LivePerson Announces Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LivePerson, Inc. LPSN, a leading provider of mobile and online business messaging solutions, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016.

Highlights

The third quarter was highlighted by the strengthening of LivePerson's leadership in business-to-consumer messaging, advancing into the later stages of the migration, and capturing additional operating efficiencies.

Total revenue of $54.5 million met the midpoint of guidance for the third quarter of 2016, decreasing 10% as compared to the same period last year. Within total revenue, business operations revenue for the third quarter of 2016 was $50.5 million, a decrease of 12%. Revenue from consumer operations was $4.0 million, an increase of 10%.

LivePerson signed a total of 83 deals in the quarter, which includes the addition of 28 new customers. Trailing-twelve-months average revenue per enterprise and mid-market customer topped $200,000 for the third consecutive quarter.

"With solid third quarter execution, we now have more than one-third of software revenue on LiveEngage and a similar amount already in the process of migrating," said CEO Robert LoCascio. "We also strengthened our industry leadership by expanding our portfolio of messaging solutions, adding new messaging customers, and holding an exclusive industry summit alongside flagship customer T-Mobile. Finally, we continued to enhance our operating model by leveraging the shift to LiveEngage. The tools to transform the customer care industry and our own business are now firmly in our hands."

Customer Expansion

During the third quarter, the Company signed contracts with the following new customers:

• Elizabeth Arden, a leading cosmetics and fragrance company
• Travel Republic, one of the largest and most well-established online travel agents in Europe
• A national retailer of home furnishings and lighting
• A provider of digital marketing and customer acquisition solutions
• A government agency in Australia

The Company also expanded business with:

• One of the leading mortgage lending companies
• A leading video game developer and publisher
• A multi-billion provider of beauty, household, and personal care products
• A premier online electronics retailer
• A leading telecommunications company in Europe

Net (Loss) Income and Adjusted Net (Loss) Income

Net loss for the third quarter of 2016 was $5.9 million or $0.10 per share, as compared to net income of $1.9 million or $0.03 per share in the third quarter of 2015. Adjusted net loss for the third quarter of 2016 was $2.9 million or $0.05 per share, as compared to adjusted net income of $2.1 million or $0.04 per share in the third quarter of 2015. Adjusted net income excludes amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, deferred tax asset valuation allowance, other non-recurring charges and the related income tax effect of these adjustments.

Net loss in the third quarter of 2016 included $0.5 million ($0.01 per share) of net non-recurring expenses primarily associated with IP litigation. Net loss and adjusted net loss in the third quarter of 2016 included taxes of $3.2 million, which were approximately $2.2 million ($0.04 per share) higher than anticipated due to a larger increase in the taxable income in foreign jurisdictions in relation to the overall loss and the adjustment of prior net operating losses. This change has no effect on cash taxes paid. Net profit in the third quarter of 2015 included a net gain of $3.1 million ($0.04 per share) primarily tied to the reversal of the contingent earn-out associated with Contact At Once.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2016 was $4.6 million or $0.08 per share, as compared to $6.5 million or $0.11 per share in the third quarter of 2015. Adjusted EBITDA excludes provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, net, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges.

A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures has been provided in the financial tables included in this press release. An explanation of the non-GAAP financial measures and how they are calculated is included below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company's cash balance was $55.4 million at September 30, 2016, including $4.0 million of cash being used as collateral for foreign currency hedging instruments.  The Company generated approximately $1.8 million of cash from operations and incurred capital expenditures of approximately $2.6 million. The Company also spent approximately $1.2 million to repurchase shares of its common stock during the third quarter of 2016. As of September 30, 2016, approximately $14.3 million remained available for purchases under the previously announced stock repurchase program.

Financial Expectations

LivePerson is on target to hit the midpoint of the previously issued 2016 revenue guidance range, despite incrementally challenging foreign exchange headwinds, especially tied to the British Pound. We are focused on capturing operating efficiencies as we center our business on LiveEngage, and the Company is tracking toward a $14.0 million reduction of expenses in 2016, as compared to 2015.

The Company's detailed financial expectations are as follows:

Fourth Quarter 2016

 

Full Year 2016

 

Other Full Year 2016 Assumptions

• A negative foreign exchange impact on revenue of approximately $3.6 million, from $3.0 million previously
• GAAP gross margin of approximately 71%, from 70% previously
• Amortization of purchased intangibles of approximately $6.7 million, from $6.5 million previously
• Stock-compensation expense of approximately $10.0 million, from $10.5 million previously
• Depreciation of approximately $12.0 million, from $13.0 million previously
• Cash taxes paid of $1.0 million to $3.0 million, unchanged
• Tax rate of 35% on non-GAAP items used to calculate adjusted net income, unchanged
• Capital expenditures of approximately $12.5 million, unchanged

Stock-Based Compensation

Included in the accompanying financial results are expenses related to stock-based compensation, as follows (in thousands):

 

Amortization of Purchased Intangibles

Included in the accompanying financial results are expenses related to the amortization of purchased intangibles, as follows (in thousands):

 

Supplemental Third Quarter 2016 Presentation

LivePerson will post a presentation providing supplemental information for the third quarter 2016 on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/ir.

