Ascent Capital Group Announces Financial Results for the Three Months and Full Year Ended December 31, 2017
Headquartered in the
Highlights:
- Ascent's net revenue for the three and twelve months ended
December 31, 2017 totaled$133.5 million and$553.5 million , respectively - Ascent's net loss for the three and twelve months ended
December 31, 2017 totaled$16.0 million and$107.6 million , respectively. MONI's net loss for the three and twelve months endedDecember 31, 2017 totaled$14.6 million and$111.3 million , respectively - Ascent's Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended
December 31, 2017 totaled$72.9 million and$306.3 million , respectively. MONI's Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months endedDecember 31, 2017 totaled$73.8 million and$313.6 million , respectively - On
February 26, 2018 MONI announced an exclusive, long-term, trademark licensing agreement with The Brink's Company (NYSE:BCO), which will result in a complete rebranding of MONI and LiveWatch as BRINKS Home Security. The rebrand is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018 - MONI launched its professional monitoring services for the
Nest Secure alarm system through its direct to consumer channel onDecember 5, 2017 , and through theNest Secure app onFebruary 20, 2018
Ascent Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Results for the Three and Twelve Months Ended
For the three months ended
Ascent's total cost of services for the three months ended
Ascent's selling, general & administrative ("SG&A") costs for the three months ended
Subscriber acquisition costs in SG&A increased to
Ascent reported a net loss from continuing operations for the three and twelve months ended
MONI reported a net loss for the three and twelve months ended
Ascent's Adjusted EBITDA decreased 11.4% to
The expensed portion of subscriber acquisition costs, net of related revenues for the three and twelve months ended
For a reconciliation of net loss from continuing operations to Adjusted EBITDA, please see the Appendix of this release.
| Twelve Months Ended | |||||
| 2017 | 2016 | ||||
| Beginning balance of accounts | 1,046,791 | 1,089,535 | |||
| Accounts acquired | 95,786 | 125,292 | |||
| Accounts canceled | (155,098 | ) | (149,880 | ) | |
| Canceled accounts guaranteed by dealer and other adjustments (a) (b) | (11,483 | ) | (18,156 | ) | |
| Ending balance of accounts | 975,996 | 1,046,791 | |||
| Monthly weighted average accounts | 1,016,798 | 1,069,901 | |||
| Attrition rate - Unit | 15.3 | % | 14.0 | % | |
| Attrition rate - RMR (c) | 13.7 | % | 12.3 | % | |
| Core Attrition (d) | 14.5 | % | 13.5 | % | |
______________________
(a) Includes canceled accounts that are contractually guaranteed to be refunded from holdback.
(b) Includes an estimated 4,532 and 11,175 accounts included in our Radio Conversion Program that primarily canceled in excess of their expected attrition for the twelve months endingDecember 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
(c) The RMR of canceled accounts follows the same definition as subscriber unit attrition as noted above. RMR attrition is defined as the RMR of canceled accounts in a given period, adjusted for the impact of price increases or decreases in that period, divided by the weighted average of RMR for that period.
(d) Core Attrition reflects the long-term attrition characteristics of MONI's base by excluding the one-time bulk buy of 113,000 accounts fromPinnacle Security in 2012 and 2013.
