Altisource Announces Third Quarter Financial Results

LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. ("Altisource" or the "Company") ASPS today reported financial results for the third quarter 2018, reporting service revenue of $196.9 million, operating income of $20.9 million, adjusted operating income⁽¹⁾ of $25.7 million, net income attributable to Altisource of $8.7 million, adjusted net income attributable to Altisource⁽¹⁾ of $12.2 million, diluted earnings per share of $0.49 and adjusted diluted earnings per share⁽¹⁾ of $0.69.  During the third quarter of 2018, Altisource launched Project Catalyst, a program to better align the Company's cost structure with anticipated revenue, and improve operating margins and performance.

Third quarter service revenue of $196.9 million decreased by 6% compared to the second quarter of 2018 primarily from fewer homes sold in the Company's Buy-Renovate-Lease-Sell business.  Third quarter service revenue decreased by 12% compared to the third quarter of 2017 primarily from the reduction in size of the Ocwen Financial Corporation ("Ocwen") servicing portfolio and the Front Yard Residential Corporation ("RESI") portfolio of non-performing loans and REO.  These declines were partially offset by growth in the Owners.com^® and Financial Services businesses.

Third quarter operating income of $20.9 million was 68% higher than the second quarter of 2018 and 55% higher than the third quarter of 2017 primarily from the $13.7 million gain on sale of the Rental Property Management business in the third quarter of 2018 and margin expansion from the initial benefits of Project Catalyst, partially offset by a $5.9 million third quarter 2018 reserve for sales tax and a $3.4 million third quarter 2018 restructuring expense related to Project Catalyst.  Third quarter adjusted operating income⁽¹⁾ of $25.7 million was 17% higher than the second quarter of 2018 and 10% higher than the third quarter of 2017 from margin expansion from the initial benefits of Project Catalyst.  Third quarter adjusted operating income⁽¹⁾ as a percentage of service revenue was 13.0% compared to 10.5% in both the second quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2017.

Third quarter 2018 diluted earnings per share was $0.49 and adjusted diluted earnings per share⁽¹⁾ was $0.69, compared to second quarter 2018 diluted earnings per share of $0.09 and adjusted diluted earnings per share⁽¹⁾ of $0.60.  Third quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share was higher than the second quarter of 2018 from adjusted operating income growth.  Third quarter 2018 adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.09, or 12%, lower than the third quarter of 2017 primarily from a $1.5 million pretax gain on debt repurchase reflected in the third quarter of 2017 ($0.06 per diluted share) and $1.1 million of higher pretax interest expense from the April 2018 debt refinancing transaction ($0.04 per diluted share).

"The early benefits of Project Catalyst fueled earnings growth in the third quarter of 2018.  Based upon a detailed analysis completed during the quarter, we established targeted annual run-rate cost savings between $65 million and $90 million with estimated one-time restructuring costs of between $25 million and $35 million.  We are targeting to achieve more than half of the savings in 2019 with the full run-rate savings achieved in 2020.  While there is a tremendous amount of work to achieve our targeted savings, Project Catalyst gives us greater confidence in our ability to grow Altisource's adjusted pre-tax earnings in 2019 and improve our adjusted operating margins compared to this year," said Chief Executive Officer William B. Shepro.

Mr. Shepro further commented, "We continued to win and onboard business from some of the largest and most well respected financial institutions in our industry, building a sizeable pipeline of future revenue.  During the third quarter, we made excellent progress onboarding one of the largest institutional real estate and mortgage investors in the U.S. and two large servicers.  We began receiving REO and foreclosure auction referrals from the institutional investor and expect to begin receiving referrals from the two large servicer customers in the first quarter.  When you combine our customer wins with Project Catalyst, we believe we are positioning Altisource for sustainable growth, margin expansion and greater operating flexibility - further advancing our competitive positioning."

