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8-K - LIVE FILING - ADVISORY BOARD COhtm_43376.htm

Exhibit 99.1

         
Contact: Michael Kirshbaum
Chief Financial Officer
202.266.5876
jacobsg@advisory.com
 
The Advisory Board Company
2445 M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
www.advisoryboardcompany.com
                       
                     
                     
                     

THE ADVISORY BOARD COMPANY REPORTS
RESULTS FOR QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Company Reports Quarterly Revenue Growth of 31%, Contract Value Growth of 30%;
Raises Calendar 2011 Guidance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (November 2, 2011) — The Advisory Board Company (NASDAQ: ABCO) today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, the second quarter of its 2012 fiscal year. Revenue for the quarter increased 30.7% to $92.9 million, from $71.1 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Contract value increased 29.7% to $369.1 million as of September 30, 2011, up from $284.7 million as of September 30, 2010. For the quarter ended September 30, 2011, net income was $5.2 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, compared to net income of $4.9 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. For the quarter ended September 30, 2011, adjusted net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, and adjusted EBITDA, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures, were $9.7 million, $0.56 per diluted share, and $17.2 million, respectively.  For the quarter ended September 30, 2010, adjusted net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, and adjusted EBITDA were $7.1 million, $0.44 per diluted share, and $12.1 million, respectively.

For the six months ended September 30, 2011, revenue increased 26.7% to $174.5 million, from $137.8 million for the six months ended September 30, 2010. Net income was $9.1 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, for the six months ended September 30, 2011, compared to net income of $9.5 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, for the same period of the prior fiscal year. For the six months ended September 30, 2011, adjusted net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, and adjusted EBITDA were $18.1 million, $1.06 per diluted share, and $31.7 million, respectively.  For the six months ended September 30, 2010, adjusted net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, and adjusted EBITDA were $14.3 million, $0.89 per diluted share, and $24.4 million, respectively.

Robert Musslewhite, Chief Executive Officer of The Advisory Board Company, commented, “In these times of unprecedented change in the health care industry, members consistently turn to the Advisory Board for help on their most pressing challenges. It is extremely gratifying that our investments in expanding our capabilities to meet members’ needs are yielding deeper, more impactful relationships. With both revenue and contract value growth of 30%, our strong financial results for the quarter reflect the success of our strategy and position us well going into the fourth calendar quarter.”

Mr. Musslewhite continued, “I am also pleased to announce today our launch of our Crimson Market Advantage program, which builds on our strong Crimson platform to provide hospitals and health systems actionable data to improve their physician outreach efforts with the aim of enhancing physician referrals. In a market where competition for profitable procedures has increased, hospitals recognize that even minor volume declines can have a big impact on revenue; yet, most organizations have little visibility into the very referral patterns in their markets that determine growth. Crimson Market Advantage provides technology, expertise, and staff to help hospitals develop efficient, targeted physician outreach efforts to identify and understand better the referring physicians in their markets and thereby identify potential sources of growth. The program is off to a strong start, and we are confident in the value it will provide our members.”

Investment in Evolent Health

The Company also announced an investment in a separate entity to support health systems and other providers in their migration toward value-based care models. Formed as an independent company, Evolent Health is backed by capital, asset, and intellectual property contributions from Pittsburgh-based UPMC Health Plan and The Advisory Board Company. Evolent Health offers an integrated population management technology platform, extensive operational care management support, back-office payer functions, and holistic change management support – all designed to support integrated delivery systems and other providers in their preparation to accept and manage all forms of value-based care reimbursement.

Mr. Musslewhite commented, “The health care system is facing transformative change—the value-based care movement is already redefining the ways hospitals, physicians, and payers work with one another. Our analysis—and conversations with our thousands of hospital and health system members—reinforces the growing need for hospitals and health systems to develop new capabilities for managing under new payment incentives and delivering better care more efficiently.”

Mr. Musslewhite continued, “This imperative has been the guiding force behind our building out the most innovative and comprehensive set of new solutions for hospitals and health systems across the past four years, including our market-leading Crimson performance management platform, Southwind physician alignment and management services, and contract modeling capabilities through our acquisition of Concuity. In that same spirit, we decided to invest in Evolent Health.”

Mr. Musslewhite concluded, “UPMC has 15 years of experience in successfully building integrated payer-provider models as the second-largest provider-owned health plan in the country after Kaiser. Their innovative population management technology has proven to generate higher quality, lower cost care. We are excited to participate in this new venture with them, and we are confident that Evolent Health will provide hospitals and health systems significant value through shared access to a uniquely effective set of population health management capabilities.”

