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CoStar Group First Quarter Revenue Grows 21% and Net Income Increases 136% Year-over-Year; Company Raises Full-Year Guidance

April 23, 2018 4:01 PM

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, announced today that revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $274 million, an increase of 21% over revenue of $227 million for the first quarter of 2017. Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 increased $30 million to $52 million or $1.44 per diluted share compared to $22 million for the first quarter 2017, an increase of 136%.

CoStar Group (PRNewsFoto/CoStar Group, Inc.)

Company-wide net bookings for ongoing services were $54 million in the first quarter of 2018, but are reduced by negative net bookings of $19 million as a result of the previously announced discontinuation of the vast majority of the LoopNet Information products in February 2018. Accordingly, overall Company wide-net bookings in the first quarter were $35 million.

"We had a very strong first quarter of 2018 as we expanded revenue, grew net income and continued to generate strong sales," said Andrew C. Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group. "CoStar Suite revenue accelerated to a growth rate of 19% year-over-year as revenue reached $130 million in the first quarter of 2018. In the last 12 months, the number of individual subscribers for CoStar Suite in the United States alone grew by over 20,000 to approximately 126,000."

Florance continued, "Apartments.com continues to strengthen its lead as the number one apartment internet listing service and the addition of ForRent strengthens the value of our network by adding 3.7 million unique visitors and 6.6 million visits monthly. In the first quarter of 2018, our Apartment network averaged 40 million visits per month, up 40%, and 15.6 million unique monthly visitors, an increase of 38%, year-over-year, as reported by comScore. We are moving quickly to integrate the operations of the ForRent business with Apartments.com. With ForRent, we have expanded our industry leading multifamily sales team to over 300 highly seasoned and trained sales professionals, which we believe will result in higher sales and revenue as the year progresses. In addition, we have already realized significant cost synergies, which include an initial reduction in force of 158 people earlier this month."

Year 2017-2018 Quarterly Results – Unaudited

(in millions, except per share data)

2017

2018

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Revenues

$

227

$

237

$

248

$

254

$

274

Net income

22

22

34

44

52

Net income per share - diluted

0.68

0.68

1.04

1.22

1.44

Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted

32.6

32.7

32.8

36.1

36.4

EBITDA

55

44

73

66

70

Adjusted EBITDA

64

54

84

78

84

Non-GAAP net income

34

28

46

45

60

Non-GAAP net income per share - diluted

1.05

0.86

1.41

1.25

1.65

Multifamily revenue for the first quarter of 2018 increased 37% to $88 million versus $64 million in the first quarter of 2017. On an organic basis, multifamily revenue increased 23% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. Revenue by services can be found within the tables included in this release.

Non-GAAP net income (defined below) for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $60 million or $1.65 per diluted share, an increase of $26 million versus the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted EBITDA (which excludes stock-based compensation and other items as defined below) was $84 million for the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 32% over adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the first quarter of 2018 was 31%, an increase of almost 300 basis points compared to the first quarter of 2017.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had approximately $940 million in cash, cash equivalents and long-term investments, and no outstanding debt. In the first quarter of 2018, in connection with the acquisition of ForRent, the Company paid $352 million in cash, which included customary working capital and other post-closing adjustments, and issued approximately $36 million in shares of CoStar Group common stock.

2018 Outlook "With our continued strong sales and revenue performance and focus on margin improvement, we are raising our guidance for the full year of 2018," stated Scott Wheeler, Chief Financial Officer of CoStar Group. "Our first quarter performance increases our confidence in achieving our goal of 40% adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter of 2018."

The Company expects revenue in the range of $1.174 billion to $1.190 billion for the full year of 2018, an increase to the prior midpoint of $2 million and reflecting revenue growth of 22% at the midpoint of the range. We expect revenue for the second quarter of 2018 in the range of $292 million to $295 million, representing revenue growth of 24% over the second quarter of 2017 at the midpoint of the range.

