2U, Inc. Reports Results for Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2019

LANHAM, Md., Feb. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 2U, Inc. TWOU, a global leader in education technology, today reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2019.

Results for Fourth Quarter 2019 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2018

• Revenue increased 42% to $163.2 million
• Graduate Program Segment revenue increased 12% to $108.2 million
• Alternative Credential Segment revenue increased 202% to $54.9 million, including $33.2 million in revenue from Trilogy, acquired in May 2019
• Net loss was $44.6 million, or $(0.70) per share, compared to net income of $4.8 million, or $0.08 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2018

Non-GAAP Results for Fourth Quarter 2019 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2018

• Adjusted net loss was $11.2 million, or $(0.18) per share, compared to adjusted net income of $13.7 million, or $0.23 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2018
• Adjusted EBITDA was $5.0 million, compared to $20.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018

Results for Full-Year 2019 Compared to Full-Year 2018

• Revenue increased 40% to $574.7 million
• Graduate Program Segment revenue increased 20% to $417.2 million
• Alternative Credential Segment revenue increased 148% to $157.5 million, including $74.3 million in revenue from Trilogy, acquired in May 2019
• Net loss increased $196.9 million to $235.2 million or $(3.83) per share

Non-GAAP Results for Full-Year 2019 Compared to Full-Year 2018

• Adjusted net loss increased $68.4 million to $71.9 million or $(1.17) per share
• Adjusted EBITDA loss was $23.9 million, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $17.7 million in 2018

"Over the past year, with the addition of our boot camp and undergraduate offerings, we have opened up significant new market segments, more than doubled our client base, and now deliver a portfolio of over 400 career-relevant, high-quality product offerings," Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Christopher "Chip" Paucek said. "Our recent expansion of 2U's relationship with the University of London and the London School of Economics and Political Science is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and will allow us to power a compelling mix of seven bachelor's degrees from two of the world's most recognized and respected institutions."

Chief Financial Officer Paul Lalljie commented, "We closed out 2019 with strong results, and enter 2020 with excellent momentum. The business is on pace to deliver industry-leading growth for the year, with revenue expected to grow by 26-30% and adjusted EBITDA expected to turn positive in the third quarter. We remain focused on improving operational efficiency and accelerating our path to profitability and positive free cash flow."

Discussion of Fourth Quarter 2019 Results

Revenue totaled $163.2 million, a 42% increase from $115.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. Graduate Program Segment revenue grew 12% to $108.2 million, driven by a 20% increase in full course equivalent enrollments, partially offset by a 7% decrease in average revenue per full course equivalent enrollment. Alternative Credential Segment revenue increased 202% to $54.9 million, driven by full course equivalent enrollments of 14,639.

Costs and expenses totaled $204.5 million, an 83% increase from $111.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. This $92.7 million increase was primarily driven by $55.1 million of incremental operating costs related to Trilogy and $5.8 million in transaction, integration, restructuring-related and shareholder activism costs. The remainder of the cost increase was primarily attributable to direct marketing, personnel, and curriculum and teaching costs.

As of December 31, 2019, the company's cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $189.9 million, a decrease of $259.9 million from $449.8 million as of December 31, 2018. The $259.9 million decrease from December 31, 2018 was primarily driven by $388.0 million to acquire Trilogy, capital expenditures of $80.5 million and cash used in operating activities of $52.0 million, partially offset by borrowings under the company's term loan facility of $244.7 million and a $25.0 million inflow from the maturity of a certificate of deposit. As of December 31, 2019, the company had approximately $254.5 million of indebtedness on a consolidated basis, principally related to the company's term loan facility maturing in May 2024.

Business Outlook for Fiscal Year 2020

First Quarter 2020

• Revenue to range from $170.0 million to $180.0 million, or growth of 39% to 47%
• Net loss to range from $70.0 million to $60.0 million
• Adjusted net loss to range from $36.0 million to $26.0 million
• Adjusted EBITDA (loss) to range from $(18.0) million to $(8.0) million

Full-Year 2020

• Revenue to range from $725.0 million to $750.0 million, or growth of 26% to 30%
• Net loss to range from $220.0 million to $200.0 million
• Adjusted net loss to range from $90.0 million to $70.0 million
• Adjusted EBITDA (loss) to range from $(5.0) million to $10.0 million