Third Quarter 2018 Highlights⁽²⁾

Corporate

• Generated $36.8 million of adjusted cash flows from operating activities⁽¹⁾
• Ended the quarter with $147.8 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and $240.9 million of net debt less marketable securities⁽¹⁾
• Ended the quarter with $51.7 million of short-term investments in real estate (inventory in the Buy-Renovate-Lease-Sell business)
• Used the $15 million received from the sale of the Rental Property Management business to repay debt
• Launched Project Catalyst to better align the Company's cost structure with anticipated revenue, and improve operating margins and performance; incurred $3.4 million of restructuring costs in connection with Project Catalyst

Servicer Solutions

• Began receiving REO auction referrals in August and foreclosure auction referrals in October from one of the largest institutional real estate and mortgage investors in the U.S. and anticipate that we will begin receiving short sale auction referrals from this customer in the first quarter of 2019
• Made good progress onboarding a top-5 servicer customer for property inspection and preservation services and a top-10 servicer customer for REO asset management services, and anticipate that we will begin receiving referrals from both in the first quarter of 2019
• Grew inventory of Hubzu homes from customers other than Ocwen, New Residential Investment Corp. and RESI by 43% to 1,920 compared to the end of the second quarter of 2018

Origination Solutions

• Grew service revenue by 6% compared to the second quarter of 2018 in a challenging origination environment
• Completed the onboarding of two fulfillment customers that we won in the first half of the year

Real Estate Investor Solutions

• Sold the Rental Property Management business to RESI for $18 million, $15 million of which was received in the third quarter of 2018 and $3 million of which will be received upon the earlier of (1) a change of control of RESI and (2) August 2023; generated a pretax gain on the sale of this business of $13.7 million
• Ended the quarter with 392 homes in the buy-renovate-lease-sell business, compared to 172 homes at the end of the third quarter of 2017

Consumer Real Estate Solutions

• Grew service revenue by 16% and the number of home purchase and sale transactions by 17% compared to the second quarter of 2018; grew service revenue by 87% and the number of home purchase and sale transactions by 81% compared to the third quarter of 2017
• Working with approximately 5,300 clients at the end of the third quarter 2018, compared to 4,200 clients at the end of the second quarter of 2018 and 2,000 clients at the end of the third quarter of 2017

Third Quarter 2018 Results Compared to Second Quarter 2018 and Third Quarter 2017:

• Third quarter 2018 operating income includes a gain of $13.7 million in connection with the sale of the Rental Property Management business to RESI, restructuring charges of $3.4 million related to Project Catalyst and a reserve for sales taxes of $5.9 million  (no comparable amounts in the second quarter 2018 and third quarter 2017)
• Third quarter 2018 pretax income attributable to Altisource⁽¹⁾ includes a mark-to-market gain on our equity investment in RESI of $1.8 million (gain of $1.5 million in the second quarter 2018 and $0⁽³⁾ in the third quarter 2017), a loss on debt refinancing of $0 (loss of $4.4 million in the second quarter 2018 and $0 in the third quarter 2017) and a gain on debt repurchase of $0 ($0 in the second quarter 2018 and $1.5 million in the third quarter 2017)

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical fact, including statements about management's beliefs and expectations. These statements may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "may," "could," "should," "would," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Because such statements are based on expectations as to the future and are not statements of historical fact, actual results may differ materially from what is contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Altisource does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers and the potential for changes in our customer relationships, including the possibility of early termination of our Cooperative Brokerage Agreement with New Residential Investment Corp. or the possibility that we may not be successful in negotiating a satisfactory services agreement with New Residential Investment Corp.; various risks relating to our ability to effectively manage our regulatory and contractual obligations; the adequacy of our financial resources, including our sources of liquidity and ability to repay borrowings and comply with our Credit Agreement, including the financial and other covenants contained therein; as well as Altisource's ability to retain key executives or employees, general economic and market conditions, behavior of customers, suppliers and/or competitors, technological developments, governmental regulations, taxes and policies, and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the "Forward-Looking Statements," "Risk Factors" and other sections of Altisource's Form 10-K, the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2018 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Webcast

Altisource will host a webcast at 11:00 a.m. EDT today to discuss our third quarter.  A link to the live audio webcast will be available on Altisource's website in the Investor Relations section.  Those who want to listen to the call should go to the website at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software.  A replay of the conference call will be available via the website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for approximately 30 days.