MONI's core account portfolio unit attrition rate for the twelve months ended
RMR attrition for the twelve months ended
During the three months ended
Ascent Liquidity and Capital Resources
At
At
Conference Call
Ascent will host a call today, Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 5:00 pm ET. To access the call please dial (888) 462-5915 from
A replay of the call can be accessed through
This call will also be available as a live webcast which can be accessed at Ascent's Investor Relations Website at http://ir.ascentcapitalgroupinc.com/index.cfm.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about business strategies, market potential and expansion, the success of new products and services, the anticipated benefits from our partnership with
About
ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Amounts in thousands, except share amounts
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 10,465 | $ | 12,319 | |||
| Marketable securities, at fair value | 105,958 | 77,825 | |||||
| Trade receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of | 12,645 | 13,869 | |||||
| Prepaid and other current assets | 11,175 | 10,347 | |||||
| Assets held for sale | — | 10,673 | |||||
| Total current assets | 140,243 | 125,033 | |||||
| Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of | 32,823 | 28,331 | |||||
| Subscriber accounts, net of accumulated amortization of | 1,302,028 | 1,386,760 | |||||
| Dealer network
and other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of | 6,994 | 16,824 | |||||
| 563,549 | 563,549 | ||||||
| Other assets | 9,348 | 11,935 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 2,054,985 | $ | 2,132,432 | |||
| Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | |||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 11,092 | $ | 11,516 | |||
| Accrued payroll and related liabilities | 3,953 | 5,067 | |||||
| Other accrued liabilities | 52,329 | 34,970 | |||||
| Deferred revenue | 13,871 | 15,147 | |||||
| Holdback liability | 9,309 | 13,916 | |||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 11,000 | 11,000 | |||||
| Liabilities of discontinued operations | — | 3,500 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 101,554 | 95,116 | |||||
| Non-current liabilities: | |||||||
| Long-term debt | 1,778,044 | 1,754,233 | |||||
| Long-term holdback liability | 2,658 | 2,645 | |||||
| Derivative financial instruments | 13,491 | 16,948 | |||||
| Deferred income tax liability, net | 13,311 | 17,769 | |||||
| Other liabilities | 3,255 | 7,076 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 1,912,313 | 1,893,787 | |||||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||
| Stockholders' equity: | |||||||
| Preferred stock, | — | — | |||||
| Series A common stock, | 120 | 120 | |||||
| Series B common stock, | 4 | 4 | |||||
| Series C common stock, | — | — | |||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,423,899 | 1,417,505 | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | (1,277,118 | ) | (1,169,559 | ) | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net | (4,233 | ) | (9,425 | ) | |||
| Total stockholders' equity | 142,672 | 238,645 | |||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ | 2,054,985 | $ | 2,132,432 | |||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Amounts in thousands, except shares and per share amounts
| Year Ended | ||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 553,455 | 570,372 | $ | 563,356 | |||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Cost of services | 119,193 | 115,236 | 110,246 | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative, including stock-based and long-term compensation | 167,887 | 125,892 | 121,418 | |||||||
| Radio conversion costs | 450 | 18,422 | 14,369 | |||||||
| Amortization of subscriber accounts, dealer network and other intangible assets | 236,788 | 246,753 | 258,668 | |||||||
| Depreciation | 8,844 | 8,435 | 10,444 | |||||||
| Gain on disposal of operating assets | (21,217 | ) | — | (1,156 | ) | |||||
| 511,945 | 514,738 | 513,989 | ||||||||
| Operating income | 41,510 | 55,634 | 49,367 | |||||||
| Other expense (income), net: | ||||||||||
| Interest income | (2,446 | ) | (2,282 | ) | (2,904 | ) | ||||
| Interest expense | 152,257 | 132,269 | 123,743 | |||||||
| Refinancing expense, net of gain on extinguishment of debt in 2015 | — | 9,500 | 3,723 | |||||||
| Other expense (income), net | (242 | ) | 140 | 4,536 | ||||||
| 149,569 | 139,627 | 129,098 | ||||||||
| Loss from continuing operations before income taxes | (108,059 | ) | (83,993 | ) | (79,731 | ) | ||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations | (408 | ) | 7,251 | 6,505 | ||||||
| Net loss from continuing operations | (107,651 | ) | (91,244 | ) | (86,236 | ) | ||||
| Discontinued operations: | ||||||||||
| Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax of | 92 | — | 2,852 | |||||||