Non-GAAP Measures

To provide investors and others with additional information regarding 2U's results, the company has disclosed the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted EBITDA (loss), unlevered free cash flow, adjusted net income (loss), and adjusted net income (loss) per share. The company has provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this earnings release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The company defines adjusted EBITDA (loss) as net income or net loss, as applicable, before net interest income (expense), taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, foreign currency gains or losses, deferred revenue fair value adjustments, transaction costs, integration costs, restructuring-related costs, shareholder activism costs, impairment charges, and stock-based compensation expense. The company defines unlevered free cash flow as net cash from operating activities, less capital expenditures and excluding restructuring-related and certain other non-ordinary cash payments, and cash interest payments on debt. The company defines adjusted net income (loss) as net income or net loss, as applicable, before foreign currency gains or losses, acquisition-related gains or losses, deferred revenue fair value adjustments, transaction costs, integration costs, restructuring-related costs, shareholder activism costs, impairment charges, and stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted net income (loss) per share is calculated as adjusted net income (loss) divided by diluted weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding for periods which result in adjusted net income, and basic weighted-average shares outstanding for periods which result in an adjusted net loss.

The company's management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, to understand cash that is generated by or available for operational expenses and investment in the business after capital expenditures, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short- and long-term operating plans, and to evaluate the company's financial performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures reflect the company's ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in the company's business as they exclude expenses that are not reflective of ongoing operating results. Management also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the company's operating results and prospects in the same manner as management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies.

The use of adjusted EBITDA (loss), unlevered free cash flow, adjusted net income (loss), and adjusted net income (loss) per share measures have certain limitations, as they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect the company's operations. The company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Further, these non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Management encourages investors and others to review the company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Conference Call Information

About 2U, Inc. TWOU

Eliminating the back row in higher education is not just a metaphor—it's our mission. For more than a decade, 2U, Inc., a global leader in education technology, has been a trusted partner and brand steward of great universities. We build, deliver, and support more than 400 digital and in-person educational offerings, including graduate degrees, professional certificates, Trilogy-powered boot camps, and GetSmarter short courses. Together with our partners, 2U has positively transformed the lives of more than 200,000 students and lifelong learners. To learn more, visit 2U.com. #NoBackRow

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding 2U, Inc.'s future business expectations, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding the acquisition of Trilogy and future results of the operations and financial position of 2U, including financial targets, business strategy, and plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. 2U has based these forward-looking statements largely on its estimates of its financial results and its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs as of the date of this press release. The company undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted, including, but not limited to:

• trends in the higher education market and the market for online education, and expectations for growth in those markets;
• the acceptance, adoption and growth of online learning by colleges and universities, faculty, students, employers, accreditors and state and federal licensing bodies;
• the impact of competition on our industry and innovations by competitors;
• the company's ability to comply with evolving regulations and legal obligations related to data privacy, data protection and information security;
• the company's expectations about the potential benefits of its cloud-based software-as-a-service, or SaaS, technology and technology-enabled services to university clients and students;
• the company's dependence on third parties to provide certain services or components used in its platform;
• the company's ability to meet the anticipated launch dates of its educational offerings;
• the company's expectations about the predictability, visibility and recurring nature of its business model;
• the company's ability to acquire new university clients and expand its offerings with existing university clients;
• its ability to successfully integrate the operations of its acquisitions, including Trilogy Education Services, Inc., or Trilogy, achieve the expected benefits of its acquisitions and manage, expand and grow the combined company;
• the company's expectations regarding the amount of time its cash balances and other available financial resources will be sufficient to fund its operations;
• the company's ability to service its substantial indebtedness and comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants contained in the credit agreement governing its senior secured term loan facility;
• the company's ability to refinance its indebtedness on attractive terms, if at all, to better align with its focus on profitability;
• the company's ability to generate sufficient future operating cash flows from recent acquisitions to ensure related goodwill is not impaired;
• the company's ability to execute its growth strategy in the international, undergraduate and non-degree alternative markets;
• the company's ability to continue to acquire prospective students for its offerings;
• the company's ability to affect or increase student retention in its graduate programs;
• the company's ability to attract, hire and retain qualified employees;
• the company's expectations about the scalability of its cloud-based platform;
• the company's expectations regarding future expenses in relation to future revenue;
• potential changes in regulations applicable to the company or its university clients; and
• the impact and cost of stockholder activism.

These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and other SEC filings. Moreover, 2U operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for 2U management to predict all risks, nor can 2U assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements 2U may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.

Investor Relations Contact: Ed Goodwin, 2U, Inc., egoodwin@2U.com

Media Contact: Glenda Felden, 2U, Inc., media@2U.com

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SOURCE 2U, Inc.