Ebix Q3 Revenues Rose 24% to a Record $92.8M, Operating Income Rose 15% to $27.9M and Diluted EPS Rose 4% to $0.76


JOHNS CREEK, Ga., Nov. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ebix, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBIX), a leading international supplier of On-Demand software and E-commerce services to the insurance, financial, e-governance and healthcare industries, today reported results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2017. Ebix will host a conference call to review its results today at 11:00 a.m. EST (details below).

Ebix delivered the following results for the third quarter of 2017:

Revenues: Q3 2017 revenue rose 24% to $92.8 million compared to $74.6 million in Q3 2016 and increased 6% over Q2 2017 revenue of $87.4 million. The revenue improvement reflected growth in the Company’s Exchange and Risk Compliance channels, with the revenues from the Financial Exchange service in India, reflected in the Exchange channel.

Q3 and Q2 2017 both included a full quarter of revenues from EbixCash Financial Exchange with Q3 2017 revenues of $11.1 million versus $8.4 million in Q2 of 2017. Q3 2017 results also included one month of revenues totaling $0.54 million, from the acquisition of the YouFirst inward remittance business in India. Revenues from the acquisitions of Paul Merchants, Wall Street and Via will be reflected in Q4 2017 results.

On a constant currency basis, Ebix Q3 2017 revenue increased 23% to $91.6 million compared to $74.6 million in Q3 2016. The Exchange channel continued to be Ebix’s largest, accounting for 69% of Q3 2017 revenues. Also, on a constant currency basis, year to date revenue increased 18% to $257.1 million as compared to $218.2 million in 2016.

      
(dollar amounts in thousands)     
ChannelQ3 2017Q3 2016ChangeYTD
2017
YTD 2016Change
Exchanges$64,130$52,016+23%$177,117$151,424+17%
Risk Compliance Solutions (RCS) 24,265 18,076+34% 68,780 53,489+29%
Broker Solutions 3,715 3,557+4% 11,098 10,654+4%
Carrier Systems 690 959-28% 2,295 2,681-14%
Total Revenue$ 92,800$ 74,608+24%$ 259,290$ 218,248+19%
       
Total Revenue on Constant Currency Basis$ 91.6M$ 74.6M+23%$ 257.1M$ 218.2M+18%
         

Earnings per Share: Q3 2017 diluted earnings per share increased 4% to $0.76 compared to $0.74 in Q3 2016. Ebix’s weighted average diluted shares outstanding decreased to 31.6 million in Q3 2017 compared to 32.7 million in Q3 2016 and consistent with Q2 2017.

Operating Income and Margins: Q3 2017 operating margins decreased to 30% as compared to 33% in Q3 2016. Excluding the impact of the recent ItzCash acquisition, Q3 2017 operating margins would have been 33%. Operating income for Q3 2017 rose 15% or $3.6 million to $27.9 million compared to $24.3 million in Q3 2016.

Net Income: Higher operating income was offset by a $1.6 million increase in interest expense, a $1.0 million increase in foreign exchange losses and a $1.2 million reduction in non-operating income, resulting Q3 2017 net income of $24.2 million, a slight increase over $24.1 million in Q3 2016.

Operating Cash: Cash generated from operations was $18.9 million in Q3 2017 compared to $22.1 million in Q3 2016 and $15.5 million in Q2 2017. Q3 2017 cash from operations was impacted by increased receivables associated with some of the contracts in Brazil, the US and India that have longer payment terms.

Q4 2017 Diluted Share Count: As of today, Ebix expects its diluted share count for Q4 2017 to be approximately 31.6 million.

Dividend: Ebix paid its regularly quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share in Q3 2017 for a total cost of $2.4 million.

Subsequent Event: BSE Investments Limited (BIL), a 100% subsidiary of BSE and Ebix Fincorp Exchange Pte Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of Ebix signed a Memorandum of Understanding on October 26th, 2017, to form a joint venture, to set up a pioneering insurance distribution exchange in India. The exchange will allow distribution outlets, stock brokers, wealth management advisors and financial institutions etc. to sell life insurance and non-life financial products countrywide.

Ebix Chairman, President and CEO Robin Raina said, “We are excited with the growth momentum and record revenue we are achieving in our business. We grew revenues sequentially by $5.4 million or 6%  compared to Q2 2017 with only $0.5 million coming from an acquisition. We were able to deliver this growth while also adhering to our margin discipline to achieve a blended operating margin of 30%.”

“We expect Q4 2017 top line to be substantially better than Q3 2017 as it will include revenues from a few additional acquisitions expected to close in Q4. On the bottom line, we expect operating margins to improve by a few points beyond 30% over the next 6 months as we implement cost, operational and sales and marketing synergies related to our recent acquisitions.”

Robin added, “Our aspirational goal for Ebix is to reach a quarterly revenue run rate above $100 million by Q1 2018 with operating margins at or above 30%. While there are no guarantees that we will achieve this aspirational goal, you can be sure that we will make a strong endeavor to get there.”