About Altisource

Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. is an integrated service provider and marketplace for the real estate and mortgage industries.  Combining operational excellence with a suite of innovative services and technologies, Altisource helps solve the demands of the ever-changing markets we serve.  Additional information is available at www.Altisource.com.

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
SEGMENT FINANCIAL INFORMATION
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
SEGMENT FINANCIAL INFORMATION
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
NON-GAAP MEASURES
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

Adjusted operating income, pretax income attributable to Altisource, adjusted pretax income attributable to Altisource, adjusted net income attributable to Altisource, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted cash flows from operating activities, adjusted cash flows from operating activities less additions to premises and equipment and net debt less marketable securities, which are presented elsewhere in this earnings release, are non-GAAP measures used by management, existing shareholders, potential shareholders and other users of our financial information to measure Altisource's performance and do not purport to be alternatives to income from operations, income before income taxes and non-controlling interests, net income attributable to Altisource, diluted earnings per share, cash flows from operating activities and long-term debt, including current portion, as measures of Altisource's performance.  We believe these measures are useful to management, existing shareholders, potential shareholders and other users of our financial information in evaluating operating profitability and cash flow generation more on the basis of continuing cost and cash flows as they exclude amortization expense related to acquisitions that occurred in prior periods and non-cash share-based compensation, as well as the effect of more significant non-recurring items from earnings, cash flows from operating activities and long-term debt net of cash on-hand and marketable securities.  We believe these measures are also useful in evaluating the effectiveness of our operations and underlying business trends in a manner that is consistent with management's evaluation of business performance.  Furthermore, we believe the exclusion of more significant non-recurring items enables comparability to prior period performance and trend analysis.

It is management's intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance the understanding of Altisource's GAAP financial information, and it should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.  Each non-GAAP financial measure is presented along with the corresponding GAAP measure so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure.  The non-GAAP financial information presented may be determined or calculated differently by other companies.  The non-GAAP financial information should not be unduly relied upon.

Adjusted operating income is calculated by removing intangible asset amortization expense, share-based compensation expense, gain on sale of business, sales tax accrual, litigation settlement loss and restructuring charges from income from operations.  Pretax income attributable to Altisource is calculated by removing non-controlling interests from income before income taxes and non-controlling interests.  Adjusted pretax income attributable to Altisource is calculated by removing intangible asset amortization expense, share-based compensation expense, unrealized gain (loss) on investment in equity securities, gain on sale of business, sales tax accrual, litigation settlement loss, restructuring charges, loss on debt refinancing and non-controlling interests from income before income taxes and non-controlling interests.  Adjusted net income attributable to Altisource is calculated by removing intangible asset amortization expense (net of tax), share-based compensation (net of tax), unrealized gain (loss) on investment in equity securities (net of tax), gain on sale of business (net of tax), sales tax accrual (net of tax), litigation settlement loss (net of tax), restructuring charges (net of tax), loss on debt refinancing (net of tax) and foreign income tax reserves from net income attributable to Altisource.  Adjusted diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income attributable to Altisource after removing intangible asset amortization expense (net of tax), share-based compensation (net of tax), unrealized gain (loss) on investment in equity securities (net of tax), gain on sale of business (net of tax), sales tax accrual (net of tax), litigation settlement loss (net of tax), restructuring charges (net of tax), loss on debt refinancing (net of tax) and foreign income tax reserves by the weighted average number of diluted shares.  Adjusted cash flows from operating activities is calculated by removing the cash payment related to the net litigation settlement loss and the increase (decrease) in short-term investments in real estate from cash flows from operating activities.  Adjusted cash flows from operating activities less additions to premises and equipment is calculated by removing the cash payment related to the net litigation settlement loss, the increase (decrease) in short-term investments in real estate and additions to premises and equipment from cash flows from operating activities.  Net debt less marketable securities is calculated as long-term debt, including current portion, minus cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities.

ALTISOURCE PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS S.A.
NON-GAAP MEASURES
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

Reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures to the corresponding GAAP measures are as follows:

Note:  Amounts may not add to the total due to rounding.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michelle D. Esterman
Chief Financial Officer
T:  +352 2469 7950
E:  Michelle.Esterman@altisource.com