Aon Reports First Quarter 2017 Results

LONDON, May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 

First Quarter Key Metrics From Continuing Operations

• Reported revenue increased 5% to $2.4 billion, with organic revenue growth of 4%
• Operating margin decreased 410 basis points to 14.4%, and operating margin, adjusted for certain items, increased 220 basis points to 22.3%
• EPS decreased 15% to $0.94, and EPS, adjusted for certain items, increased 20% to $1.45
• For the first three months of 2017, cash flow from operations increased $38 million, or 26%, to $182 million, and free cash flow increased $41 million, or 38%, to $148 million

First Quarter Highlights

• Repurchased 1.1 million Class A Ordinary Shares for approximately $125 million
• Subsequent to the close of the quarter, the Company closed its sale of the Benefits Administration and HR Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) platform for cash consideration of $4.3 billion and additional consideration of up to $500 million
• Subsequent to the close of the quarter, the company announced a 9% increase to its quarterly cash dividend

Aon plc AON today reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

Net income attributable to Aon shareholders was $291 million, or $1.09 per share, compared to $325 million, or $1.19 per share, in the prior year period. Net income per share attributable to Aon shareholders, adjusted for certain items, increased 17% to $1.63, compared to $1.39 in the prior year period. Net income from continuing operations was $265 million, or $0.94 per share, compared to $312 million, or $1.10 per share, in the prior year period.  Net income per share from continuing operations, adjusted for certain items, increased 20% to $1.45, compared to $1.21 in the prior year period. Certain items that impacted first quarter results and comparisons with the prior year period are detailed in the "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share" on page 10 of this press release. 

"Our first quarter results reflect a strong start to the year driven by investments in our client-serving capabilities and operating model.  Organic growth of 4% is the strongest start to the year since 2012, adjusted operating margins expanded by 220 basis points, and earnings per share from continuing operations increased 20% driven by effective operational and capital management," said Greg Case, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "With the recently completed divestiture of our outsourcing platform, we have taken another meaningful step in a decade long strategy that has produced exceptional results for clients and shareholders.  As a leading global professional services firm, we are operating from a position of strength.  With strong free cash flow generation and roughly $3 billion of incremental transaction proceeds, we have significant financial flexibility to invest in high-growth high-margin areas across our industry-leading portfolio, invest in our operating model and to return capital to shareholders."

FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The first quarter financial results discussed herein represent performance from continuing operations unless otherwise noted.

Total revenue in the first quarter increased 5% to $2.4 billion, compared to the prior year period driven primarily by 4% organic revenue growth in commissions and fees and 3% increase in commissions and fees related to acquisitions, net of divestitures, partially offset by a 2% unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation.

Total operating expenses increased 10% to $2.0 billion compared to the prior year period due primarily to $144 million of restructuring costs, a $60 million increase in operating expenses related to acquisitions, net of divestitures, and an increase in expense to support 4% organic revenue growth, partially offset by a $42 million favorable impact from currency translation, a $12 million decrease in expense related to certain hedging programs, and $11 million of savings related to restructuring activities and operational initiatives.

Restructuring expenses were $144 million primarily driven by workforce reductions. The Company expects to invest $900 million in total cash over a three-year period, excluding $50 million of non-cash charges, in driving one operating model across the firm. This includes an estimated investment of $700 million of cash restructuring charges and $200 million of capital expenditures. To date, the Company has incurred 19% of the total estimated restructuring charges. An analysis of restructuring-related costs by type is detailed on page 13 of this press release.

Restructuring savings in the first quarter related to restructuring activities and other operational initiatives are estimated at $11 million. Before any potential reinvestment of savings, restructuring activities and other operational initiatives are expected to deliver run-rate savings of $400 million annually by the end of 2019.  To date, the Company has achieved 3% of the total estimated restructuring related savings.

Foreign currency exchange rates in the first quarter had an immaterial impact per share, or $1 million pretax unfavorable impact on U.S. GAAP net income, and a $0.01 per share, or $3 million pretax, unfavorable impact on adjusted net income if the Company were to translate prior year quarter results at current quarter foreign exchange rates.

Effective tax rate used in the U.S. GAAP financial statements in the first quarter was 0.1%, compared to the prior year quarter of 15.9%.  After adjusting to exclude the applicable tax impact associated with intangible asset amortization, restructuring charges and anticipated non-cash pension settlements in the fourth quarter, the adjusted effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2017 was 11.1% compared to 15.7% in the prior year quarter, primarily due to a $29 million, or $0.11 per share benefit from the required change in accounting for share-based compensation. The new guidance for share-based compensation requires all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement and treated as discrete items in the reporting period. These adjustments are discussed in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share" on page 10 of this press release.

