Upgrade to SI Premium - Free Trial

H&R Block Announces Fiscal 2019 Third Quarter Results, Reiterates Financial Outlook for Fiscal Year

March 7, 2019 8:20 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) today released its U.S. tax return volume through February 28, 2019 and financial results for the fiscal 2019 third quarter ended January 31, 2019. The company normally reports a fiscal third quarter loss due to the seasonality of its tax business.

Tax Season and Fiscal Third Quarter Highlights1

Tax Season Results3

H&R Block total U.S. return volume decreased 1.2% through February 28, as an increase in DIY returns of 6.4% was offset by a 6.5% decrease in Assisted returns. On a comparable basis with the most recent IRS data for this tax season, the company grew market share in DIY due to product enhancements and improved conversion. In Assisted, when comparing to the most recent IRS data for this tax season, the business was down modestly in market share, which was expected due to the discontinuation of its Free Federal 1040EZ promotion.

"The significant improvements we've made across our business have resulted in increased client satisfaction scores related to our new upfront and transparent pricing, third party accolades for our DIY products, and growth in our virtual offerings so far this tax season," said Jeff Jones, H&R Block's president and chief executive officer. "H&R Block is leading the way in the tax industry with offerings that span the full spectrum of tax preparation, whether clients want little to no help, complete in-person assistance, or anything in between."

Fiscal 2019 Third Quarter Results From Continuing Operations

"The slow start to the tax season for the industry impacted the timing of our business, lowering financial results for our fiscal third quarter," said Tony Bowen, H&R Block's chief financial officer. "We remain on track with our strategic and operational plans and expect to achieve our financial outlook for the fiscal year."

(in millions, except EPS)Q3 FY2019Q3 FY2018
Revenue$468 $488
Pretax Loss$(159)$(121)
Net Loss$(120)$(243)
Weighted-Avg. Shares - Diluted205.5 209.1
EPS2$(0.58)$(1.16)
EBITDA4$(92)$(48)

Key Financial Metrics

Dividends

As previously announced, a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share is payable on April 1, 2019 to shareholders of record as of March 18, 2019. H&R Block has paid quarterly dividends consecutively since the company went public in 1962.

Discontinued Operations

For information on Sand Canyon, please refer to disclosures in the company’s reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and other filings with the SEC.

Conference Call

Discussion of the fiscal 2019 third quarter results, outlook, and a general business update will occur during the company’s previously announced fiscal third quarter earnings conference call for analysts, institutional investors, and shareholders. The call is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on March 7, 2019. To access the call, please dial the number below approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time:

U.S./Canada (855) 702-5257 or International (213) 358-0868Conference ID: 5364734

The call, along with a presentation for viewing, will also be webcast in a listen-only format for the media and public. The link to the webcast can be accessed directly at http://investors.hrblock.com. The presentation will be posted on the Webcasts and Presentations page at http://investors.hrblock.com following the conclusion of the call.

A replay of the call will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time on March 7, 2019, and continuing until April 7, 2019, by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S./Canada) or (404) 537-3406 (International). The conference ID is 5364734. The webcast will be available for replay beginning on March 8, 2019 and continuing for 90 days at http://investors.hrblock.com.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is a global consumer tax services provider. Tax return preparation services are provided by professional tax preparers in approximately 12,000 company-owned and franchise retail tax offices worldwide, and through H&R Block tax software products for the DIY consumer. H&R Block also offers adjacent Tax Plus products and services. In fiscal 2018, H&R Block had annual revenues of over $3.1 billion with over 23 million tax returns prepared worldwide. For more information, visit the H&R Block Newsroom.

About Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release and the accompanying tables include non-GAAP financial information. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses each measure, and reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, please see the section of the accompanying tables titled "Non-GAAP Financial Information."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words or variation of words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "commits," "seeks," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "targets," "would," "will," "should," "goal," "could" or "may" or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements provide management's current expectations or predictions of future conditions, events or results. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future are forward-looking statements. They may include estimates of revenues, client trajectory, income, effective tax rate, earnings per share, cost savings, capital expenditures, dividends, share repurchases, liquidity, capital structure, market share, industry volumes or other financial items, descriptions of management’s plans or objectives for future operations, products or services, or descriptions of assumptions underlying any of the above. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and reflect the company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance or events. Furthermore, the company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions, factors, or expectations, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes, except as required by law. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to a variety of economic, competitive and regulatory factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, that are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2018 in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and additional factors we may describe from time to time in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may get such filings for free at our website at http://investors.hrblock.com. In addition, factors that may cause the company’s actual estimated effective tax rate to differ from estimates include the company’s actual results from operations compared to current estimates, future discrete items, changes in interpretations and assumptions the company has made, and future actions of the company. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and, consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.

