Telenav Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2019 Financial Results

General Motors Increased to 13% of Revenue and 17% of Billing

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telenav®, Inc. TNAV, a leading provider of connected car and location-based products and services, today released its financial results for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018, the first quarter of fiscal 2019, by issuing this press release and posting a quarterly letter to stockholders on its website. Please visit Telenav's investor relations website at http://investor.telenav.com to view the financial results for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018 and letter to stockholders.

"In the quarter, Telenav gained significant traction in North America as our hybrid navigation products and services launched on more General Motors models," said HP Jin, Chairman and CEO of Telenav. "GM became a significant customer, representing approximately 13% of revenue and 17% of billings during the quarter. Over the course of fiscal 2019, we expect that our hybrid navigation products and services will launch on more GM models and further expand the geographic reach of our GM relationship. Worldwide, we have deployed 10.6 million vehicles capable of connected service to date, reflecting our ability to partner with automotive manufacturers to help them improve consumer brand loyalty and experience."

Financial highlights for the first quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018

• The Company adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, effective July 1, 2018, utilizing the full retrospective transition method. All prior period amounts and disclosures set forth in this earnings release have been adjusted to comply with ASC 606. Under this accounting methodology, certain automotive royalty amounts earned are bifurcated when there exist various underlying obligations.  Revenue is recognized upon fulfillment of the underlying obligation. Such various obligations related to earned royalties generally include an onboard navigation component recognized as revenue once each navigation unit is delivered and accepted, a connected services component recognized as revenue over the applicable service period, and a map update component recognized as revenue upon periodic delivery of the applicable map updates.
  
  
• Total revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 was $52.2 million, inclusive of $3.9 million related to periodic map updates, which are generally recognized annually when Telenav provides updated maps, and $1.0 million of customized software development fees, compared with $57.0 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, of which $3.3 million was related to periodic map updates and $1.1 million of customized software development fees.
  
  
• Billings for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 were $59.0 million, compared with $65.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2018.
  
  The year over year decline in revenue and billings was due primarily to lower per unit pricing in the company's automotive business unit resulting from lower third-party content costs, partially offset by higher unit volume on its automotive solutions, and lower advertising and mobile navigation revenue.

• Gross profit was $21.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, compared with $21.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Automotive gross profit was $16.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, a 12% increase from $14.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2018.
  
  
• Net loss for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 was $(7.9) million, compared with $(10.4) million for the first quarter of fiscal 2018. The year over year decrease in loss was due primarily to higher gross profit in the automotive business unit and lower overall operating expenses. These improvements were offset by lower gross profit in the advertising business unit.

• Adjusted cash flow from operations (formerly referred to as adjusted EBITDA on billings) for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 was $(2.8) million compared with $(4.4) million in the first quarter of fiscal 2018.

• Ending cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding restricted cash, were $81.3 million as of Sept. 30, 2018. This represented cash and short-term investments of $1.80 per share, based on 45.3 million shares of common stock outstanding as of Sept. 30, 2018. Telenav had no debt as of Sept. 30, 2018.
  
  
• The adjustments required to transition to ASC 606 on July 1, 2018 resulted in $163.1 million of deferred revenue and $89.1 million of deferred costs originally reported on the company's balance sheet as of June 30, 2018 being recorded instead as revenue and cost of revenue, respectively, in prior periods as adjusted.  In addition, the adoption of ASC 606 required the company to capitalize an additional $4.2 million, net, of deferred development costs on its adjusted June 30, 2018 balance sheet, resulting in a net decrease in deferred costs of $84.9 million.  The net impact of the Company's adoption of ASC 606 as of June 30, 2018 was an adjustment to decrease its accumulated deficit by $78.2 million. All prior period amounts have been adjusted to comply with ASC 606.
  

Recent Business Highlights

• 1.2 million Telenav-equipped vehicles capable of connected services were deployed into the global market during the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018, bringing the cumulative total to 10.6 million.
  
  
• GM launched Telenav's hybrid navigation solution on additional model year 2019 vehicles, including the GMC Canyon, the Chevrolet Colorado, Camaro, Cruz Hatchback and Volt, and the Opel-built Buick Regal.
  
  
• Opel launched Telenav's hybrid navigation solution on the model year 2019 Insignia in Europe.
  
  
• The company entered into a strategic alliance agreement with Sionic Mobile to bring localized in-car digital commerce and offers to consumers via automobile manufacturers. 

Q2 Fiscal 2019 Business Outlook

For the second fiscal quarter ending Dec. 31, 2018, Telenav offers the following guidance.

• Total revenue is expected to be $51 million to $55 million, assuming approximately $1.5 million related to periodic map updates and customized software development fees.
  
  
• Billings are expected to be $58 million to $62 million.
  
  
• GAAP gross margin is expected to be approximately 45%.
  
  
• Direct contribution margin from billings is expected to be approximately 43%.
  
  
• GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $31 million to $32 million.
  
  
• GAAP net loss is expected to be $(6) million to $(8) million.
  
