Performant Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:PFMT), a leading provider of technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the United States, today reported the following financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017:

Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

  • Total revenues of $33.3 million, compared to $33.8 million in the prior year period, down 1.5%
  • Net income of $0.5 million or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $12.3 million, or $(0.24) per diluted share, in the prior year period
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $2.0 million, compared to $4.9 million in the prior year period
  • Adjusted net income of $1.3 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net loss of $1.5 million or $(0.03) per diluted share, in the prior year period

Full Year 2017 Financial Highlights

  • Total revenues of $132.0 million, compared to $141.4 million in 2016, 6.6%
  • Net loss of $12.7 million, or $(0.25) per diluted share, compared to net loss of $11.5 million, or $(0.23) per diluted share, in 2016
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $9.2 million, compared to $25.9 million in 2016, Adjusted net loss of $7.5 million, or $(0.15) per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $4.1 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in 2016

Fourth Quarter 2017 Results

Student lending revenues in the fourth quarter were $22.5 million, a decrease of 17.9% from $27.4 million in the prior year period. The Guaranty Agencies and U.S. Department of Education accounted for student lending revenues of $21.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $23.7 million and $3.7 million the prior year period.  Student loan placement volume (defined below) during the quarter totaled $0.5 billion, compared to $0.6 billion in the prior year period. On January 11, 2018, the Department of Education announced that the Company was awarded one of two unrestricted contracts to provide debt collection services on defaulted federal student loans.

Healthcare revenues in the fourth quarter were $3.6 million, up from $2.3 million in the prior year period. Medicare audit recovery revenues were $0.5 million in the fourth quarter, a decrease of $0.1 million from the prior year period. The Company began work on the CMS Recovery Audit programs in Regions 1 and 5 during Q2 of 2017 and while the Company has begun to recognize some revenue from these contracts, claim volumes for the RAC program remain at low levels due to document request limits. Commercial healthcare clients contributed revenues of $3.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of $1.4 million from the prior year period.

Other revenues in the fourth quarter were $7.2 million, up from $4.1 million in the prior year period. This increase is due to the growth in our customer care contract work.

Net income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $0.5 million, or $0.01 per share on a fully diluted basis, compared to net loss of $12.3 million or $(0.24) per share on a fully diluted basis in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $2.0 million as compared to $4.9 million in the prior year period. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $1.3 million, resulting in $0.02 per share on a fully diluted basis. This compares to adjusted net loss of $1.5 million or $(0.03) per fully diluted share in the prior year period.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of approximately $23.5 million.

Full Year 2017 Results

Revenues for the full year ended December 31, 2017 were $132.0 million, a decrease of 6.6% compared to $141.4 million in 2016.  Student lending revenues declined 14.0% to $94.3 million from $109.6 million in 2016. Student Loan Placement Volume totaled $2.8 billion as compared to $3.2 billion in 2016. Healthcare revenues declined 12.3% to $10.0 million from $11.4 million in the prior year. Other revenues increased 35.8% to $27.7 million from $20.4 million in 2016.

Net loss for the full year was $12.7 million, or $(0.25) per share on a fully diluted basis, compared to net loss of $11.5 million or $(0.23) per share on a fully diluted basis in 2016. Adjusted EBITDA for 2017 was $9.2 million as compared to $25.9 million in 2016.   Adjusted net loss for 2017 was $7.5 million, resulting in adjusted earnings per share of $(0.15) on a fully diluted basis. This compares to adjusted net income of $4.1 million or $0.08 per fully diluted share in 2016.

Business Outlook

“Looking ahead to 2018, we have several large opportunities, although these opportunities will require investment during 2018. These opportunities include the new Department of Education contract, which is currently in protest process, the Medicare as Secondary Payer Commercial Repayment Center contract, and our two new Medicare Recovery Audit Contracts with CMS, for Regions 1 and 5, which are still in their early contract stage. We expect that these contracts that we are implementing in 2018 will have strong financial contribution as we look forward from 2018, but implementation expenses during 2018 will bring down margins. With that in mind, we are providing full year 2018 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance of $123 to $150 million and $2 to $6 million, respectively. This guidance does not include the new Department of Education contract which would require additional investment in 2018, and the balance sheet impact of closing out our old Region A CMS contract,” concluded Im.

Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this press release, to supplement our consolidated financial statements, the Company presents adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income. These measures are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and accordingly reconciliations of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income to net income determined in accordance with GAAP are included in the “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Results” table at the end of this press release. We have included adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income in this press release because they are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to prepare and approve our annual budget. Accordingly, we believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income provide useful information to investors and analysts in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Our use of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. In particular, many of the adjustments to our GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items, specifically interest, tax and depreciation and amortization expenses, equity-based compensation expense and certain other non-operating expenses, that are recurring and will be reflected in our financial results for the foreseeable future. In addition, these measures may be calculated differently from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes.

Terms used in this Press Release

Student Loan Placement Volume refers to the dollar volume of defaulted student loans first placed with us during the specified period by public and private clients for recovery. Placement Volume allows us to measure and track trends in the amount of inventory our clients in the student lending market are placing with us during any period. The revenue associated with the recovery of a portion of these loans may be recognized in subsequent accounting periods, which assists management in estimating future revenues and in allocating resources necessary to address current Placement Volumes.

Earnings Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2017 results today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.  A live webcast of the call may be accessed on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at investors.performantcorp.com. The conference call is also available by dialing 877-705-6003 (domestic) or 201-493-6725 (international).

A replay of the call will be available on the Company's website or by dialing 844-512-2921 (domestic) or 412-317-6671 (international) and entering the passcode 13677044. The telephonic replay will be available approximately three hours after the call, through March 13, 2018.

About Performant Financial Corporation

Performant helps government and commercial organizations enhance revenue and contain costs by preventing, identifying and recovering waste, improper payments and defaulted assets. Performant is a leading provider of these services in several industries, including healthcare, student loans and government. Performant has been providing recovery audit services for more than nine years to both commercial and government clients, including serving as a Recovery Auditor for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Powered by a proprietary analytic platform and workflow technology, Performant also provides professional services related to the recovery effort, including reporting capabilities, support services, customer care and stakeholder training programs meant to mitigate future instances of improper payments. Founded in 1976, Performant is headquartered in Livermore, California.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our outlook for revenues, net income and adjusted EBITDA in 2018. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the high level of revenue concentration among the Company's largest customers and any termination in the Company’s relationship with any of our significant clients would result in a material decline in our revenues, that many of the Company's customer contracts are subject to periodic renewal, are not exclusive, do not provide for committed business volumes and may be changed or terminated unilaterally and on short notice, that there can be no assurance that the Company is able to retain its new contract with the Department of Education as the result of the protests filed by unsuccessful bidders, that continuing limitations on the scope of our audit activity under our RAC contracts have significantly reduced our revenue opportunities with this client, that the Company faces significant competition in all of its markets, that the U.S. federal government accounts for a significant portion of the Company's revenues, that future legislative and regulatory changes may have significant effects on the Company's business, that failure of the Company's or third parties' operating systems and technology infrastructure could disrupt the operation of the Company's business and the threat of breach of the Company's security measures or failure or unauthorized access to confidential data that the Company possesses. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial condition and operating results is included from time to time in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and subsequently filed reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations.

Contact InformationRichard ZubekInvestor Relations925-960-4988investors@performantcorp.com

PERFORMANT FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
       
Assets December 31, 2017   December 31, 2016
Current assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents $ 21,731     $ 32,982  
Restricted cash 1,788     7,502  
Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $35 and $224, respectively 12,494     11,484  
Deferred income taxes     5,331  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 12,678     12,686  
Income tax receivable 6,839     2,027  
Total current assets 55,530     72,012  
Property, equipment, and leasehold improvements, net 20,944     23,735  
Identifiable intangible assets, net 4,864     5,895  
Goodwill 81,572     82,522  
Deferred income taxes 468      
Other assets 1,058     914  
Total assets $ 164,436     $ 185,078  
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity      
Current liabilities:      
Current maturities of notes payable, net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $171 and $1,294, respectively $ 2,029     $ 9,738  
Accrued salaries and benefits 4,569     4,315  
Accounts payable 1,518     628  
Other current liabilities 3,347     4,409  
Estimated liability for appeals 18,817     19,305  
Net payable to client 12,800     13,074  
Total current liabilities 43,080     51,469  
Notes payable, net of current portion and unamortized debt issuance costs of $3,245 and $272, respectively 38,555     43,878  
Deferred income taxes     1,130  
Other liabilities 2,476     2,356  
Total liabilities 84,111     98,833  
Commitments and contingencies      
Stockholders’ equity:      
Common stock, $0.0001 par value. Authorized, 500,000 shares at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively; issued and outstanding, 51,085 and 50,234 shares at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively 5     5  
Additional paid-in capital 72,459     65,650  
Retained earnings 7,861     20,590  
Total stockholders’ equity 80,325     86,245  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 164,436     $ 185,078  
PERFORMANT FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
       