1All amounts in this release are unaudited. Unless otherwise noted, all comparisons refer to the current period compared to the corresponding prior year period.
2All per share amounts are based on fully diluted shares at the end of the corresponding period.
3Volume changes to prior year noted in this paragraph and in the table attached to this release are based on a date-to-date basis. Comparisons to IRS data are on a day-to-day basis as of February 22, 2019.
4The company reports non-GAAP financial measures of performance, including earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) from continuing operations, EBITDA margin from continuing operations, and free cash flow which it considers to be useful metrics for management and investors to evaluate and compare the ongoing operating performance of the company. See "About Non-GAAP Financial Information" below for more information regarding financial measures not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

For Further Information

Investor Relations: Colby Brown, (816) 854-4559, [email protected]Media Relations: Susan Waldron, (816) 854-5522, [email protected]

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited, in 000s - except per share amounts)
Three months ended January 31, Nine months ended January 31,
2019 2018 2019 2018
REVENUES:
Service revenues$373,659 $388,771 $627,786 $641,389
Royalty, product and other revenues94,725 99,655 134,652 125,693
468,384 488,426 762,438 767,082
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Costs of revenues421,026 416,601 893,401 884,335
Selling, general and administrative185,458 169,098 404,517 381,193
Total operating expenses606,484 585,699 1,297,918 1,265,528
Other income (expense), net2,269 1,028 11,275 3,259
Interest expense on borrowings(22,833) (24,560) (65,214) (67,102)
Loss from continuing operations before income taxes (benefit)(158,664) (120,805) (589,419) (562,289)
Income taxes (benefit)(38,885) 122,120 (149,906) (43,234)
Net loss from continuing operations(119,779) (242,925) (439,513) (519,055)
Net loss from discontinued operations(6,675) (2,720) (15,887) (10,723)
NET LOSS$(126,454) $(245,645) $(455,400) $(529,778)
BASIC AND DILUTED LOSS PER SHARE:
Continuing operations$(0.58) $(1.16) $(2.13) $(2.49)
Discontinued operations(0.04) (0.02) (0.08) (0.05)
Consolidated$(0.62) $(1.18) $(2.21) $(2.54)
WEIGHTED AVERAGE BASIC AND DILUTED SHARES205,532 209,080 206,242 208,693

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited, in 000s - except per share data)
As of January 31, 2019 January 31, 2018 April 30, 2018
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $203,226 $187,366 $1,544,944
Cash and cash equivalents - restricted 101,903 83,033 118,734
Receivables, net 758,217 791,618 146,774
Income taxes receivable 36,486 72,775 12,310
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 134,820 149,349 68,951
Total current assets 1,234,652 1,284,141 1,891,713
Property and equipment, net 220,505 249,911 231,888
Intangible assets, net 356,952 390,993 373,981
Goodwill 520,005 504,789 507,871
Deferred tax assets and income taxes receivable 141,366 25,305 34,095
Other noncurrent assets 95,326 106,161 101,401
Total assets $2,568,806 $2,561,300 $3,140,949
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $202,101 $163,653 $251,975
Accrued salaries, wages and payroll taxes 140,902 135,626 141,499
Accrued income taxes and reserves for uncertain tax positions 49,009 164,246 263,050
Current portion of long-term debt 1,015 1,026
Deferred revenue and other current liabilities 195,634 201,988 186,101
Total current liabilities 587,646 666,528 843,651
Long-term debt and line of credit borrowings 1,876,989 2,284,231 1,494,609
Deferred tax liabilities and reserves for uncertain tax positions 214,217 201,384 229,430
Deferred revenue and other noncurrent liabilities 103,545 107,226 179,548
Total liabilities 2,782,397 3,259,369 2,747,238
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Common stock, no par, stated value $.01 per share 2,415 2,462 2,462
Additional paid-in capital 764,982 758,361 760,250
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (17,642) (9,374) (14,303)
Retained earnings (deficit) (254,277) (729,578) 362,980
Less treasury shares, at cost (709,069) (719,940) (717,678)
Total stockholders' equity (deficiency) (213,591) (698,069) 393,711
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $2,568,806 $2,561,300 $3,140,949