  
• Adjusted EBITDA loss is expected to be $(2.5) million to $(4.5) million. 
  
  
• Adjusted cash flow from operations is expected to be $0 to $(2) million.
  
  
• Automotive revenue is expected to be $41 to $44 million.
  
  
• Advertising revenue is expected to be $8 to $9 million.
  
  
• Weighted average diluted shares outstanding is expected to be approximately 45.5 million.

Subject to anticipated volumes, take rates and timing of model expansion under Telenav's various automobile manufacturer and tier one supplier programs, including the potential impact, if any, from Ford's transition of its North American passenger car portfolio to trucks, SUVs and CUVs, Telenav anticipates that adjusted cash flow from operations will be positive for the year fiscal 2019.

The above information concerning guidance represents Telenav's outlook only as of the date hereof, and is subject to change as a result of amendments to material contracts, other changes in business conditions and other factors.  Please refer to the disclosures under "Forward-Looking Statements" below.  Telenav undertakes no obligation to update or revise any financial forecast or other forward-looking statements, as a result of new developments, or otherwise.

Conference Call and Quarterly Commentary

Telenav will host an investor conference call and live webcast on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time). Management has posted its letter to stockholders in combination with Telenav's First Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Results press release on its investor relations website in lieu of management providing remarks at the start of the conference call. Instead, management will respond to questions during the call. To listen to the webcast and view Telenav's quarterly commentary, please visit Telenav's investor relations website at http://investor.telenav.com. Listeners can also access the conference call by dialing 855-719-5012 (toll-free, domestic only) or 334-323-0522 (domestic and international toll) and entering pass code 5479609. A replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks beginning approximately two hours after the call's completion. To access the replay, dial 888-203-1112 (toll-free, domestic only) or 719-457-0820 (domestic and international toll) and enter pass code 5479609.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Telenav prepares its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for the United States, or GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures such as billings, direct contribution from billings, direct contribution margin from billings, change in deferred revenue, change in deferred costs, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted cash flow from operations and free cash flow included in this press release are different from those otherwise presented under GAAP. Telenav has provided these measures in addition to GAAP financial results because management believes these non-GAAP measures help provide a consistent basis for comparison between periods that are not influenced by certain items and, therefore, are helpful in understanding Telenav's underlying operating results. These non-GAAP measures are some of the primary measures Telenav's management uses for planning and forecasting. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, GAAP and these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to information provided by other companies.

To reconcile the historical GAAP results to non-GAAP financial metrics, please refer to the reconciliations in the financial statements included in this earnings release.

Billings equals GAAP revenue recognized plus the change in deferred revenue from the beginning to the end of the applicable period. Direct contribution from billings reflects GAAP gross profit plus change in deferred revenue less change in deferred costs from the beginning to the end of the applicable period. Direct contribution margin from billings reflects direct contribution from billings divided by billings. Telenav has also provided a breakdown of the calculation of the change in deferred revenue by segment, which is added to revenue in calculating its non-GAAP metric of billings. In connection with its presentation of the change in deferred revenue, Telenav has provided a similar presentation of the change in the related deferred costs. Such deferred costs primarily include costs associated with third party content and certain development costs associated with its customized software solutions whereby customized engineering fees are earned. As the company enters into more hybrid and brought-in navigation programs, deferred revenue and deferred costs become larger components of its operating results, so Telenav believes these metrics are useful in evaluating cash flows.

Telenav considers billings, direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings to be useful metrics for management and investors because billings drive revenue and deferred revenue, which is an important indicator of its business. Telenav believes direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings are useful metrics because they reflect the impact of the contribution over time for such billings, exclusive of the incremental costs incurred to deliver any related service obligations. There are a number of limitations related to the use of billings, direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings versus revenue, gross profit, and gross margin calculated in accordance with GAAP. First, billings, direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings include amounts that have not yet been recognized as revenue or cost and may require additional services or costs to be provided over contracted service periods. For example, billings related to certain brought-in solutions cannot be fully recognized as revenue in a given period due to requirements for ongoing map updates and provisioning of services such as hosting, monitoring, customer support, map updates and, for certain customers, additional period content and associated technology costs. Accordingly, direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings do not include all costs associated with billings. Second, Telenav may calculate billings, direct contribution from billings, and direct contribution margin from billings in a manner that is different from peer companies that report similar financial measures, making comparisons between companies more difficult. When Telenav uses these measures, it attempts to compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding billings, direct contribution from billings and direct contribution margin from billings and how they relate to revenue, gross profit and gross margin calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Adjusted EBITDA measures GAAP net loss excluding the impact of stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, other income (expense) net, provision (benefit) for income taxes, and other applicable items such as legal settlements and contingencies, deferred rent reversal and tenant improvement allowance recognition due to sublease termination, net of tax. Stock-based compensation expense relates to equity incentive awards granted to its employees, directors, and consultants. Legal settlements and contingencies represent settlements and offers made to settle litigation in which Telenav is a defendant and royalty disputes. Deferred rent reversal and tenant improvement allowance recognition represent the reversal of Telenav's deferred rent liability and recognition of Telenav's deferred tenant improvement allowance, as amortization of these amounts is no longer required due to the termination of the company's Santa Clara facility sublease and subsequent entry into a new lease agreement with its landlord for this same facility effective Sept. 2017.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted cash flow from operations are key measures used by Telenav's management and board of directors to understand and evaluate Telenav's core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve its annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. In particular, Telenav believes that the exclusion of the expenses eliminated in calculating adjusted EBITDA and adjusted cash flow from operations can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of Telenav's core business.

