Highlights
- Revenue of $199.8 million in 2010, an increase of 18.3%, compared to $168.9 million in 2009
- Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $83.1 million in 2010, a decrease of 1.8%, compared to $84.6 million in 2009
- Net income of $32.6 million in 2010, a decrease of 21.1%, compared to $41.3 million in 2009
- Billed minutes of 108.5 billion in 2010, an increase of 23.5% over 2009
- $103.1 million Acquisition of Tinet S.p.A. on October 1, 2010
- Company provides full year 2011 financial estimates
CHICAGO, March 14, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neutral Tandem, Inc. (Nasdaq:TNDM), a leading provider of global interconnection services, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.
"This past year was a significant one for Neutral Tandem during which we completed a transformational acquisition and continued to produce solid execution against our long-term strategic plan," said Rian Wren, Chief Executive Officer of Neutral Tandem. "The acquisition of Tinet was an important milestone in our growth and we are pleased with the integration process to date. We believe that our efforts during the past year to build a platform for future growth provides us with an expanded value proposition that appeals to carriers, service providers, and content management firms worldwide."
Wren also commented on his retirement as Neutral Tandem's Chief Executive Officer effective April 1, 2011, "It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and dedicated team of people who strive every day to ensure Neutral Tandem's continued success. Over the last five years, we have collectively transformed Neutral Tandem to expand our global footprint and provide solutions for our customers for a variety of media, including voice, data and video. I look forward to continuing to serve on the company's Board of Directors and working closely with Ed Evans as he takes over as the new CEO and leads Neutral Tandem in the next stage of the company's evolution."
Fourth Quarter Results
Revenue increased 42.6% to $63.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2010, compared to $44.7 million during the three months ended December 31, 2009. The increase in fourth quarter 2010 revenue was primarily related to the inclusion of $16.1 million of Tinet's revenue in our results, as well as an increase in the number of minutes carried over our network as compared to the fourth quarter of 2009.
Billed minutes increased 25.3% to 29.9 billion minutes for the three months ended December 31, 2010, compared to 23.8 billion minutes for the three months ended December 31, 2009.
Network and facilities expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2010 were $24.1 million, compared to $13.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009. This increase was largely due to an increase in our network capacity expenses to accommodate greater traffic volumes as well as the inclusion of $7.3 million related to Tinet's network and facilities expenses. Combined operating expenses consisting of Operations, Sales and Marketing, and General and Administrative expenses were $19.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2010, compared to $11.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009. The increase primarily resulted from the inclusion of $5.3 million of Tinet's operating expenses in our results for the fourth quarter, higher employee expenses, including additional headcount, and increased professional expenses related to the Tinet acquisition. Depreciation and amortization expense was $6.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2010, compared to $3.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009. This increase was primarily a result of the inclusion of $2.4 million of Tinet's depreciation and amortization expenses in our results for the fourth quarter and adding equipment to our switch locations.
Income from operations for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $13.5 million, or 21.1% of revenue, compared to $16.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009, or 36.2% of revenue.
Pretax income for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $12.1 million, compared to a pretax income of $16.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009.
Income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $6.1 million, compared to $5.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009. The effective tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was approximately 49.9% compared to an effective tax rate of approximately 35.7% for the three months ended December 31, 2009. The 2010 estimated effective tax rate is higher than the 2009 tax rate primarily due to non-deductible costs related to the Tinet acquisition.
Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $6.1 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared to $10.5 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2009. The decrease in net income was primarily due to increased network expense, employee expenses, professional fees and depreciation expense. Included in the net income results for the three months ended December 31, 2010 were pre-tax charges of $1.8 million for transaction expenses related to the Tinet acquisition and a foreign exchange loss of $1.0 million.
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $22.8 million compared to $22.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009. Adjusted EBITDA margin, a non-GAAP financial measure, for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was 35.8%, down from 50.0% for the three months ended December 31, 2009. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily related to higher network expenses, employee expenses and Tinet related transaction expenses (transaction expenses totaled $1.8 million). See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a discussion of the presentation of Adjusted EBITDAand a reconciliation to net income.