The Advisory Board Company is contributing $10 million and non-cash contributions, and will own a minority equity interest in Evolent Health. The financial results of Evolent Health will not change the Company’s non-GAAP earnings per share or adjusted EBITDA because the company will record any gain or loss from Evolent Health in the other income, net line on its income statement, commensurate with its equity interest. Frank Williams, the former Chief Executive Officer of The Advisory Board Company, has joined Evolent Health as its Chief Executive Officer to drive it through its initial growth phase.

Share Repurchase

During the three months ended September 30, 2011, the Company repurchased 39,604 shares of its common stock at a total cost of approximately $2.4 million. As of September 30, 2011, the Company had repurchased since the program’s inception 7,604,311 shares of its common stock at a total cost of approximately $321.0 million.

Revised Outlook for Calendar Year 2011

The Company is increasing its revenue guidance for calendar year 2011 to a range of approximately $349 million to $352 million, from a range of $342 million to $349 million.  The Company is also increasing its guidance for calendar year 2011 adjusted EBITDA to a range of $61.5 million to $64.5 million, from a range of $60 million to $64 million.  For calendar year 2011, the Company is increasing its guidance for non-GAAP earnings per diluted share to a range of approximately $2.08 to $2.17, from a range of $2.00 to $2.13.  For calendar year 2011 the Company expects share-based compensation expense to be approximately $10 million, and amortization from acquisition-related intangible assets to be approximately $5 million. For the remainder of calendar year 2011, the Company expects an effective tax rate of approximately 37.5%. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and the accompanying tables present information about adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, which are non-GAAP financial measures provided as a complement to the results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We define our non-GAAP financial measures as described below.

The term “adjusted EBITDA” refers to a financial measure that we define as earnings before other income, net, which includes interest income and foreign currency losses and gains; income taxes; depreciation and amortization; amortization of acquisition-related intangibles and capitalized software included in cost of services; costs associated with acquisitions and similar transactions; share-based compensation expense; and fair value adjustments made to the Company’s acquisition-related earn out liabilities. The term “adjusted net income” refers to net income excluding the net of tax effect share-based compensation expense; amortization of acquisition-related intangibles; costs associated with acquisitions and similar transactions; and fair value adjustments made to the Company’s acquisition-related earn out liabilities. The term “non-GAAP earnings per diluted share” refers to net income per share excluding the net of tax effect of share-based compensation expense; amortization of acquisition-related intangibles; costs associated with acquisitions and similar transactions; and fair value adjustments made to the Company’s acquisition-related earn out liabilities.

The foregoing non-GAAP measures may be calculated differently from similarly titled measures used by other companies, which limits their usefulness as comparative measures, and should be considered in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP measures or results as indicators of performance. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for internal budgeting and other managerial purposes because they enable the Company’s management to evaluate projected operating results on a basis that allows for comparability without regard to changes arising from applicable tax rates, variability in interest income and foreign currency exchange rates, periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, and certain non-cash and special charges.

There are limitations associated with these non-GAAP financial measures as indicators of performance, including that they do not reflect all changes in applicable tax rates, foreign currency exchange rates, share-based compensation expense, or the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenue in our business.

A reconciliation of the foregoing historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable historical GAAP financial measures is provided below for each of the periods indicated. It is not practicable to provide a reconciliation of forecasted adjusted EBITDA and forecasted non-GAAP earnings per diluted share to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures because certain items required for the forecast of such GAAP financial measures cannot reasonably be estimated or predicted at this time.

                                                 
    Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended
    September 30,   September 30,
    2011       2010   2011       2010
Net income
  $ 5,203             $ 4,884     $ 9,074             $ 9,477  
Provision for income taxes
    3,121               2,736       5,444               5,309  
Other income, net (1)
    (448 )             (577 )     (1,245 )             (798 )
Depreciation and amortization
    2,143               1,433       4,068               2,810  
Amortization of intangibles (incl. in CoS)
    1,535               1,105       2,734               2,440  
Acquisition and similar transaction charges
    504                     648                
Fair value adjustments to acquisition-related earn out liabilities
    2,300                     5,500               400  
Share-based compensation expense
  2,800             2,484       5,515               4,790  
 
                                               
Adjusted EBITDA
  $ 17,158             $ 12,065     $ 31,738             $ 24,428  
 
                                               
                                                                         
    Three Months Ended           Six Months Ended
    September 30,           September 30,
    2011       2010           2011       2010
Net income   $5,203           $ 4,884             $ 9,074                     $ 9,477  
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, net of tax
            949               664               1,699                       1,484  
Acquisition and similar transaction charges, net of tax
            315                             405                        
Fair value adjustments to acquisition-related earn out liabilities, net of tax
            1,437                             3,437                       256  
Share-based compensation, net of tax
            1,750               1,592               3,447                       3,070  
                                                             