Adjusted cash flow from operations measures adjusted EBITDA plus the effect of changes in deferred revenue and deferred costs. Telenav believes adjusted cash flow from operations is a useful measure, especially in light of the impact it continues to expect on reported GAAP revenue for certain value-added offerings the company provides its customers, including map updates and the impact of future deliverables. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted cash flow from operations, while generally measures of profitability and the generation of cash, can also represent losses and the use of cash, respectively.  In addition, adjusted cash flow from operations is a key financial measure used by the compensation committee of Telenav's board of directors in connection with the development of incentive-based compensation for Telenav's executive officers and employees. Accordingly, Telenav believes that adjusted cash flow from operations generally provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating Telenav's operating results in the same manner as its management and board of directors.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure Telenav defines as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less purchases of property and equipment. Telenav considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash (used in) generated by its business after purchases of property and equipment.

In this press release, Telenav has provided guidance for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 on a non-GAAP basis for billings, direct contribution margin from billings, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted cash flow from operations. Telenav does not provide reconciliations of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections with respect to deferred revenue, deferred costs, stock-based compensation and tax provision (benefit), which are components of these non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, stock-based compensation is impacted by future hiring and retention needs, as well as the future fair market value of Telenav's common stock, all of which is difficult to predict and subject to constant change. The actual amounts of these items will have a significant impact on Telenav's GAAP net loss per diluted share and GAAP tax provision. Accordingly, reconciliations of Telenav's forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures are not available without unreasonable effort.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Telenav management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to its management.  Actual events or results may differ materially from those described in this document due to a number of risks and uncertainties. These potential risks and uncertainties include, among others:  Telenav's ability to develop and implement products for Ford, GM and Toyota and to support Ford, GM and Toyota and their customers; the impact of Ford's recent announcement regarding the elimination of various sedans in North America over the near term; the impact of tariffs on sales of automobiles in the United States and other markets; Telenav's success in extending its contracts for current and new generation of products with its existing automobile manufacturers and tier ones, particularly Ford; Telenav's ability to achieve additional design wins and the delivery dates of automobiles including Telenav's products; adoption by vehicle purchasers of Scout GPS Link; Telenav's dependence on a limited number of automobile manufacturers and tier ones for a substantial portion of its revenue; reductions in demand for automobiles; potential impacts of automobile manufacturers and tier ones including competitive capabilities in their vehicles such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;  its advertising business; Telenav's ability to develop new advertising products and technology while also achieving cash flow break even and ultimately profitability in the advertising business; Telenav's continued reporting of losses and operating expenses in excess of expectations; failure to reach agreement with customers for awards and contracts on products and services in which Telenav has expended resources developing; competition from other market participants who may provide comparable services to subscribers without charge; the timing of new product releases and vehicle production by Telenav's automotive customers, including inventory procurement and fulfillment; possible warranty claims, and the impact on consumer perception of its brand; Telenav's ability to develop and support products including OpenStreetMap ("OSM"), as well as transition existing navigation products to OSM and any economic benefit anticipated from the use of OSM versus proprietary map products; the potential that Telenav may not be able to realize its deferred tax assets and may have to take a reserve against them; Telenav's reliance on its automobile manufacturers for volume and royalty reporting; the impact on revenue recognition and other financial reporting due to the amendment of contracts or changes in accounting standards; and macroeconomic and political conditions in the U.S. and abroad, in particular China. Telenav discusses these risks in greater detail in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date made. You should review the company's SEC filings carefully and with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from what Telenav expect.

ABOUT TELENAV, INC.
Telenav is a leading provider of connected car and location-based services, focused on transforming life on the go for people - before, during, and after every drive. Leveraging our location platform, we enable our customers to deliver custom connected car and mobile experiences. Fortune 500 advertisers and local advertisers can now reach millions of users with Telenav's highly-targeted advertising platform. To learn more about how Telenav's location platform powers personalized navigation, mapping, big data intelligence, social driving, and location-based advertising, visit www.telenav.com.

Copyright 2018 Telenav, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

"Telenav," "Scout," "Thinknear" and the Telenav, Scout and Thinknear logos are registered trademarks of Telenav, Inc.  Unless otherwise noted, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used in this press release are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners. 
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Investor Relations:
Bishop IR
Mike Bishop
415-894-9633
IR@telenav.com

Media:
Raphel Finelli
408-667-5970
raphelf@telenav.com