FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot National, Inc. (NYSE: PN), a leading provider of technology and outsourcing solutions, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015.

Highlights:

For the quarter ended December 31, 2015:
(Comparisons to the corresponding prior-year period)

• Total Revenues and Fee Income of $60.9 million, increased 51%
• GAAP Net Loss of $5.4 million, or $0.19 per share
• Adjusted Earnings of $5.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, up 204%
• Adjusted EBITDA of $14.6 million, up 49%
• Operating Cash Flow of $5.6 million, up 65%

For the year ended December 31, 2015:
(Comparisons to the corresponding prior-year period)

• Total Revenues of $209.7 million and Fee Income of $209.8 million, up 79% and 104%, respectively
• GAAP Net Loss of $5.4 million, or $0.20 per share
• Adjusted Earnings of $20.1 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, up 236%
• Adjusted EBITDA of $51.5 million, up 90%
• Operating Cash Flow of $37.1 million, up 729%
• Invested $3 million to add 90 insurance carrier clients

Recent Developments:

• On February 16, 2016, Patriot National announced an expanded relationship with Travelers, the second largest writer of commercial U.S. property and casualty insurance, whereby Patriot National will initially offer all lines of Travelers' small business insurance in 15 states, with plans for national expansion.
• On January 28, 2016, Patriot National acquired Mid Atlantic Insurance Services, which increased Patriot National's property and casualty service offering with eight new products, added 12 new carrier relationships and 1,100 new retail agencies.
• On January 26, 2016, the Company appointed financial services industry veteran Michael Corey as its fourth independent director, expanding the board to a total of six members.
• In early January, the Company expanded its hospitality program through a partnership with ProSight Specialty Insurance to launch a new restaurants, bars and taverns program encompassing property, general liability and liquor liability.
• In February, Patriot Technology Solutions launched PN ClaimsAlert, a mobile application that streamlines incident reporting.

Management Commentary

"I am very proud of what our team accomplished in 2015. Our strong execution on our two-pronged growth strategy that combines organic growth with acquisitions helped us build one of the most powerful platforms in the insurance industry today," said Steven M. Mariano, Chief Executive Officer of Patriot National.

"The January 2016 acquisition of Mid Atlantic solidifies our position as a premier workers' compensation exchange of choice for agencies and employers.  Through our exchange, agencies and employers can access a minimum of five quotes and bind coverage in real time in 44 states.

"We also continue to strengthen and diversify our platform.  Including the recent acquisition of Mid Atlantic, today we have relationships with 139 carriers, up eight-fold compared to 17 in 2014.  Our distribution network stands at 4,100 agencies, which is four times larger than in 2014.  In addition, our menu of products and services is five times greater than in 2014, spanning beyond workers' compensation to include a wide array of commercial property and casualty insurance lines as well as human capital management.  Not only does this extensive product depth, carrier choice and distribution directly translate into increased submissions and fee income, it also reduces revenue concentration by carrier, agency and product line.

"We achieved this scale and diversification in a relatively short period of time, partly due to the addition of 90 more carriers than we had originally anticipated at the time of our IPO.  Adding these carriers strengthens our platform and sets the stage for accelerated growth and profitability over the long term as we capitalize on cross selling opportunities across a large base of carriers. We invested approximately $3 million of incremental costs in 2015 to integrate these carriers into our platform. Excluding these costs, our Adjusted EBITDA for 2015 would have been $54.5 million. 

"Our financial performance was stellar in the first full year of being a public company.  Total Fee Income and Adjusted EBITDA increased approximately 79% and 90%, respectively, over 2014.  When excluding the additional costs associated with the onboarding of new insurance carrier clients during 2015, Adjusted EBITDA margin would approximate 26%.

"Our scalable, state-of-the-art technology is foundational to our ability to deliver world-class services to our customers.  In 2015, we made great strides in advancing our technology platform and began to offer our solution on a standalone basis.  We secured a major win with Missouri Employers Mutual who will implement our fully integrated SaaS-based suite of solutions across their entire insurance value chain.  We are pleased with the pipeline of potential additional carrier customers and we expect standalone technology sales to accelerate in 2016.

"Most importantly, this year we built one of the most powerful platforms and value propositions in the insurance industry and we are well positioned for long-term sustainable growth.

Operating Results

Three Months Ended December 31, 2015

Total revenues were $60.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared with $40.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.  Total fee income was $60.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 51.2% compared with $40.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.  The increase in fee income during the fourth quarter of 2015 was primarily due to an increase in customer relationships and expanded number of service offerings. Organic fee income of $46.0 million grew 14.4% year-over-year.

Fee income from related party was 30% this quarter compared to 40% in the prior quarter and the Company is on track to achieve its goal of reducing fee income from related party to less than 20% by March 31, 2016.

Total expenses for the fourth quarter of 2015 were $59.6 million, compared with $41.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. The increase was largely attributable to organic growth and the acquisitions closed during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth quarter 2015 GAAP net loss was $5.4 million, or $0.19 per share, compared with a net loss of $2.4 million, or $0.13 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2014.  The net loss includes income tax expense of $6.6 million which reflects the book to tax timing differences in computing our full year 2015 tax provision.  Adjusted earnings for the fourth quarter of 2015 were $5.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared with Adjusted earnings of $1.8 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2014.  Patriot National defines Adjusted earnings or loss and Adjusted earnings or loss per share as net income (loss) adjusted for cost for debt payoff, non-cash stock compensation costs, net realized gains (losses) on investments, increase (decrease) in fair value of warrant redemption liability, increase in fair value of earn-out liability, acquisition costs, severance expense, public offering costs, gain on financing transaction, gain on disposal of fixed assets and the income tax effect related to reconciling items.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $14.6 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $9.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2014. Patriot National defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) adjusted for income tax, interest, depreciation and amortization, net realized gains (losses) on investments, increase (decrease) in fair value of warrant redemption liability, costs for debt payoff, non-cash stock compensation costs, acquisition costs, severance expense, public offering costs, increase in fair value of earn-out liability, gain on financing transaction and gain on disposal of fixed assets. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2015 was largely attributable to a combination of organic growth and the Company's acquisitions closed during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

Operating Cash Flow for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $5.6 million, compared to $3.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2014.  Patriot National defines Operating Cash Flow as Adjusted EBITDA less income tax expense, interest expense and capital expenditures.

