Answers Corporation Reports Q1 2008 Financial Results
WikiAnswers Revenue Grew 68% Sequentially in Q1
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Answers Corporation (NASDAQ: ANSW), creators of the leading answer engine offering Answers.com™ and WikiAnswers™, today reported unaudited financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2008.
Chairman and CEO Bob Rosenschein commented, “Answers.com reference traffic dropped 7% sequentially, but WikiAnswers jumped 64% in the same period, continuing to set monthly traffic records and capture market share. Beginning in May, WikiAnswers will already overtake reference Answers.com as the primary driver of corporate revenue. We are implementing concrete plans to drive greater traffic between both properties and exploit on their natural synergies.”
Q1 2008 Financial Results
- Revenues were $3,031 thousand in Q1 2008, an increase of 2% compared to $2,961 thousand, excluding subscription revenue of $425 thousand, reported for the same period in 2007, and an increase of 1% compared to the $2,991 thousand reported for Q4 2007. The subscription revenue in Q1 2007 resulted from the recognition of revenue from lifetime subscriptions to an information service that we sold in 2003, and that was terminated in February 2007. This revenue was a one-time event and is not reflective of the Company’s core business.
- Answers.com revenues were $1,828 thousand in Q1 2008, a decrease of 19% compared to $2,270 thousand in Q4 2007.
- WikiAnswers.com revenues were $1,185 thousand in Q1 2008, an increase of 68% compared to $704 thousand in Q4 2007.
- GAAP net loss in Q1 2008, including $2,543 thousand of termination fees and write-off of costs relating to the terminated Lexico acquisition and abandoned follow-on offering, was $3,667 thousand, an increase of $3,364 thousand compared to Q1 2007, and an increase of $3,049 thousand, compared to the GAAP net loss of $618 thousand in Q4 2007. GAAP net loss per share in Q1 2008 was $0.47, compared to $0.04 in Q1 2007, and $0.08 in Q4 2007.
- Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2008 was negative $181 thousand, $341 thousand lower than the $160 thousand of Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2007, and $361 thousand lower than the Adjusted EBITDA of $180 thousand in Q4 2007.
Business Outlook – Second Quarter 2008
The following business outlook is based on the Company’s current information and expectations as of May 12, 2008. Answers undertakes no obligation to update the outlook, or any portion thereof, prior to the release of the Company’s next earnings announcement, notwithstanding subsequent developments; however, Answers may update the outlook or any portion thereof at any time at its discretion.
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Three months ending June 30, 2008 |
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| (in thousands) | ||
| Revenues | $2,700 - $2,800 | |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
||
| GAAP Operating loss | $(1,700) – $(1,600) | |
| Adjustment to GAAP Operating loss: | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 450 | |
| Depreciation and amortization | 500 | |
| $(750) – $(650) |
Business Outlook – Full Year 2008
The following business outlook is based on the Company’s current information and expectations as of May 12, 2008. Answers undertakes no obligation to update the outlook, or any portion thereof, prior to the release of the Company’s next earnings announcement, notwithstanding subsequent developments; however, Answers may update the outlook or any portion thereof at any time at its discretion.
|
Twelve months ending December 31, 2008
|
||
| (in thousands) | ||
| Revenues | $13,000 – $14,000 | |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
||
| GAAP Operating loss | $(7,093) – $(6,393) | |
| Adjustment to GAAP Operating loss: | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 2,000 | |
| Depreciation and amortization | 2,200 | |
| Cost relating to terminated Lexico | ||
| acquisition and follow-on offering | 2,543 | |
| $(350) – $350 |
Conference Call
A conference call to review the Q-1 2008 financial results will follow this release today at 8:30 AM EDT. The company’s management will host the call, discuss its quarterly results and will provide insight into its business outlook. The call will be followed by a question and answer session. Investors are invited to listen to the conference call and the replay over the Internet through Answers' Website, within its Investor Relations page at http://ir.answers.com. To listen to the live call via Webcast, please go to our Website at least 10 minutes early to connect and register. To dial in to listen and/or submit a question, please dial (877)604-9665 and request the Answers call. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available on the site shortly after the call.