Earnings Teleconference and Video Discussion Information

The Company will discuss its third quarter 2016 financial results during a teleconference today, November 8, 2016.  To participate via telephone, callers should dial in five to ten minutes prior to the 5:00 p.m. Eastern start time; domestic callers (U.S. and Canada) should dial 877-507-3684, while international callers should dial 928-328-1244, and both should reference the conference ID "4874151."

The conference call will also be simulcast live on the Internet and can be accessed by logging onto the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/company/ir.

If you are unable to participate in the live call, the teleconference will be available for replay approximately two hours after the call.  To access the replay, please call 855-859-2056 (U.S. and Canada) or 404-537-3406 (international).  Please reference the conference ID "4874151."  A replay will also be available on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/company/ir.

About LivePerson

LivePerson, Inc. LPSN is a leading provider of mobile and online business messaging solutions, enabling a meaningful connection between brands and consumers. LiveEngage, the Company's enterprise-class, cloud-based platform, empowers consumers to stop wasting time on hold with 1-800 numbers, and instead message their favorite brands, just as they do with friends and family. More than 18,000 businesses, including Adobe, Citibank, EE, HSBC, IBM, Orbitz, PNC, The Home Depot, and Walt Disney rely on the unparalleled intelligence, security and scalability of LiveEngage to reduce costs, increase lifetime value and create meaningful connections with consumers.

For more information, please visit www.liveperson.com.  To view other global press releases about LivePerson, please visit pr.liveperson.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Investors are cautioned that the following financial measures used in this press release are defined as "non-GAAP financial measures" by the Securities and Exchange Commission: adjusted EBITDA, or earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges; and adjusted net income, or net income excluding amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, deferred tax asset valuation allowance, other non-recurring charges and the related income tax effect of these adjustments.  These measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation.  In addition, although we have provided a reconciliation of these measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures, they should not be construed as alternatives to any other measures of performance determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or as indicators of our operating performance, liquidity or cash flows generated by operating, investing and financing activities, as there may be significant factors or trends that they fail to address.  We present this financial information because we believe that it is helpful to some investors as a measure of our performance.  We caution investors that non-GAAP financial information, by its nature, departs from traditional accounting conventions; accordingly, its use can make it difficult to compare our current results with our results from other reporting periods and with the results of other companies.

Safe Harbor Provision

Statements in this press release regarding LivePerson that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements.  Any such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to financial guidance, are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  It is routine for our internal projections and expectations to change as the quarter and year progress, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change.  Although these expectations may change, we are under no obligation to inform you if they do.  Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the projections or forward-looking statements.  Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation: potential fluctuations in our quarterly revenue and operating results; competition in the markets for digital engagement technology, and web and mobile based consumer-facing services, and online consumer services; our ability to retain existing clients and attract new clients; potential adverse impact due to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; privacy concerns relating to the Internet that could result in new legislation or negative public perception; risks related to new regulatory or other legal requirements that could materially impact our business; our ability to effectively operate on mobile devices; responding to rapid technological change and changing client preferences; additional regulatory requirements, tax liabilities, currency exchange rate fluctuations and other risks as we expand internationally and/or as we expand into direct-to-consumer services; impairments to goodwill that result in significant charges to earnings; the adverse effect that the global economic downturn may have on our business and results of operations; our ability to retain key personnel, attract new personnel and to manage staff attrition; risks related to the ability to successfully integrate past or potential future acquisitions; our ability to expand our operations internationally; failures or security breaches in our services, those of our third party providers, or in the websites of our customers; risks related to the regulation or possible misappropriation of personal information belonging to our customers' Internet users; potential failure to meeting service level commitments to certain customers; technology systems beyond our control and technology-related defects that could disrupt the LivePerson services; risks related to protecting our intellectual property rights or potential infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties; legal liability and/or negative publicity for the services provided to consumers via our technology platforms; risks related to technological or other defects disrupting our services; errors, failures or "bugs" in our products may be difficult to correct; increased allowances for doubtful accounts as a result of an increasing amount of receivables due from customers with greater credit risk; payment-related risks; delays in our implementation cycles; risks associated with the recent volatility in the capital markets; our ability to secure additional financing to execute our business strategy; risks associated with our current or any future stock repurchase programs, including whether such programs will enhance long-term stockholder value, and whether such stock repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our common stock and diminish our cash reserves; our ability to license necessary third party software for use in our products and services, and our ability to successfully integrate third party software; changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; our ability to maintain our reputation; risks related to our recognition of revenue from subscriptions; our lengthy sales cycles; risks related to our operations in Israel, and the civil and political unrest in that region; natural catastrophic events and interruption to our business by man-made problems; the high volatility of our stock price; and risks related to our common stock being traded on more than one securities exchange. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.  Readers are referred to the reports and documents filed from time to time by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of these and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in forward-looking statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor contact:
Matthew Kempler
212-609-4214
mkempler@liveperson.com

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SOURCE LivePerson, Inc.