Adjusted net income   $9,654           $ 7,140             $ 18,062                     $ 14,287  
                                                             
            Three Months Ended           Six Months Ended
            September 30,           September 30,        
                         
 
            2011               2010               2011                       2010  
                                                             
GAAP earnings per diluted share
          $ 0.30             $ 0.30             $ 0.53                     $ 0.59  
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, net of tax
            0.06               0.04               0.11                       0.09  
Acquisition and similar transaction charges, net of tax
            0.02                             0.02                        
Fair value adjustments to acquisition-related earn out liabilities, net of tax
            0.08                             0.20                       0.02  
Share-based compensation, net of tax
            0.10               0.10               0.20                       0.19  
                                                             
Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share
  $ 0.56             $ 0.44             $ 1.06                     $ 0.89  
 
                                                                       

  (1)   Other income, net includes interest income of $0.6 million and $0.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and $1.1 million and $0.7 million for the six months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Other income, net also includes a foreign currency loss of $0.1 million and foreign currency gain of $0.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Other income, net includes foreign currency gain of $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the six months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Web and Conference Call Information

As previously announced, the Company will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter performance this evening, November 2, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be available via live web cast on the Company’s web site at www.advisoryboardcompany.com/IR. To participate by telephone, the dial-in number is 866.277.1184 and the access code is 91030480. Participants are advised to dial-in at least five minutes prior to the call to register. The web cast will be archived for seven days from 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 2, until 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 9, 2011.

About The Advisory Board Company

The Advisory Board Company is a global research, consulting, and technology firm partnering with 125,000 leaders in 3,200 organizations across health care and higher education. Through our innovative membership model, we collaborate with executives and their teams to elevate performance and solve their most pressing challenges. We provide strategic guidance, actionable insights, web-based software solutions, and comprehensive implementation and management services. For more information, visit http://www.advisory.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, including the Company’s expectations regarding its revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share for calendar year 2011 and its effective tax rate for fiscal year 2012 are based on information available to the Company as of November 2, 2011, the date of this news release, as well as the Company’s current projections, forecasts, and assumptions, and involve risks and uncertainties. You are hereby cautioned that these statements may be affected by certain factors, including those set forth below. Consequently, actual operations and results may differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, changes in the financial condition of the health care industry, our dependence on renewal of membership-based services, the need to attract new business and retain current members and qualified personnel, new product development, competition, risks associated with our software tools and installation support tools, our ability to license technology from third parties, risks associated with anticipating market trends, industry consolidation, variability of quarterly operating results, possible volatility in the Company’s stock price, and various factors related to income and other taxes, including whether the District of Columbia withdraws the Company’s status as a Qualified High-Tech Company, as well as those risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, which is available on the Company’s website at www.advisoryboardcompany.com/IR and at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in the Company’s report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2011.

Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made in this news release, which speak only as of the date of this news release, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, whether as a result of circumstances or events that arise after the date they are made, new information, or otherwise.

# # #

THE ADVISORY BOARD COMPANY
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
AND OTHER OPERATING STATISTICS

(In thousands, except per share data)

                                                         
            Three Months Ended   Selected   Six Months Ended   Selected
            September 30,   Growth   September 30,   Growth
            2011   2010   Rates   2011   2010   Rates
Statements of Income
                                               
Revenue
          $ 92,931     $ 71,102       30.7 %   $ 174,546     $ 137,790       26.7 %
 
                                                       
Cost of services (1)
    52,508       36,914               97,998       71,859          
Member relations and marketing (1)
    18,518       16,053               36,498       31,253          
General and administrative (1)
    11,886       9,659               22,709       17,880          
Depreciation and amortization
    2,143       1,433               4,068       2,810          
   Income from operations
    7,876       7,043               13,273       13,988          
Other income, net
            448       577               1,245       798          
   Income before provision for income taxes
    8,324       7,620               14,518       14,786          
Provision for income taxes
    (3,121 )     (2,736 )             (5,444 )     (5,309 )        
   Net income
  $ 5,203     $ 4,884             $ 9,074     $ 9,477          
 
                                                       
Earnings per share
                                                       
   Basic
  $ 0.32     $ 0.31             $ 0.56     $ 0.61          
   Diluted
  $ 0.30     $ 0.30             $ 0.53     $ 0.59          
Weighted average common shares outstanding
                                               
   Basic
    16,298       15,644               16,208       15,596          
   Diluted
    17,183       16,317               17,041       16,154          
Contract Value (at end of period)
  $ 369,102     $ 284,689       29.7 %                        
Percentages of Revenues
                                               