About Answers Corporation
Answers Corporation (NASDAQ: ANSW) owns and operates Web properties dedicated to providing useful answers in thousands of categories. The award-winning reference site Answers.com includes content on five million topics from over 180 licensed sources from leading publishers, including Houghton Mifflin Company, Barron's, Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica. WikiAnswers.com is a community-generated Social Knowledge Q&A platform, leveraging wiki-based technologies. Through the contributions of WikiAnswers' growing community and dedicated supervisors, answers are constantly improved and updated over time. WikiAnswers was ranked by comScore as the fastest U.S. growing website in 2007. Answers.com is also available for mobile devices at mobile.answers.com. For investment information, visit ir.answers.com. (answ-f)
Cautionary Statement
Some of the statements included in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future market opportunity and future financial performance. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Important factors may cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, our inability to increase the number of persons who use our Web properties, our inability to increase the number of partners who will generate increased traffic to our Web properties, our failure to improve the monetization of our Web properties, a change in the algorithms and methods used by Google, the provider of the vast majority of our search engine traffic, and other search engines to identify web pages towards which traffic will ultimately be directed or a decision to otherwise restrict the flow of users visiting our Web properties, a decision by Google, Inc. to discontinue directing user traffic to www.answers.com through its definition link, the effects of facing liability for any content displayed on our Web properties, potential claims that we are infringing the intellectual property rights of any third party, and other risk factors identified from time to time in our SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K filed on April 1, 2008. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. This press release and prior releases are available at www.answers.com. The information in Answers' website is not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included as an inactive textual reference only.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release, and the accompanying tables, include both financial measures in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, as well as non-GAAP financial measures, including “Adjusted EBITDA”. The tables attached to this press release include reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest GAAP financial measures. In addition an “Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” is set forth in Appendix A attached to this press release.
| Answers Corporation | ||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||||
| (in thousands, except for share and per share data) | ||||||
| Three months ended March 31 | ||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| Revenues: | ||||||
| Advertising revenue | 3,013 | 2,884 | ||||
| Answers service licensing | 18 | 77 | ||||
| Subscriptions | - | 425 | ||||
| 3,031 | 3,386 | |||||
| Costs and expenses: | ||||||
| Cost of revenue | 1,393 | 1,144 | ||||
| Research and development | 875 | 722 | ||||
| Sales and marketing | 762 | 982 | ||||
| General and administrative | 1,131 | 926 | ||||
|
Termination fees and write-off of costs relating to the terminated Lexico acquisition and abandoned follow-on offering |
2,543 | - | ||||
| Total operating expenses | 6,704 | 3,774 | ||||
| Operating loss | (3,673 | ) | (388 | ) | ||
| Interest income, net | 55 | 100 | ||||
| Other expense, net | (38 | ) | (15 | ) | ||
| Loss before income taxes | (3,656 | ) | (303 | ) | ||
| Income taxes | (11 | ) | - | |||
| Net loss | (3,667 | ) | (303 | ) | ||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share | (0.47 | ) | (0.04 | ) | ||
|
Weighted average shares used in computing basic and diluted
net loss per common share |
7,859,890 | 7,826,584 | ||||
| Answers Corporation | ||||||
|
Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the nearest comparable GAAP Measures |
||||||
| (in thousands, except for per share data) | ||||||
| Three months ended | ||||||
|
March 31,
2008 |
December 31,
2007 |
March 31,
2007 |
||||
| Adjusted Cost of Revenue | ||||||
| Cost of revenue | $1,393 | $1,247 | $1,144 | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | (46) | (40) | (36) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (328) | (324) | (323) | |||
| $1,019 | $883 | $785 | ||||
| Adjusted Research and Development | ||||||
| Research and development | $875 | $739 | $722 | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | (108) | (92) | (80) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (32) | (29) | (33) | |||
| $735 | $618 | $609 | ||||
| Adjusted Sales and Marketing | ||||||
| Sales and marketing | $762 | $676 | $982 | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | (90) | (72) | (224) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (19) | (20) | (23) | |||
| $653 | $584 | $735 | ||||
| Adjusted General and Administrative | ||||||
| General and administrative | $1,131 | $1,017 | $926 | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | (257) | (222) | (185) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (69) | (69) | (69) | |||