Average diluted shares outstanding decreased to 267.0 million in the first quarter compared to 273.7 million in the prior year quarter. The Company repurchased 1.1 million Class A Ordinary Shares for approximately $125 million in the quarter.  As of March 31, 2017, the Company had $7.7 billion of remaining authorization under its share repurchase program.

FIRST QUARTER CASH FLOW SUMMARY
Cash flow from operations for the first three months of 2017 increased 26%, or $38 million, to $182 million compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by operational improvement, partially offset by $31 million of cash restructuring charges.

Free cash flow, defined as cash flow from operations less capital expenditures, increased 38%, or $41 million, to $148 million for the first three months of 2017 compared to the prior year period, reflecting growth in cash flow from operations and a $3 million decrease in capital expenditures.  A reconciliation of free cash flow to cash flow from operations can be found in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Organic Revenue and Free Cash Flow" on page 9 of this press release.

FIRST QUARTER REVENUE REVIEW
The first quarter revenue reviews provided below include supplemental information related to organic revenue, which is described in detail in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Organic Revenue and Free Cash Flow" on page 9 of this press release. A description of the businesses included in each of the revenue lines below is included in the Appendix of the earnings conference call presentation slides.

Total organic revenue increased 4% compared to the prior year period primarily driven by strong growth in Health Solutions and Data & Analytic Services.

Commercial Risk Solutions organic revenue increased 2% compared to the prior year period driven by solid growth across the U.S., EMEA, Asia, and Pacific regions, partially offset by a decline in Latin America.

Reinsurance Solutions organic revenue increased 2% compared to the prior year period driven by growth across every product line, including treaty, facultative, and capital markets, partially offset by a modest unfavorable market impact globally.

Retirement Solutions organic revenue increased 3% compared to the prior year period driven by continued growth in investment consulting, primarily for delegated investment management, as well as growth in talent, primarily for compensation and engagement services.

Health Solutions organic revenue increased 14% compared to the prior year period driven by solid growth globally in health & benefits brokerage, including double-digit growth across Asia and EMEA, as well as double-digit growth in health care exchanges driven by follow-on enrollments on the retiree exchange and certain project-related work.

Data & Analytic Services organic revenue increased 5% compared to the prior year period driven by strong growth across Affinity, with particular strength in the U.S. across all product lines.

FIRST QUARTER EXPENSE REVIEW

Compensation and benefits expense increased 9%, or $116 million, compared to the prior year period due primarily to $103 million of restructuring costs, a $38 million increase in operating expenses related to acquisitions, net of divestitures, and an increase in expense associated with 4% organic revenue growth, partially offset by a $29 million favorable impact from currency translation, a $12 million decrease in expense related to certain hedging programs resulting from actions undertaken in consideration of reduced ongoing transactional exposure to the Indian Rupee, and $6 million of savings related to restructuring activities and operational initiatives.

Information technology expense increased 6%, or $5 million, compared to the prior year period due primarily to $3 million of restructuring costs, as well as other infrastructure investments, partially offset by $5 million of savings related to restructuring activities and operational initiatives.

Premises expense increased 2%, or $2 million, compared to the prior year period due primarily to $3 million of restructuring costs.

Depreciation of fixed assets expense increased 42%, or $16 million, compared to the prior year period primarily due to $13 million restructuring costs related to of fixed asset write-offs.

Amortization of intangible assets expense increased 16%, or $6 million, compared to the prior year period primarily due to an increase in intangible asset amortization from previous acquisitions.

Other general expenses increased 14%, or $37 million, compared to the prior year period due primarily to $22 million of restructuring costs and a $13 million increase in operating expenses related to acquisitions, net of divestitures.

FIRST QUARTER INCOME SUMMARY
Certain noteworthy items impacted operating income and operating margins in the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.  The first quarter information provided below includes supplemental information related to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin, which is described in detail in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share" on page 10 of this press release.

Operating income decreased $77 million, or 18%, compared to the prior year period. Adjusting for certain items detailed on page 10 of this press release, operating income increased 16%, or $73 million, and operating margin increased 220 basis points to 22.3%, each compared to the prior year period. The increase in adjusted operating margin was primarily driven by strong organic revenue growth, return on investments across the portfolio, and $11 million of savings related to restructuring activities and operational initiatives, as well as $12 million, or +50 basis points, favorable impact from reduced expenses related to certain hedging programs, and a +30 basis point favorable impact from foreign currency translation.

Interest income was flat at $2 million compared to the prior year period.  Interest expense increased $1 million to $70 million compared to the prior year period driven by a modest increase in total debt outstanding. Other expense of $10 million primarily includes losses related to the unfavorable impact of exchange rates on the remeasurement of assets and liabilities in non-functional currencies. Other income of $18 million in the prior year period primarily includes gains related to the favorable impact of exchange rates on the remeasurement of assets and liabilities in non-functional currencies.

