Connecture Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015

Announces additional growth capital led by Francisco Partners


BROOKFIELD, Wis., March 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connecture, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXR), a provider of web-based information systems used to create health insurance marketplaces, today announced financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015.

“The fourth quarter of 2015 capped an important year for Connecture, highlighted by strong overall financial performance and many other accomplishments that position us well for the future,” remarked Jeff Surges, CEO of Connecture. “During 2015 we extended our Medicare.gov contract and expanded our customer base by approximately 20%, including 13 new health plans and eight private exchange clients.  And on the delivery side, we successfully completed a number of important customer implementations as part of the annual enrollment cycle, including a significant payvider organization, Memorial Hermann, and one of our largest implementations in the Company’s history with United Healthcare, which will contribute to our growth story going forward.”

Surges added, “The $52 million investment we separately announced today, led by Francisco Partners, when closed, will not only provide us capital to support continued growth and product innovation, but also provides us with a partner that brings a wealth of relevant healthcare experience and resources to our company.”   

Full Year 2015 Results

  • Total revenue was $95.8 million, increasing 13.3% compared to $84.6 million in 2014.  Excluding the Enterprise State segment, which was approximately 14% of total 2015 revenue, revenue increased approximately 31% over full year 2014.
  • Adjusted gross margin was $49.9 million, or 52.1% of total revenue, increasing 38.1% compared to $36.2 million, or 42.8% of total revenue, in 2014.
  • Operating loss was ($1.5) million, narrowing significantly from an operating loss of ($4.3) million in 2014.
  • Net loss was ($7.3) million, compared to net loss of ($10.2) million in 2014.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was $8.3 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 million in 2014.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Financial Results

  • Total revenue was $29.1 million, increasing 4.7% compared to $27.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.  Excluding the Enterprise State segment, which was approximately 6.3% of total fourth quarter 2015 revenue, revenue growth was approximately 24% over the same period the prior year.
  • Adjusted gross margin was $17.6 million, or 60.3% of total revenue, increasing 20.4% compared to $14.6 million, or 52.4% of total revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2014.
  • Operating income was $5.9 million, compared to operating income of $6.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.
  • Net income was $4.3 million, compared to net income of $4.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was $8.6 million, increasing 29.4% compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.
  • Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2015 totaled $5.4 million, compared to $7.4 million at September 30, 2015. Total liquidity was $14.9 million at December 31, 2015, inclusive of $9.5 million of our unused revolving credit facility.
  • Cash used in operations for the three months ended December 31, 2015 was $1.4 million, improving from cash used in operations of $4.8 million for the same period last year.  Of note, while an improvement from the same period last year, cash used in operations for the three months ended December 31, 2015 was affected by the timing of $3.5 million of cash receipts from several large customers which were due in the fourth quarter but not received until the first half of January 2016. Had these payments been received on time, cash generated in the fourth quarter of 2015 would have been $2.1 million.

Recent Business Highlights

  • The Medicare.gov contract, which we have supported for the past eleven years, was renewed during the fourth quarter of 2015 for a multi-year period. 
  • Notable renewals, upsells and expansions during the fourth quarter included Aetna, BCBS of Massachusetts, BCBS of Michigan, Kaiser and Health Partners.  
  • Total contracted backlog at December 31, 2015 was $89.7 million, compared to $82.9 million at September 30, 2015 and $78.2 million at December 31, 2014. The sequential increase from September 30, 2015, was primarily due to the Medicare.gov contract renewal, offset by the expected completion of customer deliverables in the fourth quarter of 2015 associated with the open enrollment period.
  • Successful Annual and Open Enrollment launches of over 50 health insurance carriers, many of whom experienced significant volume increases over prior years.
  • Expanded product capabilities including: a new release of our Analytics suite and Executive Dashboard, and new mobile features for the consumer and broker markets, as well as new carrier additions for our Ancillary Store.

Business Outlook

Connecture is providing guidance for full year 2016 as indicated below:

  • Total revenue is expected to be in the range of $100.0 million to $110.0 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $10.0 million to $15.0 million.