| $805 | $726 | $672 | ||||
| Adjusted Operating Expenses | ||||||
| Operating expenses | $6,704 | $3,679 | $3,774 | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | (501) | (426) | (525) | |||
|
Termination fees and write-off of costs related to the terminated Lexico acquisition and abandoned follow-on offering |
(2,543) | - | - | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (448) | (442) | (448) | |||
| $3,212 | $2,811 | $2,801 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | ||||||
| Operating Loss | $(3,667) | $(688) | $(388) | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 501 | 426 | 525 | |||
| Subscription revenue | - | - | (425) | |||
|
Termination fees and write-off of costs related to the terminated Lexico acquisition and abandoned follow-on offering |
2,543 | - | - | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | 448 | 442 | 448 | |||
| $(181) | $180 | $160 | ||||
|
Adjusted EBITDA Per Share
(basic and diluted) |
||||||
| Operating loss per share | $(0.47) | $(0.09) | $(0.04) | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.06 | |||
| Subscription revenue | (0.05) | |||||
|
Termination fees and write-off of costs related to the terminated Lexico acquisition and abandoned follow-on offering |
0.32 | - | - | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |||
| $(0.03) | $0.02 | $0.03 | ||||
|
See discussion regarding Adjusted EBITDA in Appendix A of this earnings release for an explanation of the reconciling items noted above. |
||||||
| Answers Corporation | ||||
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||
| (in thousands) | ||||
| March 31 | December 31 | |||
| 2008 | 2007 | |||
| $ | $ | |||
| Assets | ||||
| Current assets: | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 5,462 | 6,778 | ||
| Investment securities | - | 700 | ||
| Accounts receivable | 1,272 | 1,448 | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 681 | 487 | ||
| Total current assets | 7,415 | 9,413 | ||
| Long-term deposits (restricted) | 209 | 196 | ||
| Deposits in respect of employee severance obligations | 1,411 | 1,232 | ||
|
Property and equipment, net of $1,577 and $1,615 accumulated depreciation as of March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007, respectively |
1,087 | 1,012 | ||
| Other assets: | ||||
|
Intangible assets, net of $2,649 and $2,352 accumulated amortization as of March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007, respectively |
4,470 | 4,766 | ||
| Goodwill | 437 | 437 | ||
| Prepaid expenses, long-term, and other assets | 231 | 275 | ||
| Deferred charges (Lexico acquisition and public offering) | - | 1,267 | ||
| Total other assets | 5,138 | 6,745 | ||
| Total assets | 15,260 | 18,598 | ||
| Liabilities and stockholders' equity | ||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||
| Accounts payable | 444 | 968 | ||
| Accrued expenses | 882 | 1,045 | ||
| Accrued compensation | 754 | 551 | ||
| Deferred revenues | 10 | 16 | ||
| Total current liabilities | 2,090 | 2,580 | ||
| Long-term liabilities: | ||||
| Liability in respect of employee severance obligations | 1,548 | 1,233 | ||
| Deferred tax liability | 17 | 14 | ||
| Total long-term liabilities | 1,565 | 1,247 | ||
| Stockholders' equity: | ||||
|
Common stock; $0.001 par value; 30,000,000 shares authorized; 7,859,890 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007 |
8 | 8 | ||
| Additional paid-in capital | 74,393 | 73,893 | ||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (27) | (28) | ||
| Accumulated deficit | (62,769) | (59,102) | ||
| Total stockholders' equity | 11,605 | 14,771 | ||
| Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | 15,260 | 18,598 | ||
Appendix A
Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This earning release and the accompanying financial tables include both financial measures in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, as well as non-GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial measure we refer to, Adjusted EBITDA, represents net earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, foreign currency exchange rate differences and certain non-recurring revenues and expenses. We also refer to Adjusted Cost of Revenue, Adjusted Research and Development, Adjusted Sales and Marketing, Adjusted General and Administrative, and Adjusted Operating Expenses, which are our GAAP expenses adjusted for the expense items we exclude from Adjusted EBITDA.
We use Adjusted EBITDA as an additional measure of our overall performance for purposes of business decision-making, developing budgets and managing expenditures. It is useful because it removes the impact of our capital structure (interest expense), asset base (amortization and depreciation), stock-based compensation expenses, taxes, foreign currency exchange rate differences and certain non-recurring revenues and expenses from our results of operations. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors in their analysis of our results of operations for reasons similar to the reasons why we find it useful and because these measures enhance their overall understanding of the financial performance and prospects of our ongoing business operations. By reporting Adjusted EBITDA, we provide a basis for comparison of our business operations between current, past and future periods, and peer companies in our industry.