The Company expects adjusted EBITDA in a range of $380 million to $390 million for the full year of 2018, an increase of $15 million at the midpoint versus our previous outlook. For the second quarter 2018, the Company expects adjusted EBITDA in a range of $66 million to $70 million.

We expect full-year 2018 non-GAAP net income per diluted share in a range of $7.44 to $7.64, based on 36.6 million shares, an increase of $0.43 at the midpoint versus the previously provided outlook. For the second quarter 2018, we expect non-GAAP net income per diluted share in a range of $1.25 to $1.34 based on 36.5 million shares. These ranges include a non-GAAP tax rate of 25%.

The preceding forward-looking statements reflect CoStar Group's expectations as of April 23, 2018, including forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures on a consolidated basis. Given the risk factors, uncertainties and assumptions discussed above, actual results may differ materially. Other than in publicly available statements, the Company does not intend to update its forward-looking statements until its next quarterly results announcement.

Reconciliation of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share and all of the disclosed non-GAAP financial measures to their GAAP basis results are shown in detail below, along with definitions for those terms. A reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP guidance to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income, can be found within the tables included in this release.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures For information regarding the purpose for which management uses the non-GAAP financial measures disclosed in this release and why management believes they provide useful information to investors regarding the Company's financial condition and results of operations, please refer to the Company's latest periodic report.

EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents GAAP net income attributable to CoStar Group before (i) interest income (expense) and loss on debt extinguishment, (ii) provision for income taxes, and (iii) depreciation and amortization.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents EBITDA before (i) stock-based compensation expense, (ii) acquisition and integration related costs, (iii) restructuring charges and related costs, and (iv) settlements and impairments incurred outside the Company's normal business operations.

Non-GAAP net income is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents GAAP net income attributable to CoStar Group before (i) amortization of acquired intangible assets, (ii) stock-based compensation expense, (iii) acquisition and integration related costs, (iv) purchase accounting adjustments, (v) restructuring charges and related costs, (vi) settlements and impairments and (vii) loss on debt extinguishment. From this figure, we then subtract an assumed provision for income taxes to arrive at non-GAAP net income. In 2017, the company assumed a 38% tax rate, and in 2018 the company is assuming a 25% tax rate in order to approximate our statutory corporate tax rate.

Non-GAAP net income per diluted share (also referred to as non-GAAP EPS) is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents non-GAAP net income divided by the number of diluted shares outstanding for the period. For periods with GAAP net losses and non-GAAP net income, the weighted-average outstanding shares used to calculate non-GAAP net income per share includes potentially dilutive securities that were excluded from the calculation of GAAP net income per share as the effect was anti-dilutive.

Earnings Conference Call Management will conduct a conference call at 5:00 PM EDT on Monday, April 23, 2018 to discuss earnings results for the first quarter of 2018 and the Company's outlook. The audio portion of the conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.costargroup.com/investors/events. To join the conference call by telephone, please dial (800) 230-1059 (from the United States and Canada) or (612) 234-9959 (from all other countries) and refer to conference code 446984. An audio recording of the conference call will be available for replay approximately one hour after the call's completion and will remain available for a period of time following the call. To access the recorded conference call, please dial (800) 475-6701 (from the U.S. and Canada) or (320) 365-3844 (from all other countries) using access code 446984. The webcast replay will also be available in the Investors section of CoStar Group's website for a period of time following the call.

CoStar Group, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - Unaudited

(in thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Revenues

$

273,718

$

226,553

Cost of revenues

62,477

51,346

Gross profit

211,241

175,207

Operating expenses:

Selling and marketing (excluding customer base amortization)

88,490

76,402

Software development

22,913

22,374

General and administrative

40,590

33,995

Customer base amortization

5,803

4,774

157,796

137,545

Income from operations

53,445

37,662

Interest and other income

2,987

429

Interest and other expense

(690)

(2,686)

Income before income taxes

55,742

35,405

Income tax expense

3,511

13,275

Net income

$

52,231

$

22,130

Net income per share - basic

$

1.46

$

0.69

Net income per share - diluted

$

1.44

$

0.68

Weighted average outstanding shares - basic

35,893

32,276

Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted

36,350

32,563

CoStar Group, Inc.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures - Unaudited

