flows, or financial position, or other similar changes; the effects of adverse weather; other risks referenced from time to time in our filings with the SEC; and the effects of more general factors such as changes in interest rates, in tax laws, in accounting policies or practices, in operating, medical, pension or administrative costs, in general market, labor or economic conditions, or in legislation, regulation or public policy. These and other uncertainties related to our business and our recent acquisitions are described in greater detail in Item 1A of our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, as updated and supplemented by our subsequent SEC reports. You should be aware that new factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to identify all such factors nor can we predict the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any one or more factors may cause actual results to differ from those reflected in any forward-looking statements. You are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are inherently speculative and speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to update any of our forward-looking statements for any reason.

[1] Core revenues defined as Strategic revenues plus Legacy revenues (excludes Data Integration and Other revenues), as described further in the attached schedules

[2] See attachments for non-GAAP reconciliations

[3] Multi-protocol Label Switching

[4] All references to Strategic and Legacy revenues herein reflect certain adjustments described in the attached schedules

[5] All references to segment data herein reflect certain adjustments described in the attached schedules

[6] Federal Communications Commission's Connect America and Intercarrier Compensation Reform Order (the CAF Order) adopted on October 27, 2011

[7] Hosting revenue by product category was restated in 1Q14 to allocate cross-connect revenue with the associated colocation or managed service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.