Sean Donaghy, Ebix CFO commented, “During Q3 2017, we invested a total of $2.4 million on dividend payments, $1.4 million on CapEx, $3.1 million on principal payments towards the term loan and $0.6 million on tax payments. We funded these initiatives from existing cash plus operating cash flow of $16.6 million during Q3 2017, while drawing $20 million from our bank credit facilities to fund the closing of one of our acquisitions in Q4. Ebix ended the quarter with cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $102.3 million, which combined with accordion and the available borrowing capacity under our Bank credit facility, provides approximately $243 million, in available resources to fund the growth of our business.”

Conference Call Details:

Call Date/Time:Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. EST
Call Dial-In:+1-877-837-3909 or 1-973-409-9690; Call ID # 4293018
Live Audio Webcast:www.ebix.com/webcast
Audio Replay URL:www.ebix.com/result_17_Q3 after 2:00 p.m. EST on November 8th
  

About Ebix, Inc.

A leading international supplier of On-Demand software and E-commerce services to the insurance, financial, e-governance and healthcare industries, Ebix, Inc. provides end-to-end on-Demand solutions ranging from infrastructure exchanges, front end & back end enterprise systems, outsourced administrative & custom software development solutions, and risk compliance solutions for various entities involved in these industries.

With 45+ offices across Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, the US and the UK, Ebix powers multiple exchanges across the world in the field of life, annuity, health and property & casualty insurance while conducting in excess of $100 billion in insurance premiums annually on its platforms. Through its various SaaS-based software platforms, Ebix employs hundreds of domain specific business and technology professionals to provide products, support and consultancy to thousands of customers on six continents. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.ebix.com

SAFE HARBOR REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

As used herein, the terms “Ebix,” “the Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Ebix, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries as a combined entity, except where it is clear that the terms mean only Ebix, Inc.

The information contained in this Press Release contains forward-looking statements and information within the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This information includes assumptions made by, and information currently available to management, including statements regarding future economic performance and financial condition, liquidity and capital resources, acceptance of the Company's products by the market, and management's plans and objectives. In addition, certain statements included in this and our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by us or with our approval, which are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "seeks," "plan," "project," "continue," "predict," "will," "should," and other words or expressions of similar meaning are intended by the Company to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are found at various places throughout this report and in the documents incorporated herein by reference. These statements are based on our current expectations about future events or results and information that is currently available to us, involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and speak only as of the date on which such statements are made.

Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference, include, but are not limited to those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the SEC, as well as: the risk of an unfavorable outcome of the pending governmental investigations or shareholder class action lawsuits, reputational harm caused by such investigations and lawsuits, the willingness of independent insurance agencies to outsource their computer and other processing needs to third parties; pricing and other competitive pressures and the Company's ability to gain or maintain share of sales as a result of actions by competitors and others; changes in estimates in critical accounting judgments; changes in or failure to comply with laws and regulations, including accounting standards, taxation requirements (including tax rate changes, new tax laws and revised tax interpretations) in domestic or foreign jurisdictions; exchange rate fluctuations and other risks associated with investments and operations in foreign countries (particularly in Australia, UK and India wherein we have significant operations); equity markets, including market disruptions and significant interest rate fluctuations, which may impede our access to, or increase the cost of, external financing; and international conflict, including terrorist acts.

Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any such factors, or to publicly announce the results of, or changes to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, changed circumstances, or for any other reason.

Readers should carefully review the disclosures and the risk factors described in the documents we file from time to time with the SEC, including future reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K, and any amendments thereto.

You may obtain our SEC filings at our website, www.ebix.com under the "Investor Information" section, or over the Internet at the SEC's web site, www.sec.gov.


 
Ebix, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
 
 Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
 September 30, September 30,
 2017 2016 2017 2016
Operating revenue$92,800  $74,608  $259,290  $218,248 
        
Operating expenses:       
Cost of services provided34,937  22,425  91,056  62,606 
Product development8,536  8,563  25,303  24,913 
Sales and marketing3,833  4,463  12,312  13,002 
General and administrative, net14,874  12,126  42,156  37,019 
Amortization and depreciation2,709  2,738  8,323  8,088 
Total operating expenses64,889  50,315  179,150  145,628 
        
Operating income27,911  24,293  80,140  72,620 
Interest income375  635  1,614  1,219 
Interest expense(3,552) (1,922) (9,038) (5,381)
Non-operating income, gain on joint venture investment  1,162    1,162 
Foreign currency exchange gain (loss)(400) 578  2,705  852 
Income before income taxes24,334  24,746  75,421  70,472 
Income tax (expense) benefit204  (789) (363) (1,121)
Net income including noncontrolling interest24,538  23,957  75,058  69,351 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest354  (110) 1,013  133 
Net income attributable to Ebix, Inc.$24,184  $24,067  $74,045  $69,218 
        
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Ebix, Inc.$0.77  $0.74  $2.34  $2.12 
        
Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Ebix, Inc.$0.76  $0.74  $2.33  $2.10 
        
Basic weighted average shares outstanding31,453  32,421  31,582  32,716 
        
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding31,622  32,705  31,743  32,994 
            


 
Ebix, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share amounts)
 
 September 30,
 2017
 December 31,
 2016
ASSETS(Unaudited)  
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$96,734  $114,118 
Short-term investments5,524  3,105 
Restricted cash11,219   
Fiduciary funds- restricted7,953  14,394 
Trade accounts receivable, less allowances of $3,560 and $2,833, respectively102,813  62,713 
Other current assets16,531  12,716 
Total current assets240,774  207,046 
    
Property and equipment, net41,430  37,061 
Goodwill559,163  441,404 
Intangibles, net47,011  41,336 
Indefinite-lived intangibles38,694  30,887 
Capitalized software development costs, net8,744  5,955 
Deferred tax asset, net35,398  31,345 
Other assets54,718  8,721 
Total assets$1,025,932  $803,755 
    
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities$50,845  $30,461 
Accrued payroll and related benefits7,006  7,474 
Fiduciary funds- restricted7,953  14,394 
Short term debt, net of deferred financing costs of $13612,364  12,364 
Acquisition obligations43,824   
Capital lease obligations9  9 
Current deferred rent283  281 
Contingent liability for accrued earn-out acquisition consideration5,921  1,921 
Deferred revenue20,302  22,564 
Other current liabilities259  244 
Total current liabilities148,766  89,712 
    
Revolving line of credit234,029  154,029 
Long term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion, net of deferred financing costs of $367 and $452, respectively96,580  105,824 
Other liabilities9,305  6,070 
Contingent liability for accrued earn-out acquisition consideration33,258  6,589 
Deferred revenue1,321  1,886 
Long term deferred rent752  1,009 
Total liabilities524,011  365,119 
    
    
Stockholders’ equity:   
Preferred stock, $0.10 par value, 500,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016   
Common stock, $0.10 par value, 120,000,000 shares authorized, 31,463,603 issued and outstanding, at September 30, 2017 and 60,000,000 shares authorized, 32,093,294 issued and outstanding at December 31, 20163,146  3,209 
Additional paid-in capital659   
Retained earnings486,771  457,364 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(29,760) (33,677)
Total Ebix, Inc. stockholders’ equity460,816  426,896 
Noncontrolling interest41,105  11,740 
Total stockholders' equity501,921  438,636 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$1,025,932  $803,755 
        


 
Ebix, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
 
 Nine Months Ended
 September 30,
 2017 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:   
Net income attributable to Ebix, Inc.$74,045  $69,218 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest1,013  133 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:   
Amortization and depreciation8,323  8,088 
Benefit for deferred taxes(6,327) (6,250)
Share based compensation1,994  2,078 
Provision for doubtful accounts1,107  700 
Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss432  (328)
Gain on investment interest in IHC/Ebix joint venture  (1,162)
Amortization of capitalized software development costs1,304  1,040 
Reduction of acquisition earnout accruals(164) (1,726)
Purchase accounting adjustment(948)  
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions:   
Accounts receivable(30,250) (11,205)
Other assets126  (3,402)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses838  (4,499)
Accrued payroll and related benefits(1,009) 79 
Deferred revenue(3,160) (290)
Deferred rent(292) (168)
Reserve for potential uncertain income tax return positions3,335  700 
Other liabilities(255) 44 
Net cash provided by operating activities50,112  53,050 
    
Cash flows from investing activities:   
Acquisition of beBetter, net of cash acquired(1,000)  
Investment in the EbixHealth JV, net of cash acquired  (696)
Acquisition of ItzCash, net of cash acquired(70,184)  
Acquisition of YouFirst, net of cash acquired(1,806)  
Funding of escrow account for possible future contingent earn-out payment related to business acquisition(3,998)  
Funding of escrow account for acquisition pending shareholder approval(7,221)  
Maturities of marketable securities7,517   
Capitalized software development costs(2,109) (1,034)
Maturities (Purchases) of marketable securities  (1,078)
Capital expenditures(6,370) (4,420)
Net cash used in investing activities(85,171) (7,228)
    
Cash flows from financing activities:   
Proceeds from revolving line of credit, net80,000  (72,436)
Proceeds from term loan  125,000 
Principal payments of term loan obligation(9,375) (3,125)
Repurchases of common stock(45,732) (43,775)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options52  29 
Forfeiture of certain shares to satisfy exercise costs and the recipients income tax obligations related to stock options exercised and restricted stock vested(327) (147)
Dividend payments(7,176) (7,401)
Principal payments of debt obligations  (600)
Payments of capital lease obligations(7) (4)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities17,435  (2,459)
Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash240  (736)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents(17,384) 42,627 
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period114,118  57,179 
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period$96,734  $99,806 
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:   
Interest paid$8,474  $5,318 
Income taxes paid$8,536  $14,068 



            

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