Full Year Ended December 31, 2015

Total revenues were $209.7 million for the twelve months ended 2015, compared with $117.3 million in the same period a year ago.  Total fee income was $209.8 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, an increase of 104.2% compared to $102.7 million for the corresponding prior-year period.  The increase in fee income during the twelve months ended 2015 was primarily due to an increase in customer relationships and expanded number of service offerings. Organic fee income of $173.8 million grew 69.2% year-over-year.

Total expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 were $210.1 million, compared with $95.2 million in the corresponding prior-year period. The increase was largely attributable to organic growth and the acquisitions closed during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, GAAP net loss was $5.4 million or $0.20 per share, compared with GAAP net income of $10.4 million, or $0.66 per share, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014.  The net loss includes  income tax expense of $4.9 million which reflects the book to tax timing differences in computing our full year 2015 tax provision.   Adjusted earnings for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 were $20.1 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, compared with Adjusted earnings of $6.0 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, in the prior-year period.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, Adjusted EBITDA grew to $51.5 million up from $27.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014.  The increase in Adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 was largely attributable to a combination of organic growth and the Company's acquisitions closed during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

Operating Cash Flow for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 was $37.1 million, compared to Operating Cash Flow of $4.5 million for the same period a year ago.

Summary Financial Results

A Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures is provided in the following financial tables.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

At December 31, 2015, the Company had liquidity of $73.4 million, comprised of $11.4 million in cash on hand and $22.0 million available under the revolving credit facility. Additionally, the Company's credit facility provides for an incremental $40 million term loan through an accordion feature. 

At December 31, 2015, the Company had total debt of $126.8 million.  The Company's leverage ratio, comprised of total debt to trailing 12 months Adjusted EBITDA (including the proforma effect from acquisitions), was 2.3x.

Outlook for 2016 Financial Guidance

"By expanding our platform over the past 14 months, we have significantly de-risked our business model by reducing concentration by carriers, agencies and product lines.  Our more conservative outlook for fee income in 2016 reflects a more diversified mix of fee income earned from workers' compensation and non workers' compensation products and services as well as our expanded mix of carrier partners," said Mariano.

For the full year ending December 31, 2016, Patriot National currently expects the following financial results. 

¹Total fee income includes the expected contribution from the announced acquisition of Mid Atlantic on January 28, 2016, which is expected to contribute fee income of $8 million in 2016.

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and audio webcast with analysts and investors will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time, to discuss the results and answer questions.

• Live conference call: 866-777-2509 (domestic) or 412-317-5413 (international)
• Conference call replay available through March 17, 2016: 877-344-7529 (domestic) or 412-317-0088 (international)
• Replay access code: 10079938
• Live and archived webcast:ir.patnat.com           

The Company is enabling investors to pre-register for the earnings conference call so that they can expedite their entry into the call and avoid the need to wait for a live operator. In order to pre-register for the call, investors can visit http://dpregister.com/10079938 and enter in their contact information. Investors will then be issued a personalized phone number and pin to dial into the live conference call. Individuals can pre-register any time prior to the start of the conference call on February 25.    

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, this press release provides information regarding Adjusted earnings and earnings per share (non-GAAP adjusted), Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA.

A reconciliation of GAAP net income (loss) to both Adjusted earnings and Adjusted EBITDA can be found in the accompanying table. Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Patriot National compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA only as a supplement.

We have presented Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA in this release because they are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short and long-term operational plans.  In particular, we believe that the exclusion of the amounts eliminated in calculating Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our core business.  Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Adjusted earnings and earnings per share, Operating Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP.  Some of these limitations are as follows:

• Although depreciation and amortization expense are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future;
• Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs or tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
• Operating Cash Flow does not reflect changes in working capital that may represent a reduction in cash available to us; and
• Other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted Earnings or Adjusted EBITDA or similarly titled measures differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure.

About Patriot National

Patriot National, Inc. is a national provider of comprehensive technology and outsourcing solutions that help insurance companies and employers mitigate risk, comply with complex regulations and save time and money. Patriot National provides general agency services, technology outsourcing, software solutions, specialty underwriting and policyholder services, claims administration services, self-funded health plans and employment pre-screening services to its insurance carrier clients, employers and other clients. Patriot National is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  For more information about Patriot National, please visit www.patnat.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may include statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook," "Guidance," and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements, including the potential that revenue, net income or Adjusted EBITDA could finally be determined to be below the range discussed in this press release.  For example, we may not be able to place insurance policies for our clients, our expenses may be higher than we expect, we may have difficulty integrating new acquisitions, new acquisitions may not perform as anticipated, as well as those matters contained in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we base these forward-looking statements on assumptions that we believe are reasonable when made, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and that results may differ materially from statements made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statement that we may make in this press release speaks only as of the date of such statement, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to publicly announce the results of any revision to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments.

Media and Investor Contacts:
Julie MacMedan (310) 622-8242
Paige Hart (310) 622-8244
Financial Profiles, Inc.
PatriotNational@finprofiles.com

FINANCIAL TABLES TO FOLLOW

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SOURCE Patriot National, Inc.