Conference Call

Connecture’s management will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 14, 2016, to discuss the fourth quarter and full year 2015 results.  The conference call will be accessible by dialing 877-930-8068 (U.S.) or 253-336-8043 (international) and referencing conference ID 48876082. A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on the investor relations section of the company's website at investors.connecture.com

Use of Non-GAAP Measures

To provide additional information regarding Connecture’s financial results, Connecture has disclosed in this press release adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin, each a non-GAAP financial measure. Connecture defines adjusted gross margin as gross margin before depreciation and amortization expense, as well as stock-based compensation expense. Connecture defines adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before net interest, other expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, adjusted to eliminate stock-based compensation and non-cash changes in fair value of contingent consideration and impairments of goodwill, intangible and long-lived assets, if any.

Connecture has included adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA as supplemental financial measures in this press release because they are key measures used by its management and board of directors to understand and evaluate its core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve its annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans, and because management believes that they provide useful information in understanding and evaluating Connecture’s operating results.  However, use of adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA as analytical tools has limitations, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of Connecture’s financial results as reported under GAAP. A reconciliation to the closest GAAP measures of these non-GAAP measures is contained in the accompanying tables.

About Connecture

Connecture (NASDAQ:CNXR) is a leading web-based consumer shopping, enrollment and retention platform for health insurance distribution. Connecture offers a personalized health insurance shopping experience that recommends the best fit insurance plan based on an individual's preferences, health status, preferred providers, medications and expected out-of-pocket costs. Connecture's customers are health insurance marketplace operators such as health plans, brokers and exchange operators, who must distribute health insurance in a cost-effective manner to a growing number of insured consumers. Connecture's solutions automate key functions in the health insurance distribution process, allowing its customers to price and present plan options accurately to consumers and efficiently enroll, renew and manage plan members.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding Connecture’s strategy, future operations, future financial position, ability to close on its $52 million financing, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about management’s estimates regarding future market growth, revenues and financial performance and other statements about management’s beliefs, intentions or goals. Connecture may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on Connecture’s forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks related to (1) Connecture’s ability to successfully implement the strategic relationship with Francisco Partners; (2) Connecture’s ability to manage its growth, including accurately planning and forecasting its financial results and hiring, retaining and motivating employees; (3) the competitive environment for Connecture’s business and the market for Connecture’s solutions; (4) Connecture’s ability to maintain historical contract terms; (5) Connecture’s ability to operate its proprietary software, transition to new platforms and provide innovative and high quality software and services; (6) errors, interruptions or delays in Connecture’s services; (7) breaches of Connecture’s security measures; (8) Connecture’s ability to comply with regulatory requirements; (9) technological and regulatory developments; (10) litigation related to intellectual property and other matters and any related claims, negotiations and settlements; and (11) other risks and potential factors that could affect Connecture’s business and financial results identified in Connecture’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including Connecture’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Connecture’s current views with respect to future events, and Connecture assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

            
Connecture, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
 (unaudited)
            
     Three Months Ended
December 31,
 Year Ended
December 31,
      2015   2014   2015   2014 
Revenue    $29,139  $27,825  $95,847  $84,579 
Cost of revenue (1)    12,732   14,235   50,670   52,431 
Gross margin    16,407   13,590   45,177   32,148 
Operating expenses:          
Research and development (1)   4,860   4,447   22,718   18,125 
Sales and marketing (1)   1,993   1,947   9,507   7,729 
General and administrative (1)   3,616   1,241   14,439   10,552 
Total operating expenses   10,469   7,635   46,664   36,406 
Income (loss) from operations   5,938   5,955   (1,487)  (4,258)
Other expenses:          
Interest expense    1,390   1,705   5,665   5,937 
Other expense (income), net   132   (611)  140   (68)
Income (loss) before income taxes   4,416   4,861   (7,292)  (10,127)
Income tax expense    (93)  (77)  (51)  (33)
Net income (loss)   $4,323  $4,784  $(7,343) $(10,160)
Comprehensive income (loss)  $4,323  $4,784  $(7,343) $(10,160)
Net income (loss) per common share:        
Basic    $0.20   0.80  $(0.34)  (10.27)
Diluted   $0.19   0.30  $(0.34)  (10.27)
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:       
Basic     21,960,077   4,857,869   21,813,407   1,362,109 
Diluted    22,784,888   12,979,040   21,813,407   1,362,109 
            