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited, in 000s)
Nine months ended January 31, 2019 2018
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss $(455,400) $(529,778)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 126,013 136,878
Provision for bad debt 35,009 33,429
Deferred taxes 20,557 113,345
Stock-based compensation 18,009 17,065
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Receivables (640,482) (651,200)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (66,497) (83,201)
Other noncurrent assets 9,662 8,310
Accounts payable and accrued expenses (47,510) (36,608)
Accrued salaries, wages and payroll taxes (465) (49,255)
Deferred revenue and other current liabilities 3,990 10,113
Deferred revenue and other noncurrent liabilities (70,794) (58,695)
Income tax receivables, accrued income taxes and income tax reserves (277,240) (255,650)
Other, net (2,308) (12,454)
Net cash used in operating activities (1,347,456) (1,357,701)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Capital expenditures (79,982) (77,865)
Payments made for business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (42,428) (39,397)
Franchise loans funded (16,875) (20,226)
Payments received on franchise loans 15,149 13,391
Other, net 4,877 1,524
Net cash used in investing activities (119,259) (122,573)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Repayments of line of credit borrowings (230,000) (40,000)
Proceeds from line of credit borrowings 615,000 830,000
Dividends paid (154,866) (150,258)
Repurchase of common stock, including shares surrendered (102,152) (7,746)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options 2,527 28,268
Other, net (20,126) (28,922)
Net cash provided by financing activities 110,383 631,342
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash (2,217) 1,792
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (1,358,549) (847,140)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 1,663,678 1,117,539
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period $305,129 $270,399
SUPPLEMENTARY CASH FLOW DATA:
Income taxes paid, net of refunds received $103,789 $102,755
Interest paid on borrowings 55,581 57,834
Accrued additions to property and equipment 2,241 1,078
Accrued purchase of common stock 12,301

FINANCIAL RESULTS(unaudited, in 000s - except per share amounts)
Three months ended January 31, Nine months ended January 31,
2019 2018 2019 2018
REVENUES:
U.S. assisted tax preparation$256,813 $267,328 $329,569 $333,956
U.S. royalties42,265 45,420 57,898 59,395
U.S. DIY tax preparation31,885 31,322 37,660 38,811
International revenues12,304 12,308 96,980 100,659
Revenues from Refund Transfers47,482 50,770 49,466 54,721
Revenues from Emerald Card®14,980 16,125 38,704 40,292
Revenues from Peace of Mind® Extended Service Plan16,596 19,967 77,491 76,495
Revenues from Tax Identity Shield®7,655 6,818 17,639 7,329
Interest and fee income on Emerald AdvanceTM30,924 31,075 31,768 32,333
Other7,480 7,293 25,263 23,091
468,384 488,426 762,438 767,082
Compensation and benefits:
Field wages153,764 156,027 262,792 261,866
Other wages54,243 50,717 152,111 140,637
Benefits and other compensation42,778 42,156 89,887 86,384
250,785 248,900 504,790 488,887
Occupancy (1)94,407 97,557 290,013 282,755
Marketing and advertising72,876 64,209 88,356 82,875
Depreciation and amortization44,088 48,488 126,013 136,878
Bad debt33,861 29,191 33,191 33,429
Supplies9,950 4,950 15,343 12,052
Other (1)100,517 92,404 240,212 228,652
Total operating expenses606,484 585,699 1,297,918 1,265,528
Other income (expense), net2,269 1,028 11,275 3,259
Interest expense on borrowings(22,833) (24,560) (65,214) (67,102)
Pretax loss(158,664) (120,805) (589,419) (562,289)
Income taxes (benefit)(38,885) 122,120 (149,906) (43,234)
Net loss from continuing operations(119,779) (242,925) (439,513) (519,055)
Net loss from discontinued operations(6,675) (2,720) (15,887) (10,723)
NET LOSS$(126,454) $(245,645) $(455,400) $(529,778)
BASIC AND DILUTED LOSS PER SHARE:
Continuing operations$(0.58) $(1.16) $(2.13) $(2.49)
Discontinued operations(0.04) (0.02) (0.08) (0.05)
Consolidated$(0.62) $(1.18) $(2.21) $(2.54)
Weighted average basic and diluted shares205,532 209,080 206,242 208,693
EBITDA from continuing operations (2)$(91,743) $(47,757) $(398,192) $(358,309)

(1)We reclassified $10.2 million and $28.6 million of software and information technology (IT) maintenance expense from occupancy to other expenses for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2018, respectively, to conform to the current period presentation.
(2)See "Non-GAAP Financial Information" for a reconciliation of non-GAAP measures.