(in thousands, except per share data)

Reconciliation of Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Net income

$

52,231

$

22,130

Income tax expense

3,511

13,275

Income before income taxes

55,742

35,405

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

10,411

10,893

Stock-based compensation expense

10,412

9,357

Acquisition and integration related costs

3,522

362

Settlements and impairments

(760)

Non-GAAP income before income taxes

80,087

55,257

Assumed rate for income tax expense *

25

%

38

%

Assumed provision for income tax expense

(20,022)

(20,998)

Non-GAAP net income

$

60,065

$

34,259

Net income per share - diluted

$

1.44

$

0.68

Non-GAAP net income per share - diluted

$

1.65

$

1.05

Weighted average outstanding shares - basic

35,893

32,276

Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted

36,350

32,563

* A 25% and 38% tax rate is assumed for 2018 and 2017, respectively, which approximates our statutory corporate tax rate.

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Net income

$

52,231

$

22,130

Amortization of acquired intangible assets in cost of revenues

4,608

6,119

Amortization of acquired intangible assets in operating expenses

5,803

4,774

Depreciation and other amortization

6,572

6,405

Interest and other income

(2,987)

(429)

Interest and other expense

690

2,686

Income tax expense

3,511

13,275

EBITDA

$

70,428

$

54,960

Stock-based compensation expense

10,412

9,357

Acquisition and integration related costs

3,522

362

Settlements and impairments

(760)

Adjusted EBITDA

$

84,362

$

63,919

CoStar Group, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

(Unaudited)

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$

931,429

$

1,211,463

Accounts receivable, net

68,914

60,900

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

31,661

15,572

Total current assets

1,032,004

1,287,935

Long-term investments

10,070

10,070

Deferred income taxes, net

4,579

5,431

Property and equipment, net

83,401

84,496

Goodwill

1,551,248

1,283,457

Intangible assets, net

313,861

182,892

Deferred commissions costs

75,201

Deposits and other assets

11,755

6,179

Income tax receivable

12,981

12,981

Total assets

$

3,095,100

$

2,873,441

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities

$

116,175

$

100,980

Deferred revenue

49,468

45,686

Total current liabilities

165,643

146,666

Deferred gain on sale of building

15,561

16,192

Deferred rent

32,000

33,909

Deferred income taxes, net

65,456

12,070

Income taxes payable

15,476

13,354

Stockholders' equity

2,800,964

2,651,250

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

3,095,100

$

2,873,441

CoStar Group, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Unaudited

(in thousands, unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Operating activities:

Net income

$

52,231

$

22,130

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

16,983

17,298

Amortization of deferred commissions costs

12,006

Amortization of debt issuance costs

219

772

Stock-based compensation expense

10,412

9,357

Deferred income tax expense, net

1,851

2,091

Bad debt expense

1,431

1,800

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:

Accounts receivable

(2,511)

(2,760)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

(9,522)

(359)

Deferred commissions

(16,263)

Accounts payable and other liabilities

4,288

11,588

Deferred revenue

5,272

2,757

Deposits and other assets

(3,412)

(117)

Net cash provided by operating activities

72,985

64,557

Investing activities:

Purchases of property and equipment and other assets

(8,617)

(6,146)

Acquisitions, net of cash acquired

(340,074)

(13,673)

Net cash used in investing activities

(348,691)

(19,819)

Financing activities:

Payments of long-term debt

(35,000)

Repurchase of restricted stock to satisfy tax withholding obligations

(15,392)

(5,781)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan

10,616

1,234

Net cash used in financing activities

(4,776)

(39,547)

Effect of foreign currency exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

448

58

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

(280,034)

5,249

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period

1,211,463

567,223

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period

$

931,429

$

572,472

CoStar Group, Inc.