We expanded our footprint by commencing operations in 12 new markets for the three months ended December 31, 2010. We operated in 179 markets as of December 31, 2010, as compared to 137 markets as of December 31, 2009.
Full Year 2010 Results
Revenue was $199.8 million for fiscal year 2010, compared to $168.9 million for fiscal year 2009, an increase of 18.3%.
Billed minutes for fiscal year 2010 were 108.5 billion, up 23.5% from 87.8 billion minutes during fiscal year 2009.
Network and facilities expenses for fiscal year 2010 were $69.1 million, compared to $50.6 million for fiscal year 2009. This increase was largely due to an increase in our network capacity expenses to accommodate greater traffic volumes, the inclusion of $7.3 million of Tinet's network and facilities expenses in our results and an increase in the number of markets in which we operate. Combined operating expenses consisting of Operations, Sales and Marketing, and General and Administrative expenses were $57.6 million during fiscal year 2010, compared to $39.8 million for fiscal year 2009. The increase was primarily due to the inclusion of $5.3 million of Tinet's operating expenses in our results, higher employee expenses, including additional headcount, as well as increased professional expenses. Depreciation and amortization expense was $19.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2010, compared to $14.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009. This increase was a result of adding equipment to our switch locations and the inclusion of $2.4 million of Tinet's depreciation and amortization expenses.
Income from operations for fiscal year 2010 was $54.1 million, or 27.1% of revenue, compared to $64.0 million for fiscal year 2009, or 37.9% of revenue.
Pretax income for fiscal year 2010 was $55.1 million, down 15.1% from $64.8 million during fiscal year 2009.
Income tax expense for fiscal year 2010 was $22.5 million, compared to income tax expense of $23.5 million for fiscal year 2009. The effective tax rate during fiscal year 2010 was approximately 40.8%, compared to an effective tax rate of approximately 36.3% for fiscal year 2009.
Net income was $32.6 million for fiscal year 2010, or $0.97 per diluted share, compared to $41.3 million, or $1.22 per diluted share during fiscal year 2009.
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, for fiscal year 2010 was $83.1 million, down approximately 1.8% compared to $84.6 million during fiscal year 2009. The Adjusted EBITDA margin for fiscal year 2010 was 41.6%, down from 50.1% for fiscal year 2009. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily related to higher network expenses, employee expenses and Tinet related transaction expenses (transaction expenses totaled $4.0 million). See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a discussion of the presentation of Adjusted EBITDAand a reconciliation to net income.
Business Outlook for Fiscal Year 2011
Neutral Tandem's estimates are based on actual results for 2010, management's current belief about business trends, expenses and the macroeconomic and competitive environment.
Neutral Tandem estimates:
-- Revenue for fiscal year 2011 is expected to be between $256 million and $268 million.
-- Revenue breakdown by service for fiscal year 2011 is expected to be approximately:
- 74% Voice;
- 22% IP Transit; and
- 4% Ethernet.
-- Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, for fiscal year 2011 is expected to be between $91 million and $95 million.
-- Billed voice minutes for fiscal year 2011 are estimated to be between 130 billion minutes and 137 billion minutes.
-- Capital expenditures for fiscal year 2011 are expected to be between $20 million and $24 million.
Conference Call & Web Cast
The fourth quarter conference call will be held on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). A live web cast of the conference call as well as a replay will be available online on the company's corporate web site at www.neutraltandem.com. Participants can also access the call by dialing 877-941-6009 (within the United States and Canada), or 480-629-9770 (international callers). A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the call has ended and will be available until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday April 14, 2011. To access the replay, dial 800-406-7325 (within the United States and Canada), or 303-590-3030 (international callers) and enter the conference ID number: 4420203#.