U.S. TAX OPERATING DATA
Fiscal Year-to-Date Fiscal Year-to-Date
January 31, February 28,
2019 2018 % Change 2019 2018 % Change
Tax Returns Prepared: (in 000s) (1) (2)
Company-Owned Operations1,310 1,453 (9.8)% 4,101 4,429 (7.4)%
Franchise Operations657 707 (7.1)% 1,938 2,028 (4.4)%
Total H&R Block Assisted1,967 2,160 (8.9)% 6,039 6,457 (6.5)%
Desktop128 151 (15.2)% 706 764 (7.6)%
Online1,164 1,126 3.4 % 3,480 3,170 9.8 %
Total H&R Block DIY1,292 1,277 1.2 % 4,186 3,934 6.4 %
IRS Free File101 94 7.4 % 340 306 11.1 %
Total H&R Block Returns3,360 3,531 (4.8)% 10,565 10,697 (1.2)%
Net Average Charge: (3)
Company-Owned Operations$252.60 $236.38 6.9 % $231.64 $223.03 3.9 %
Franchise Operations (4)244.08 224.00 9.0 % 218.78 205.21 6.6 %
DIY29.15 30.39 (4.1)% 27.29 27.71 (1.5)%

(1)An assisted tax return is defined as a current or prior year individual tax return that has been accepted and paid for by the client. Also included are business returns, which account for less than 1% of assisted tax returns. A DIY return is defined as a return that has been electronically filed and accepted by the IRS. Also included are online returns paid and printed.
(2)Amounts have been reclassified between company-owned and franchise for offices which were refranchised or repurchased by the company during the year.
(3)Net average charge is calculated as tax preparation fees divided by tax returns prepared. For DIY, net average charge excludes IRS Free File.
(4)Net average charge related to H&R Block Franchise Operations represents tax preparation fees collected by H&R Block franchisees divided by returns prepared in franchise offices. H&R Block will recognize a portion of franchise revenues as franchise royalties based on the terms of franchise agreements.

Three months ended January 31, Nine months ended January 31,
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE - EBITDA 2019 2018 2019 2018
Net loss - as reported $(126,454) $(245,645) $(455,400) $(529,778)
Discontinued operations, net 6,675 2,720 15,887 10,723
Net loss from continuing operations - as reported (119,779) (242,925) (439,513) (519,055)
Add back:
Income taxes of continuing operations (38,885) 122,120 (149,906) (43,234)
Interest expense of continuing operations 22,833 24,560 65,214 67,102
Depreciation and amortization of continuing operations 44,088 48,488 126,013 136,878
28,036 195,168 41,321 160,746
EBITDA from continuing operations $(91,743) $(47,757) $(398,192) $(358,309)
Three months ended January 31, Nine months ended January 31,
Supplemental Information 2019 2018 2019 2018
Stock-based compensation expense:
Pretax $6,170 $5,438 $18,009 $17,065
After-tax 4,440 8,228 13,429 15,753
Amortization of intangible assets:
Pretax $18,737 $20,792 $54,461 $59,465
After-tax 13,487 29,863 40,612 54,892

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The accompanying press release contains non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Because these measures are not measures of financial performance under GAAP and are susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures for other companies.

We consider our non-GAAP financial measures to be performance measures and a useful metric for management and investors to evaluate and compare the ongoing operating performance of our business.

We may consider whether significant items that arise in the future should be excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures.

We measure the performance of our business using a variety of metrics, including EBITDA from continuing operations, EBITDA margin from continuing operations, and free cash flow. We also use EBITDA from continuing operations and pretax income from continuing operations, each subject to permitted adjustments, as performance metrics in incentive compensation calculations for our employees.

HRB horizontal 376C_BLACK.jpg

Source: HRB Tax Group, Inc.

Categories

Press Releases

Next Articles