IHS Inc. Reports First Quarter 2015 Results

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of information and analytics, today reported results for the first quarter ended February 28, 2015.

• Revenue of $546 million, up 4 percent from the prior-year period
• Total organic revenue growth of 2 percent, with 7 percent subscription organic revenue growth
• Adjusted EBITDA of $169 million, up 8 percent from the prior-year period, resulting in margin expansion of 120 basis points
• Adjusted earnings per diluted share (Adjusted EPS) of $1.36, up 6 percent from the prior-year period
• Free cash flow of $149 million, up 15 percent from the prior-year period

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, and free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures used by management to measure operating performance. These terms are defined elsewhere in this release. Please see schedules appearing later in this release for reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

First Quarter 2015 Financial Performance

“Solid subscription organic growth was led by our Industrials, while overall growth was muted by energy headwinds,” said Scott Key, IHS president and chief executive officer. “We remain very confident in the resiliency of our strategy and business model; this was demonstrated by positive trends in some of our key performance metrics.”

“The strength of our business model enabled us to continue to drive solid margin expansion and strong free cash flow,” said Todd Hyatt, IHS chief financial officer.

First Quarter 2015 Revenue Performance

First quarter 2015 revenue increased 4 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. The components of revenue growth are described below by segment and in total.

The subscription-based business grew 7 percent organically in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same period of 2014, as described in the following table.

First Quarter 2015 Segment Performance

Segment results were as follows:

• Americas. First quarter revenue for Americas increased $16 million, or 4 percent, to $366 million, and included 7 percent organic growth for the subscription-based business. First quarter Adjusted EBITDA for Americas increased $5 million, or 4 percent, to $129 million. First quarter operating income for Americas decreased $4 million, or 6 percent, to $73 million.
• EMEA. First quarter revenue for EMEA was unchanged at $127 million, and included 4 percent organic growth for the subscription-based business. First quarter Adjusted EBITDA for EMEA increased $3 million, or 10 percent, to $35 million. First quarter operating income for EMEA increased $1 million, or 2 percent, to $25 million.
• APAC. First quarter revenue for APAC increased $6 million, or 13 percent, to $53 million, and included 10 percent organic growth for the subscription-based business. First quarter Adjusted EBITDA for APAC increased $3 million, or 23 percent, to $13 million. First quarter operating income for APAC increased $1 million, or 8 percent, to $11 million.

Outlook (forward-looking statement)

For the year ending November 30, 2015, IHS revises guidance as follows:

• Revenue in a range of $2.27 billion to $2.31 billion, including 5-6 percent subscription organic growth and negative non-subscription organic growth. The guidance incorporates a full-year negative FX impact of approximately $75 million versus the prior year and a revised outlook for energy;
• Adjusted EBITDA in a range of $715 million to $735 million; and
• Adjusted EPS in a range of $5.77 to $5.97 per diluted share.

Additionally, for the year ending November 30, 2015, IHS expects:

• Depreciation expense to be approximately $82-86 million;
• Amortization expense related to acquired intangible assets to be approximately $135-140 million;
• Net interest expense to be approximately $70-75 million;
• Stock-based compensation expense to be approximately $150-160 million;
• An adjusted tax rate of approximately 27-29 percent;
• An effective tax rate of approximately 23-25 percent;
• Fully diluted shares to be approximately 70 million; and
• Capital expenditures of 5-6 percent of revenue.

The above outlook assumes no further currency movements, acquisitions, divestitures, pension mark-to-market adjustments or unanticipated events. See discussion of non-GAAP financial measures at the end of this release.

As previously announced, IHS will hold a conference call to discuss first quarter 2015 results on March 24, 2015, at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The conference call will be simultaneously webcast on the company’s website: www.ihs.com.

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Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Non-GAAP results are presented only as a supplement to our financial statements based on U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Non-GAAP financial information is provided to enhance the reader’s understanding of our financial performance, but none of these non-GAAP financial measures are recognized terms under GAAP and non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of the most directly comparable GAAP measures to non-GAAP measures, such as EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EPS, and free cash flow are provided within the schedules attached to this release.

We use non-GAAP measures in our operational and financial decision-making, believing that it is useful to exclude certain items in order to focus on what we deem to be a more reliable indicator of ongoing operating performance and our ability to generate cash flow from operations. As a result, internal management reports used during monthly operating reviews feature the Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EPS, and free cash flow metrics. We also believe that investors may find non-GAAP financial measures useful for the same reasons, although investors are cautioned that non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for GAAP disclosures.

Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures of other companies. However, these measures can still be useful in evaluating our performance against our peer companies because we believe the measures provide users with valuable insight into key components of GAAP financial disclosures.

IHS Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “aim,” “strive,” “believe,” “project,” “predict,” "estimate," "expect," “continue,” "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," “might,” "should," "will," the negative of these terms and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding guidance relating to net income, net income per share, and expected operating results, such as revenue growth and earnings.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates; our ability to manage system failures, capacity constraints, and cyber risks; our ability to successfully manage risks associated with changes in demand for our products and services as well as changes in our targeted industries; our ability to develop new platforms to deliver our products and services, pricing, and other competitive pressures, and changes in laws and regulations governing our business; the extent to which we are successful in gaining new long-term relationships with customers or retaining existing ones and the level of service failures that could lead customers to use competitors' services; our ability to successfully identify and integrate acquisitions into our existing businesses and manage risks associated therewith; our ability to satisfy our debt obligations and our other ongoing business obligations; and the other factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, along with our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Please consult our public filings at www.sec.gov or www.ihs.com.

About IHS Inc. (www.ihs.com)

IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 150 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs about 8,800 people in 32 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

© 2015 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

(1) EBITDA is defined as net income plus or minus net interest, plus provision for income taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

(2) Adjusted EBITDA further excludes primarily non-cash items and other items that we do not consider to be useful in assessing our operating performance (e.g., stock-based compensation expense, restructuring charges, acquisition-related costs, asset impairment charges, gain or loss on sale of assets, gain or loss on debt extinguishment, pension mark-to-market and settlement expense, and income or loss from discontinued operations). All of the items included in the reconciliation from net income to Adjusted EBITDA are either non-cash items or items that we do not consider to be useful in assessing our operating performance. In the case of the non-cash items, we believe that investors can better assess our operating performance if the measures are presented without such items because, unlike cash expenses, these adjustments do not affect our ability to generate free cash flow or invest in our business. For example, by excluding depreciation and amortization from EBITDA, users can compare operating performance without regard to different accounting determinations such as useful life. In the case of the other items, we believe that investors can better assess operating performance if the measures are presented without these items because their financial impact does not reflect ongoing operating performance.

(3) Adjusted net income is defined as net income plus primarily non-cash items and other items that management does not consider to be useful in assessing our operating performance (e.g., stock-based compensation expense, amortization related to acquired intangible assets, restructuring charges, acquisition-related costs, asset impairment charges, gain or loss on sale of assets, gain or loss on debt extinguishment, pension mark-to-market and settlement expense, and income or loss from discontinued operations, all net of the related tax effects).

(4) Adjusted EPS is defined as Adjusted net income (as defined above) divided by diluted weighted average shares.

(5) Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures.

(6) EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, and free cash flow are used by many of our investors, research analysts, investment bankers, and lenders to assess our operating performance. For example, a measure similar to Adjusted EBITDA is required by the lenders under our term loan and revolving credit agreements.

IHS Inc.
News Media:
Dan Wilinsky, +1 303-397-2468
[email protected]
or
Investor Relations:
Eric Boyer, +1 303-397-2969
[email protected]

Source: IHS Inc.

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