Results of Segments - Unaudited

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Revenues

North America

$

264,795

$

219,341

International

External customers

8,923

7,212

Intersegment revenues *

13

11

Total International revenues

8,936

7,223

Intersegment eliminations

(13)

(11)

Total revenues

$

273,718

$

226,553

EBITDA

North America

$

71,055

$

54,433

International

(627)

527

Total EBITDA

$

70,428

$

54,960

* Intersegment revenues recorded were attributable to services performed for the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, CoStar Portfolio Strategy by Grecam S.A.S. ("Grecam"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CoStar Limited, the Company's wholly owned U.K. holding company. Intersegment revenues are recorded at an amount the Company believes approximates fair value. North America EBITDA includes a corresponding cost for the services performed by Grecam for CoStar Portfolio Strategy.

CoStar Group, Inc.

Revenues by Services - Unaudited

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

Information and analytics

CoStar Suite

$

130,361

$

109,979

Information services

15,060

18,336

Online marketplaces

Multifamily

87,683

63,991

Commercial property and land

40,614

34,247

Total revenues

$

273,718

$

226,553

CoStar Group, Inc.Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures with 2017-2018 Quarterly Results - Unaudited

(in millions, except per share data)

Reconciliation of Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income

2017

2018

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Net income

$

22.1

$

22.2

$

34.2

$

44.2

52.2

Income tax expense

13.3

3.6

21.0

4.5

3.5

Income before income taxes

35.4

25.8

55.2

48.7

55.7

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

10.9

9.3

8.5

8.7

10.4

Stock-based compensation expense

9.4

10.1

9.7

9.8

10.4

Acquisition and integration related costs

0.4

0.4

1.2

2.0

3.5

Settlements and impairments

(0.8)

Loss on debt extinguishment

3.8

Non-GAAP income before income taxes

55.3

45.6

74.6

73.0

80.1

Assumed rate for income tax expense *

38

%

38

%

38

%

38

%

25

%

Assumed provision for income tax expense

(21.0)

(17.3)

(28.4)

(27.7)

(20.0)

Non-GAAP net income

$

34.3

$

28.3

$

46.3

$

45.2

$

60.1

Non-GAAP net income per share - diluted

$

1.05

$

0.86

$

1.41

$

1.25

$

1.65

Weighted average outstanding shares - basic

32.3

32.4

32.4

35.7

35.9

Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted

32.6

32.7

32.8

36.1

36.4

* A 25% and 38% tax rate is assumed for 2018 and 2017, respectively, which approximates our statutory corporate tax rate.

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

2017

2018

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Net income

$

22.1

$

22.2

$

34.2

$

44.2

$

52.2

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

10.9

9.3

8.5

8.7

10.4

Depreciation and other amortization

6.4

6.5

6.6

6.7

6.6

Interest and other income

(0.4)

(0.6)

(0.6)

(2.5)

(3.0)

Interest and other expense

2.7

2.7

2.9

0.7

0.7

Loss on debt extinguishment

3.8

Income tax expense

13.3

3.6

21.0

4.5

3.5

EBITDA

$

55.0

$

43.7

$

72.6

$

66.0

$

70.4

Stock-based compensation expense

9.4

10.1

9.7

9.8

10.4

Acquisition and integration related costs

0.4

0.4

1.2

2.0

3.5

Settlements and impairments

(0.8)

Adjusted EBITDA

$

63.9

$

54.3

$

83.6

$

77.9

$

84.4

CoStar Group, Inc.

Reconciliation of Forward-Looking Guidance - Unaudited

(in thousands, except per share data)

Reconciliation of Forward-Looking Guidance, Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income

Guidance Range

Guidance Range

For the Three Months

For the Twelve Months

Ended June 30, 2018

Ended December 31, 2018

Low

High

Low

High

Net income

$

10,000

$

15,000

$

164,000

$

175,000

Income tax expense

3,000

5,000

55,000

59,000

Income before income taxes

13,000

20,000

219,000

234,000

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

26,000

26,000

77,000

77,000

Stock-based compensation expense

12,000

11,000

46,000

44,000

Acquisition and integration related costs

10,000

8,000

20,000

17,000

Restructuring and related costs

1,000

1,000

Non-GAAP income before income taxes

61,000

65,000

363,000

373,000

Assumed rate for income tax expense *

25

%

25

%

25

%

25

%

Assumed provision for income tax expense

(15,300)