| Net loss | (107,559 | ) | (91,244 | ) | (83,384 | ) | ||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | 782 | (1,032 | ) | (293 | ) | |||||
| Unrealized holding gain on marketable securities, net | 2,828 | 1,956 | 904 | |||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net | 1,582 | 4,589 | (8,741 | ) | ||||||
| Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax | 5,192 | 5,513 | (8,130 | ) | ||||||
| Comprehensive loss | $ | (102,367 | ) | (85,731 | ) | $ | (91,514 | ) | ||
| Basic and diluted income (loss) per share: | ||||||||||
| Continuing operations | $ | (8.83 | ) | (7.44 | ) | $ | (6.66 | ) | ||
| Discontinued operations | 0.01 | — | 0.22 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (8.82 | ) | (7.44 | ) | $ | (6.44 | ) | ||
| Weighted average Series A and Series B shares - basic and diluted | 12,195,530 | 12,256,895 | 12,947,215 | |||||||
| Total issued and outstanding Series A and Series B shares at period end | 12,381,158 | 12,351,011 | 12,683,607 | |||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Amounts in thousands
| Year Ended | |||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (107,559 | ) | (91,244 | ) | (83,384 | ) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||||
| Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax | (92 | ) | — | (2,852 | ) | ||||
| Amortization of subscriber accounts, dealer network and other intangible assets | 236,788 | 246,753 | 258,668 | ||||||
| Depreciation | 8,844 | 8,435 | 10,444 | ||||||
| Stock-based and long-term incentive compensation | 7,431 | 6,984 | 7,343 | ||||||
| Deferred income tax expense (benefit) | (4,474 | ) | 4,201 | 4,138 | |||||
| Gain on disposal of operating assets | (21,217 | ) | — | (1,156 | ) | ||||
| Legal settlement reserve, net of cash payments | 23,000 | — | — | ||||||
| Amortization of debt discount and deferred debt costs | 11,111 | 10,670 | 10,357 | ||||||
| Refinancing expense, net of gain on extinguishment | — | 9,500 | 3,725 | ||||||
| Other-than-temporary impairment of marketable securities | 220 | 1,904 | 6,389 | ||||||
| Bad debt expense | 11,014 | 10,785 | 9,735 | ||||||
| Other non-cash activity, net | (4,277 | ) | (5,114 | ) | 4,426 | ||||
| Changes in assets and liabilities: | |||||||||
| Trade receivables | (9,790 | ) | (11,032 | ) | (9,378 | ) | |||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | (1,669 | ) | 325 | (3,857 | ) | ||||
| Subscriber accounts - deferred contract costs | (3,064 | ) | (2,947 | ) | (1,773 | ) | |||
| Payables and other liabilities | (6,361 | ) | (317 | ) | (4,096 | ) | |||
| Operating activities from discontinued operations, net | (3,408 | ) | — | (49 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 136,497 | 188,903 | 208,680 | |||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||||
| Capital expenditures | (14,393 | ) | (9,180 | ) | (12,431 | ) | |||
| Cost of subscriber accounts acquired | (142,909 | ) | (201,381 | ) | (266,558 | ) | |||
| Cash paid for acquisition, net of cash acquired | — | — | (56,778 | ) | |||||
| Purchases of marketable securities | (26,634 | ) | (5,036 | ) | (26,934 | ) | |||
| Proceeds from sale of marketable securities | 1,108 | 15,184 | 57,291 | ||||||
| Decrease in restricted cash | — | 55 | (37 | ) | |||||
| Proceeds from the disposal of operating assets | 32,612 | — | 20,175 | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (150,216 | ) | (200,358 | ) | (285,272 | ) | ||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||||
| Proceeds from long-term debt | 187,950 | 1,280,700 | 778,000 | ||||||
| Payments on long-term debt | (175,250 | ) | (1,238,059 | ) | (671,183 | ) | |||
| Payments of financing costs | — | (16,946 | ) | (6,477 | ) | ||||
| Value of shares withheld for share-based compensation | (835 | ) | (358 | ) | (795 | ) | |||
| Purchases and retirement of common stock | — | (7,140 | ) | (29,988 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | $ | 11,865 | 18,197 | 69,557 | |||||
| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (1,854 | ) | 6,742 | (7,035 | ) | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 12,319 | 5,577 | 12,612 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 10,465 | 12,319 | 5,577 | |||||
| Supplemental cash flow information: | |||||||||
| State taxes paid, net | $ | 2,713 | 2,645 | 3,245 | |||||
| Interest paid | 140,706 | 120,873 | 112,282 | ||||||
| Accrued capital expenditures | 272 | 558 | 1,214 | ||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
Adjusted EBITDA
We evaluate the performance of our operations based on financial measures such as revenue and "Adjusted EBITDA." Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, income taxes, depreciation, amortization (including the amortization of
subscriber accounts, dealer network and other intangible assets), restructuring charges, stock-based compensation, and other non-cash or non-recurring charges.