  Three Months Ended   Twelve Months Ended
  December 31,   December 31,
  2017   2016   2017   2016
Revenues $ 33,289     $ 33,812     $ 132,049     $ 141,360  
Operating expenses:              
Salaries and benefits 20,551     18,756     82,191     78,863  
Other operating expenses 13,925     14,584     55,863     54,985  
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets     15,438     1,081     15,438  
Total operating expenses 34,476     48,778     139,135     149,286  
Loss from operations (1,187 )   (14,966 )   (7,086 )   (7,926 )
Interest expense (1,289 )   (1,761 )   (6,972 )   (7,897 )
Interest income 4         4      
Loss before benefit from income taxes (2,472 )   (16,727 )   (14,054 )   (15,823 )
Benefit from income taxes (2,993 )   (4,432 )   (1,325 )   (4,370 )
Net income (loss) $ 521     $ (12,295 )   $ (12,729 )   $ (11,453 )
               
Net income (loss) per share              
Basic $ 0.01     $ (0.24 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.23 )
Diluted $ 0.01     $ (0.24 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.23 )
Weighted average shares              
Basic 51,004     50,230     50,688     50,038  
Diluted 51,599     50,230     50,688     50,038  
PERFORMANT FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES    
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows    
(In thousands)    
(Unaudited)    
     
  Twelve Months Ended    
  December 31,    
  2017   2016    
Cash flows from operating activities:          
Net loss $ (12,729 )   $ (11,453 )    
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:          
Loss on disposal of assets 67     12      
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets 1,081     15,438      
Depreciation and amortization 10,888     13,380      
Deferred income taxes 3,733     (6,912 )    
Stock-based compensation 3,740     4,713      
Interest expense from debt issuance costs 1,336     1,264      
Write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs 1,049     468      
Interest expense paid in kind 331          
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
Trade accounts receivable (1,010 )   6,481      
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 8     247      
Income tax receivable (4,812 )   (2,027 )    
Other assets (148 )   (740 )    
Accrued salaries and benefits 254     (446 )    
Accounts payable 890     (301 )    
Other current liabilities (1,062 )   (656 )    
Income taxes payable     (895 )    
Estimated liability for appeals (488 )   187      
Net payable to client (274 )   (1,326 )    
Other liabilities 120     350      
Net cash provided by operating activities 2,974     17,784      
Cash flows from investing activities:          
Proceeds from sale of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements          
Purchase of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements (7,259 )   (7,866 )    
Net cash used in investing activities (7,259 )   (7,866 )    
Cash flows from financing activities:          
Repayment of notes payable (55,513 )   (39,076 )    
Debt issuance costs paid (934 )   (1,181 )    
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of stock awards (385 )   (266 )    
Proceeds from exercise of stock options 155     337      
Borrowings from notes payable 44,000          
Income tax benefit from employee stock awards     103      
Payment of purchase obligation     (554 )    
Net cash used in financing activities (12,677 )   (40,637 )    
Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash (3 )   21      
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (16,965 )   (30,698 )    
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year 40,484     71,182      
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year $ 23,519     $ 40,484      
Non-cash financing activities:          
Recognition of warrant issued in debt financing $ 3,302     $      
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:          
Cash paid (received) for income taxes $ (353 )   $ 5,273      
Cash paid for interest $ 4,284     $ 6,156      
PERFORMANT FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Results
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
               