(1) Cost of revenue and operating expenses include following stock-based compensation expense:       
Cost of revenue   $184  $31  $922  $123 
Research and development   479   18   1,379   78 
Sales and marketing    146   7   519   32 
General and administrative   585   307   1,892   1,203 
            


            
 Connecture, Inc.
 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
 (In thousands)
 (unaudited)
            
         
As of

December 31,
2015
 
As of

December 31,
2014
          
          
 Assets          
 Current assets:         
 Cash and cash equivalents      $5,424  $28,252 
 Accounts receivable - net of allowances      10,792   12,128 
 Prepaid expenses and other current assets      652   1,557 
 Total current assets       16,868   41,937 
 Property and equipment, net       2,109   1,892 
 Goodwill        26,779   26,779 
 Other intangibles, net       11,392   15,350 
 Deferred implementation costs      24,565   24,552 
 Other assets        976   880 
 Total assets      $82,689  $111,390 
 Liabilities and stockholders' deficit        
 Current liabilities:         
 Accounts payable      $6,853  $5,737 
 Accrued payroll and related liabilities      3,560   3,880 
 Other liabilities       2,188   4,373 
 Current maturities of debt       1,441   4,479 
 Deferred revenue       34,049   42,578 
 Total current liabilities       48,091   61,047 
 Deferred revenue       18,529   31,159 
 Long-term debt       46,964   47,627 
 Other long-term liabilities       285   398 
 Total liabilities       113,869   140,231 
 Total stockholders' deficit       (31,180)  (28,841)
 Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit     $82,689  $111,390 
            

 

           
 Connecture, Inc.
 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
 (In thousands)
 (unaudited)
           
        Year Ended
December 31,
         2015   2014 
 Cash flows from operating activities:       
 Net loss      $(7,343) $(10,160)
 Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:     
 Depreciation and amortization     5,043   5,101 
 Stock-based compensation expense     4,712   1,436 
 Other       970   1,061 
 Changes in operating assets and liabilities:       
 Accounts receivable      1,291   8,782 
 Prepaid expenses and other assets     757   (495)
 Deferred implementation costs     (13)  (4,653)
 Accounts payable      1,856   (3,463)
 Accrued expenses and other liabilities     (2,306)  (3,744)
 Deferred revenue      (21,159)  (14,118)
 Net cash used in operating activities     (16,192)  (20,253)
 Cash flows from investing activities:       
 Purchase of property and equipment     (1,317)  (837)
 Net cash used in financing activities     (1,317)  (837)
 Cash flows from financing activities:       
 Net (repayments) borrowings of debt     (4,365)  13,631 
 Other       (954)  33,434 
 Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities    (5,319)  47,065 
 Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents    (22,828)  25,975 
 Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period    28,252   2,277 
 Cash and cash equivalents - end of period    $5,424  $28,252 
           

 

           
 Connecture, Inc. 
 Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures 
 (In thousands) 
 (unaudited) 
           
   Three Months Ended
December 31,
 Year Ended
December 31,
 
    2015   2014   2015   2014  
 Reconciliation from Gross Margin to Adjusted Gross Margin:         
 Gross margin $16,407  $13,590  $45,177  $32,148  
 Depreciation and amortization  974   964   3,846   3,892  
 Stock-based compensation expense  184   31   922   123  
 Adjusted gross margin $17,565  $14,585  $49,945  $36,163  
           
 Reconciliation from Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:         
 Net income (loss) $4,323  $4,784  $(7,343) $(10,160) 
 Depreciation and amortization  1,246   1,260   5,043   5,101  
 Interest expense  1,390   1,705   5,665   5,937  
 Other expense (income)  132   (611)  140   (68) 
 Income taxes  93   77   51   33  
 Stock-based compensation expense  1,394   363   4,712   1,436  
 Change in fair value of contingent consideration  -   (951)  -   (951) 
 Total net adjustments  4,255   1,843   15,611   11,488  
 Adjusted EBITDA $8,578  $6,627  $8,268  $1,328  
           

 


            

Coordonnées