(16,200)

(90,800)

(93,300)

Non-GAAP net income

$

45,700

$

48,800

$

272,200

$

279,700

Net income per share - diluted

$

0.27

$

0.41

$

4.48

$

4.78

Non-GAAP net income per share - diluted

$

1.25

$

1.34

$

7.44

$

7.64

Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted

36,500

36,500

36,600

36,600

* A 25% tax rate is assumed, which approximates our statutory corporate tax rate.

Reconciliation of Forward-Looking Guidance, Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA

Guidance Range

Guidance Range

For the Three Months

For the Twelve Months

Ended June 30, 2018

Ended December 31, 2018

Low

High

Low

High

Net income

$

10,000

$

15,000

$

164,000

$

175,000

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

26,000

26,000

77,000

77,000

Depreciation and other amortization

6,000

6,000

24,000

24,000

Interest and other expense, net

(1,000)

(1,000)

(7,000)

(7,000)

Income tax expense

3,000

5,000

55,000

59,000

Stock-based compensation expense

12,000

11,000

46,000

44,000

Acquisition and integration related costs

10,000

8,000

20,000

17,000

Restructuring and related costs

1,000

1,000

Adjusted EBITDA

$

66,000

$

70,000

$

380,000

$

390,000

About CoStar Group, Inc. CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) is the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked commercial real estate marketplace online with over 5 million monthly unique visitors per month. Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com, ForRent.com, ApartmentHomeLiving.com, Westside Rentals, AFTER55.com, CorporateHousing.com, ForRentUniversity.com and Apartamentos.com form the premier online apartment resource for renters seeking great apartment homes and provide property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. CoStar Group's websites attracted an average of approximately 38 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate in the first quarter of 2018. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar maintains offices throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Canada with a staff of over 4,100 worldwide, including the industry's largest professional research organization. For more information, visit www.costargroup.com.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about CoStar Group's financial expectations, the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements including words such as "hope," "anticipate," "may," "believe," "expect," "intend," "will," "should," "plan," "estimate," "predict," "continue" and "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management of CoStar Group and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause or contribute to such differences: the risk that the trends stated or implied by this release cannot or will not be sustained at the current pace, including trends related to revenue, net income, bookings, sales, subscribers, site traffic and visits; the risk that the Company is unable to sustain current revenue and earnings growth rates or increase them; the risk that the Company's expanded sales team does not produce higher sales and revenue as the year progresses; the risk that the Company is unable to achieve its stated goal of 40% adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter 2018; the risk that revenues for the second quarter and full year 2018 will not be as stated in this press release;the risk that net income for the second quarter and full year 2018 will not be as stated in this press release; the risk that adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter and full year 2018 will not be as stated in this press release; the risk that non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share for the second quarter and full year 2018 will not be as stated in this press release; the risk that the tax rate estimates stated in this press release are incorrect or may change; the risk that new tax laws, regulations or guidance may be enacted or issued impacting our effective tax rate; the risk that the businesses of ForRent, Apartments.com, and CoStar may not be combined successfully or in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the risk that the combination does not produce the expected results or benefits; the risk that business disruption relating to the ForRent acquisition may be greater than expected; the risk that synergies and expected operating efficiencies from the acquisition of ForRent may not be as expected, may not be fully realized, or may take longer to realize than expected; and the risk that the combination and integration of ForRent will disrupt CoStar's operations or result in the loss of consumers, property owners or key employees. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements can be found in CoStar's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, which is filed with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" section of that filing, and the Company's other filings with the SEC available at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). CoStar assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Cision View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/costar-group-first-quarter-revenue-grows-21-and-net-income-increases-136-year-over-year-company-raises-full-year-guidance-300634734.html

SOURCE CoStar Group, Inc.

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