More specifically, we believe that removing these impacts is important for several reasons:
- Amortization of Intangible Assets. Adjusted EBITDA disregards amortization of intangible assets. Specifically, we exclude (a) amortization of acquired technology resulting from the acquisition of Brainboost Technology, LLC, developer of the Brainboost Answer Engine in December 2005; and (b) amortization of intangible assets resulting from the acquisition of WikiAnswers and other related assets in November 2006. These acquisitions resulted in operating expenses that would not otherwise have been incurred. We believe that excluding such expenses is significant to investors, due to the fact that they derive from prior acquisition decisions and are not necessarily indicative of future cash operating costs. In addition, we believe that the amount of such expenses in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations. While we exclude the aforesaid expenses from Adjusted EBITDA we do not exclude revenues derived as a result of such acquisitions. The amount of revenue that resulted from the acquisition of WikiAnswers and other related assets, for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 was $1,301 thousand and $62 thousand, respectively. The amount of revenue that resulted from the acquisition of technology from Brainboost is not quantifiable due to the nature of its integration.
- Stock-based Compensation Expense. Adjusted EBITDA disregards expenses associated with stock-based compensation, a non-cash expense arising from the grant of stock-based awards to employees and directors. We believe that, because of the variety of equity awards used by companies, the varying methodologies for determining stock-based compensation expense, and the subjective assumptions involved in those determinations, excluding stock-based compensation from Adjusted EBITDA enhances the ability of management and investors to make period-to-period comparisons of operating performance and to make meaningful comparisons between our performance and the performance of other companies. Investors are cautioned that stock-based compensation is offered to employees as a key incentive to continue their contribution to the operating results of the company in future periods. Adjusted EBITDA also disregards compensation costs resulting from certain portions of the stock component of the Brainboost purchase price that were deemed compensation expense. Such stock-based compensation should be viewed by investors as a non-recurring, one-time event and its exclusion enhances the understanding of our operating results going forward.
- Depreciation, Interest, Taxes and Exchange Rate Differences. Adjusted EBITDA excludes depreciation, interest, taxes and foreign exchange rate differences. We believe that, excluding these items from the Adjusted EBITDA measure provides investors with additional information to measure our performance, by excluding potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting interest expense), asset composition, and tax positions.
- Terminated Lexico Acquisition and Follow-On Offering. Adjusted EBITDA disregards $2,543,000 costs associated with our terminated acquisition of Lexico and the cancellation of our follow-on offering. We believe that, excluding these costs provides investors with additional information to measure our performance, by excluding events that are of a non-recurring nature.
- Subscription Revenues. Adjusted EBITDA disregards $425,000 in deferred subscription revenues. Prior to December 2003, we sold lifetime subscriptions to our GuruNet service, generally for $40 per subscription. In December 2003, we decided to alter our pricing model and moved to an annual subscription model, for which we generally charged our subscribers $30 per year. We have not sold subscriptions since our launch of Answers.com in January 2005. In February 2007, we terminated the GuruNet service and recognized $425 thousand of deferred revenue as revenue during the quarter ended March 31, 2007. We believe that the recognition of the $425 thousand of revenue is a one-time, non-cash event and is not reflective of our core business and core operating results, and that its exclusion provides investors with a better understanding of our operating results.
- Layoff Costs. Adjusted EBITDA disregards third quarter charges associated with a restructuring event. In July 2007, a search engine algorithm adjustment by Google led to a drop in Google directed traffic to Answers.com. This adjustment reduced our overall traffic by approximately 28% based on the average traffic directed to Answers.com from Google for the week prior to the adjustment as compared to the week after. As a result, our revenue declined proportionately. In response to this Google algorithm adjustment, we reduced our headcount and related compensation costs, reducing our base payroll expenses by approximately 12%. We believe that, excluding these costs provides investors with additional information to measure our performance, by excluding events that are of a non-recurring nature.
Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of liquidity or financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, a measure of financial performance prepared in