Cautions Concerning Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release regarding Neutral Tandem's strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "may," "will," "would," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Neutral Tandem may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward‑looking statements Neutral Tandem makes. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of current and future regulation affecting the telecommunications industry; the effects of competition, including direct connects; the ability to develop and provide new services; technological developments; natural or man-made disasters; the impact of current or future litigation; the ability to attract, develop and retain executives and other qualified employees; the ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights; changes in general economic or market conditions; the possibility that the expected efficiencies and cost savings from the Tinet acquisition will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the risk that our business and the Tinet business will not be integrated successfully; disruption from the Tinet acquisition making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; risks associated with our ability to successfully develop and market international voice services and Ethernet services, including but not limited to identifying, obtaining, operating and maintaining attractive network switch sites, equipment, software and business support systems, such as our Ethernet service web portal, cost estimation errors or overruns, interconnection delays, material delays or shortages, our inability to obtain necessary third party rights or permits on a timely basis, if at all, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control and all of which could delay or negatively affect our ability to offer or market international voice and Ethernet services; foreign currency fluctuations; and other important factors included in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly in the "Risk Factors" section of Neutral Tandem's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2009 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2010, June 30, 2010 and September 30, 2010, as such Risk Factors may be updated from time to time in subsequent reports. Neutral Tandem does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Neutral Tandem, Inc.
Headquartered in Chicago, Neutral Tandem, Inc. provides voice, data and video interconnection services worldwide. Neutral Tandem recently acquired Tinet, a global carrier exclusively committed to the IP Transit and Ethernet wholesale market. The acquisition combines Neutral Tandem's interconnection services for wireless, wireline, cable and broadband companies with Tinet's global IP backbone. Collectively, Neutral Tandem provides voice, IP Transit and Ethernet solutions to carriers, service providers, and content management firms worldwide. With over 100 Ethernet sites, the company is now the largest global Ethernet interconnection provider, a top 10 global IPv4 backbone provider and has a leading IPv6 network. Please visit Neutral Tandem's website at and follow us on Twitter@NeutralTandem.
The Neutral Tandem, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3797
For Neutral Tandem media inquiries, please contact Ilissa Miller at Jaymie Scotto & Associates +1.866.695.3629 or pr@jaymiescotto.com.
The condensed consolidated statements of income, balance sheets and statements of cash flows are unaudited and subject to reclassification.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In this press release we disclose "Adjusted EBITDA", which is a non-GAAP financial measure. For purposes of SEC rules, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure, calculated and prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United Sates (GAAP).
EBITDA is defined as net income before (a) interest expense, net (b) income tax expense and (c) depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA as further adjusted to eliminate non-cash share-based compensation, other loss (income) on currency contracts and the currency exchange loss on an intercompany loan. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA included in this press release provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations because it assists in analyzing and benchmarking the performance and value of our business. We believe that presenting Adjusted EBITDA facilitates company-to-company operating performance comparisons of companies within the same or similar industries by backing out differences caused by variations in capital structure, taxation and depreciation of facilities and equipment (affecting relative depreciation expense), which may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to operating performance. These measures provide an assessment of controllable operating expenses and afford management the ability to make decisions which are expected to facilitate meeting current financial goals as well as achieve optimal financial performance. They provide an indicator for management to determine if adjustments to current spending decisions are needed. Furthermore, we believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA has economic substance because it provides important insight into our profitability trends, as a component of net income, and allows management and investors to analyze operating results with and without the impact of depreciation and amortization, interest and income tax expense, non-cash share-based compensation, other loss (income) on currency contracts and the currency exchange loss on an intercompany loan. Accordingly, these metrics measure our financial performance based on operational factors that management can impact in the short-term, namely the operational cost structure and expenses of our business. In addition, we believe Adjusted EBITDA is used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in evaluating companies, many of which present an EBITDA measure when reporting their results. Although we use Adjusted EBITDA as a financial measure to assess the performance of our business, the use of Adjusted EBITDA is limited because it does not include certain material costs, such as depreciation, amortization and interest, necessary to operate our business. We disclose the reconciliation between EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and net income below to compensate for this limitation. While we use net income as a significant measure of profitability, we also believe that Adjusted EBITDA, when presented along with net income, provides balanced disclosure which, for the reasons set forth above, is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance and profitability. Adjusted EBITDA included in this press release should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, net income as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as a measure of performance.
The following is a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:
CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: Ilissa Miller Jaymie Scotto & Associates 1-866-695-3629 pr@jaymiescotto.com Twitter: @NeutralTandem INVESTOR CONTACT: Jim Polson Neutral Tandem 1-866-268-4744