Cost of services (1)
    56.5 %     51.9 %             56.1 %     52.2 %        
Member relations and marketing (1)
    19.9 %     22.6 %             20.9 %     22.7 %        
General and administrative (1)
    12.8 %     13.6 %             13.0 %     13.0 %        
Depreciation and amortization
    2.3 %     2.0 %             2.3 %     2.0 %        
Income from operations
    8.5 %     9.9 %             7.6 %     10.2 %        
Net income
            5.6 %     6.9 %             5.2 %     6.9 %        
 
                                                   
 
                                                       

(1)   During the three and six months ended September 30, 2011, the Company recognized approximately $0.8 million and $1.7 million in cost of services, approximately $0.5 million and $1.0 million in member relations and marketing, and approximately $1.4 million and $2.8 million in general and administrative expense for share-based compensation. During the three and six months ended September 30, 2010, the Company recognized approximately $0.7 million and $1.4 million in cost of services, approximately $0.5 million and $0.9 million in member relations and marketing, and approximately $1.3 million and $2.5 million in general and administrative expense for share-based compensation. The Company has recorded all these expenses in the same line items as other compensation paid to the relevant categories of employees.

THE ADVISORY BOARD COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

                 
    September 30   March 31,
    2011   2011
    (unaudited)        
ASSETS
               
Current assets:
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 36,303   $ 30,378
Marketable securities
  2,767  
Membership fees receivable, net
  234,512   179,162
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
  6,805   7,069
Deferred income taxes, net
  6,269   5,894
Total current assets
  286,656   222,503
Property and equipment, net
  38,985   29,529
Intangible assets, net
  26,832   18,450
Goodwill
  76,261   67,155
Deferred incentive compensation and other charges
  57,216   46,226
Deferred income taxes, net of current portion
  8,357   9,646
Investment in unconsolidated entity
  10,000  
Other non-current assets
  11,500   11,500
Marketable securities
  82,625   86,179
Total assets
  $ 598,432   $ 491,188
 
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
Current liabilities:
               
Deferred revenues
  $ 272,811   $ 223,876
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
  68,770   51,957
Accrued incentive compensation
  9,980   13,609
Total current liabilities
  351,561   289,442
Long-term deferred revenues
  56,703   42,139
Other long-term liabilities
  17,455   11,015
Total liabilities
  425,719   342,596
 
               
Stockholders’ equity:
               
Common stock
  230   225
Additional paid-in capital
  285,281   267,242
Retained earnings
  173,523   164,449
Accumulated elements of comprehensive income
  1,556   (120 )
Treasury stock
  (287,877 )   (283,204 )
Total stockholders’ equity
  172,713   148,592
 
               
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
  $ 598,432   $ 491,188
 
               

THE ADVISORY BOARD COMPANY
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

                 
    Six Months Ended September 30,
    2011   2010
Cash flows from operating activities:
               
Net income
  $ 9,074     $ 9,477  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
               
operating activities:
               
Depreciation
    4,068       2,810  
Amortization of intangible assets
    2,734       2,442  
Deferred income taxes
    10       (424 )
Excess tax benefits from stock-based payments
    (578 )     (1,360 )
Stock-based compensation expense
    5,526       4,791  
Amortization of marketable securities premiums
    528       152  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
               
Member fees receivable
    (53,435 )     (1,677 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    863       (1,253 )
Deferred incentive compensation and other charges
    (10,990 )     3,126  
Deferred revenues
    62,902       6,699  
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
    16,348       (13,239 )
Accrued incentive compensation
    (3,629 )     (6,293 )
Other long-term liabilities
    3,540       3,792  
 
               
Net cash flows provided by operating activities
    36,961       9,043  
 
               
Cash flows from investing activities:
               
Purchases of property and equipment
    (13,524 )     (2,827 )
Capitalized software development costs
    (1,366 )     (941 )
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
    (16,829 )     (36,012 )
Redemption of marketable securities
    11,000       16,751  
Purchases of marketable securities
    (8,157 )     (18,757 )
Other investing activities
    (10,000 )      
Net cash flows used in investing activities
    (38,876 )     (41,786 )
 
               
Cash flows from financing activities:
               
Proceeds on issuance of stock from exercise of stock options
    13,091       7,930  
Repurchase of shares to satisfy minimum employee tax withholding
    (1,266 )     (616 )
Proceeds on issuance of stock under employee stock purchase plan
    110       91  
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation arrangements
    578       1,360  
Purchases of treasury stock
    (4,673 )     (4,500 )
Net cash flows provided by financing activities
    7,840       4,265  
 
               
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    5,925       (28,478 )
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
    30,378       61,238  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
  $ 36,303     $ 32,760