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Net income from discontinued operations was $40 million, or $0.15 per share, compared to $25 million, or $0.09 per share, in the prior year period.  Net income per share from discontinued operations, adjusted for certain items, was $48 million, or $0.18 per share, similar to the prior year period. Certain items that impacted first quarter results and comparisons with the prior year period are detailed in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures - Operating Income and Diluted Earnings per Share" on page 10 of this press release.  

Conference Call, Presentation Slides and Webcast Details
The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:30 a.m., central time.  Interested parties can listen to the conference call via a live audio webcast and view the presentation slides at www.aon.com.

About Aon
Aon plc AON Aon is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.

Safe Harbor Statement
This communication contains certain statements related to future results, or states our intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from either historical or anticipated results depending on a variety of factors. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including such things as our outlook, future capital expenditures, growth in commissions and fees, changes to the composition or level of our revenues, cash flow and liquidity, expected tax rates, business strategies, competitive strengths, goals, the benefits of new initiatives, growth of our business and operations, plans and references to future successes, are forward-looking statements. Also, when we use the words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "probably", "potential", "looking forward", or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward looking statements:  general economic and political conditions in different countries in which Aon does business around the world; changes in the competitive environment; fluctuations in exchange and interest rates, including negative yields in some jurisdictions, that could influence revenue and expense; changes in global equity and fixed income markets that could affect the return on invested assets; changes in the funding status of Aon's various defined benefit pension plans and the impact of any increased pension funding resulting from those changes; the level of Aon's debt limiting financial flexibility; rating agency actions that could affect Aon's ability to borrow funds; the effect of the change in global headquarters and jurisdiction of incorporation, including differences in the anticipated benefits; changes in estimates or assumptions on our financial statements; limits on Aon's subsidiaries to make dividend and other payments to Aon; the impact of lawsuits and other contingent liabilities and loss contingencies arising from errors and omissions and other claims against Aon; the impact of, and potential challenges in complying with, legislation and regulation in the jurisdictions in which Aon operates, particularly given the global scope of Aon's businesses and the possibility of conflicting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions in which Aon does business; the impact of any investigations brought by regulatory authorities in the U.S., U.K. and other countries; the impact of any inquiries relating to compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and non-U.S. anti-corruption laws and with U.S. and non-U.S. trade sanctions regimes; failure to protect intellectual property rights or allegations that we infringe on the intellectual property rights of others; the effects of English law on our operating flexibility and the enforcement of judgments against Aon; the failure to retain and attract qualified personnel; international risks associated with Aon's global operations; the effect of natural or man-made disasters; the potential of a system or network breach or disruption resulting in operational interruption or improper disclosure of personal data; Aon's ability to develop and implement new technology; damage to our reputation among clients, markets or third parties; the actions taken by third parties that preform aspects of our business operations and client services; the extent to which Aon manages risks associated with the various services, including fiduciary and investments and other advisory services and business process outsourcing services, among others, that Aon provides or will provide to clients; Aon's ability to grow, develop and integrate companies or new lines of business that it acquires; changes in commercial property and casualty markets, commercial premium rates or methods of compensation; changes in the health care system or our relationships with insurance carriers; and Aon's ability to implement initiatives intended to yield cost savings, and the ability to achieve those cost savings.

Any or all of Aon's forward-looking statements may turn out to be inaccurate, and there are no guarantees about Aon's performance.  The factors identified above are not exhaustive.  Aon and its subsidiaries operate in a dynamic business environment in which new risks may emerge frequently.  Further information concerning Aon and its businesses, including factors that potentially could materially affect Aon's financial results, is contained in Aon's filings with the SEC. See Aon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 for a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to Aon's businesses. These factors may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports.  Aon is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statement that it may make from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Explanation of Non-GAAP Measures
This communication includes supplemental information related to organic revenue, free cash flow, adjusted operating margin, and adjusted earnings per share that exclude the effects of intangible asset amortization, capital expenditures, and certain other noteworthy items that affected results for the comparable periods.   Organic revenue includes the impact of intersegment and intrasegment activity and excludes the impact of foreign exchange rate changes, acquisitions, divestitures, transfers between business units, fiduciary investment income, and reimbursable expenses.  The impact of foreign exchange is determined by translating last year's revenue, expense or net income at this year's foreign exchange rates.  Reconciliations are provided in the attached appendices.  Supplemental organic revenue information and additional measures that exclude the effects of certain items noted above that do not affect net income or any other GAAP reported amounts.  Free cash flow is cash flow from operating activity less capital expenditures. Management believes that these measures are important to make meaningful period-to-period comparisons and that this supplemental information is helpful to investors.  They should be viewed in addition to, not in lieu of, the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.  Industry peers provide similar supplemental information regarding their performance, although they may not make identical adjustments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE Aon plc