  Three Months Ended   Twelve Months Ended
  December 31,   December 31,
  2017   2016   2017   2016
Adjusted Earnings Per Diluted Share:              
Net loss $ 521     $ (12,295 )   $ (12,729 )   $ (11,453 )
Plus: Adjusted items per reconciliation of adjusted net income 760     10,771     5,208     15,569  
Adjusted Net Income (Loss) $ 1,281     $ (1,524 )   $ (7,521 )   $ 4,116  
               
Adjusted Earnings Per Diluted Share 0.02     (0.03 )   (0.15 )   0.08  
Diluted average shares outstanding (7) 51,599     50,230     50,688     50,674  
               
  Three Months Ended   Twelve Months Ended
  December 31,   December 31,
  2017   2016   2017   2016
Adjusted EBITDA:              
Net income (loss) $ 521     $ (12,295 )   $ (12,729 )   $ (11,453 )
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes (2,993 )   (4,432 )   (1,325 )   (4,370 )
Interest expense 1,289     1,761     6,972     7,897  
Interest income (4 )       (4 )    
Transaction expenses (1)         576      
Restructuring and other expenses (4)     20         329  
Depreciation and amortization 2,507     3,282     10,888     13,380  
Impairment of goodwill and customer relationship (6)     15,438     1,081     15,438  
Stock based compensation 713     1,167     3,740     4,713  
Adjusted EBITDA $ 2,033     $ 4,941     $ 9,199     $ 25,934  
               
  Three Months Ended   Twelve Months Ended
  December 31,   December 31,
  2017   2016   2017   2016
Adjusted Net Income (Loss):              
Net income (loss) $ 521     $ (12,295 )   $ (12,729 )   $ (11,453 )
Transaction expenses (1)         576      
Stock based compensation 713     1,167     3,740     4,713  
Amortization of intangibles (2) 207     936     898     3,736  
Impairment of goodwill and customer relationship (6)     15,438     1,081     15,438  
Deferred financing amortization costs (3) 346     390     2,385     1,732  
Restructuring and other expenses (4)     20         329  
Tax adjustments (5) (506 )   (7,180 )   (3,472 )   (10,379 )
Adjusted Net Income (Loss) $ 1,281     $ (1,524 )   $ (7,521 )   $ 4,116  
               

We are providing the following preliminary estimates of our financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018:

    Year Ended
    December 31, 2017   December 31, 2018
    Actual   Estimate
Adjusted EBITDA:          
Net income (loss)   $ (12,729 )   435 to 1,486  
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes   (1,325 )   165 to 564  
Interest expense   6,972     4,200 to 4,900  
Interest income   (4 )    
Transaction expenses (1)   576      
Restructuring and other expenses (4)        
Depreciation and amortization   10,888     9,800 to 10,850  
Impairment of goodwill and customer relationship (6)   1,081      
CMS Region A contract termination (8)       (14,400 )
Stock-based compensation   3,740     1,800 to 2,600  
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 9,199     2,000 to 6,000  
(1) Represents costs and expenses related to the refinancing of our existing indebtedness.
(2) Represents amortization of capitalized expenses related to the acquisition of Performant by an affiliate of Parthenon Capital Partners in 2004, and also an acquisition in the first quarter of 2012 to enhance our analytics capabilities.
(3) Represents amortization of capitalized financing costs related to our New Credit Agreement, and the write-off of deferred financing costs related to our Prior Credit Agreement in August 2017 and amortization of capitalized financing costs related to financing conducted in 2012 and costs related to the amendment of the terms of the note payable in 2014 and 2016.
(4) Represents restructuring costs and severance and termination expenses incurred in connection with termination of employees and consultants.
(5) Represents tax adjustments assuming a marginal tax rate of 40% for 2017, and 27.5% for 2018 estimate.
(6) Represents goodwill and impairment charges related to our Performant Europe Ltd. subsidiary in 2017, and an impairment expense was recognized relating to the Department of Education customer relationship in 2016.
(7) While net income (loss) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 reflects a net loss of $(11,453), the computation of adjusted net income results in adjusted net income of $4,116.  Therefore, the calculation of the adjusted earnings per diluted share for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 includes dilutive common share equivalents of 636 added to the basic weighted average shares of 50,038.
(8) Estimated Q1 2018 impact of CMS contract wind-down.

 

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