The following table provides a reconciliation of Ascent's net loss from continuing operations to total Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated (amounts in thousands):
| Three Months Ended | Year
Ended | |||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||
| Net loss from continuing operations | $ | (16,020 | ) | (18,789 | ) | (107,651 | ) | (91,244 | ) | |||
| Amortization of subscriber accounts, dealer network and other intangible assets | 57,892 | 61,338 | 236,788 | 246,753 | ||||||||
| Depreciation | 2,409 | 2,106 | 8,844 | 8,435 | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 1,261 | 1,779 | 7,229 | 6,984 | ||||||||
| Radio conversion costs | 67 | 484 | 450 | 18,422 | ||||||||
| Legal settlement reserve | — | — | 28,000 | — | ||||||||
| Severance expense (a) | 88 | 485 | 1,363 | 730 | ||||||||
| LiveWatch acquisition contingent bonus charges | (1,557 | ) | 848 | 189 | 3,944 | |||||||
| Rebranding marketing program | — | 2,152 | 880 | 2,991 | ||||||||
| Software implementation / integration | — | 93 | — | 511 | ||||||||
| Integration / implementation of company initiatives | 5 | 250 | 2,425 | 250 | ||||||||
| Gain on revaluation of acquisition dealer liabilities | — | (7,160 | ) | (1,358 | ) | (7,160 | ) | |||||
| Impairment of capitalized software | — | — | 713 | — | ||||||||
| Gain on disposal of operating assets | — | — | (21,217 | ) | — | |||||||
| Refinancing expense, net of gain on extinguishment of debt in 2015 | — | 152 | — | 9,500 | ||||||||
| Other-than-temporary impairment losses on marketable securities | — | — | 220 | 1,904 | ||||||||
| Interest income | (871 | ) | (689 | ) | (2,446 | ) | (2,282 | ) | ||||
| Interest expense | 38,246 | 37,464 | 152,257 | 132,269 | ||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations | (8,649 | ) | 1,737 | (408 | ) | 7,251 | ||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 72,871 | 82,250 | 306,278 | 339,258 | |||||||
| Expensed subscriber acquisition costs | ||||||||||||
| Gross subscriber acquisition | $ | 10,554 | 8,893 | 40,312 | 29,367 | |||||||
| Revenue associated with subscriber acquisition | (1,158 | ) | (1,426 | ) | (4,852 | ) | (5,310 | ) | ||||
| Net subscriber acquisition | 9,396 | 7,467 | 35,460 | 24,057 | ||||||||
_____________________________
(a) Severance expense related to a reduction in headcount event and transitioning executive leadership at MONI.
The following table provides a reconciliation of MONI's net loss to total Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated (amounts in thousands):
| Three Months Ended | Year Ended | |||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (14,642 | ) | (16,586 | ) | (111,295 | ) | (76,307 | ) | |||
| Amortization of subscriber accounts, dealer network and other intangible assets | 57,892 | 61,338 | 236,788 | 246,753 | ||||||||
| Depreciation | 2,403 | 2,076 | 8,818 | 8,160 | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 222 | 727 | 2,981 | 2,598 | ||||||||
| Radio conversion costs | 67 | 484 | 450 | 18,422 | ||||||||
| Legal settlement reserve | — | — | 28,000 | — | ||||||||
| Severance expense (a) | 88 | 485 | 1,363 | 730 | ||||||||
| LiveWatch acquisition contingent bonus charges | (1,557 | ) | 848 | 189 | 3,944 | |||||||
| Rebranding marketing program | — | 2,152 | 880 | 2,991 | ||||||||
| Software implementation / integration | — | 93 | — | 511 | ||||||||
| Integration / implementation of company initiatives | 5 | 250 | 2,425 | 250 | ||||||||
| Gain on revaluation of acquisition dealer liabilities | — | (7,160 | ) | (1,358 | ) | (7,160 | ) | |||||
| Impairment of capitalized software | — | — | 713 | — | ||||||||
| Refinancing expense | — | 152 | — | 9,500 | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 36,512 | 35,849 | 145,492 | 127,308 | ||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | (7,223 | ) | 1,686 | (1,893 | ) | 7,148 | ||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 73,767 | 82,394 | 313,553 | 344,848 | |||||||
| Expensed subscriber acquisition costs | ||||||||||||
| Gross subscriber acquisition | $ | 10,554 | 8,893 | 40,312 | 29,367 | |||||||
| Revenue associated with subscriber acquisition | (1,158 | ) | (1,426 | ) | (4,852 | ) | (5,310 | ) | ||||
| Net subscriber acquisition | 9,396 | 7,467 | 35,460 | 24,057 | ||||||||
_____________________________
(a) Severance expense related to a reduction in headcount event and transitioning executive leadership at MONI.
Contact:
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[email protected]
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