i3 Verticals Reports First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Affirms Previously Issued Guidance for Fiscal 2019


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- i3 Verticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IIIV) (“i3 Verticals” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2018.

Highlights for the fiscal first quarter of 2019 vs. 2018

  • Revenue was $84.9 million, an increase of 10% over the prior year's first quarter.
  • Adjusted net revenue1, which excludes acquisition revenue adjustments and interchange and network fees, was $29.6 million, an increase of 18% over the prior year's first quarter.

  • Net income was $2.4 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA1 was $8.6 million, an increase of 25% over the prior year's first quarter.
  • Adjusted EBITDA1 as a percentage of adjusted net revenue1 was 29%, compared to 27% in the prior year's first quarter.

  • Diluted net income per share available to Class A common stock was $0.02.
  • Pro forma adjusted diluted earnings per share1, which gives pro forma effect to the Company's going forward effective tax rate following its Up-C reorganization in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”), was $0.20.

  • Integrated payments2 were 46% of payment volume for the three months ended December 31, 2018.
  • At December 31, 2018, the ratio of consolidated debt-to-EBITDA, as defined in the Company's Senior Secured Credit Facility, was 1.71x.
  1. Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. For additional information (including reconciliation information), see the attached schedules to this release.
  2. Integrated payments represents payment transactions that are generated in situations where payment technology is embedded within the Company's own proprietary software, a client’s software or critical business process.

Greg Daily, Chairman and CEO of i3 Verticals, commented, “We are pleased with our first quarter performance. We continue to deliver a healthy mix of revenues from acquisitions and organic growth, following the plan we laid out at the time of our IPO. Rick Stanford, our President, remains focused on expanding our revenue base through acquisitions, and our pipeline is very active. We currently have three signed term sheets, two within the Public Sector vertical and another technology acquisition that will fold into the Public Sector. We are optimistic about additional opportunities for complementary acquisitions in that market.

“During the quarter, we also focused on integrating the three acquisitions we previously announced. We are excited about the products and services those acquisitions bring to our current and future customers. Our proprietary technology offerings are expanding, and we are encouraged about the opportunities to integrate our payment solutions into these products,” concluded Daily.

2019 Outlook
The Company announced that it is maintaining its previously issued guidance as follows:

(in thousands, except per share amounts)Outlook Range
 Fiscal year ending September 30, 2019
Adjusted net revenue(1) (non-GAAP)
$122,000-$128,000
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)$35,000-$36,000
Adjusted diluted earnings per share(2) (non-GAAP)
$0.84-$0.87
      

_______________________

  1. Under GAAP, companies must adjust, as necessary, beginning balances of acquired deferred revenue to fair value as part of acquisition accounting as defined by GAAP. For the 2019 outlook, the Company has removed the effect of these adjustments to acquisition date fair value from acquisitions that have closed as of the earnings release date.
  2. Assumes an effective pro forma tax rate of 25.0% (non-GAAP).

With respect to the “2019 Outlook” above, reconciliation of adjusted net revenue, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to the closest corresponding GAAP measure on a forward-looking basis is not available without unreasonable efforts. This inability results from the inherent difficulty in forecasting generally and quantifying certain projected amounts that are necessary for such reconciliations. In particular, sufficient information is not available to calculate certain adjustments required for such reconciliations, including changes in the fair value of contingent consideration, income tax expense of i3 Verticals, Inc. and equity-based compensation expense. The Company expects these adjustments may have a potentially significant impact on future GAAP financial results.

Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, February 14, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. ET, to discuss financial results and operations. To listen to the call live via telephone, participants should dial (323) 794‑2588 approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.  A telephonic replay will be available from 11:00 a.m. ET on February 14, 2019, through February 21, 2019, by dialing (719) 457‑0820 and entering Confirmation Code 3699962. 

To listen to the call live via webcast, participants should visit the “Investors” section of the Company’s website, www.i3verticals.com, and go to the “Events & Presentations” page approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. The online replay will be available on this page of the Company’s website beginning shortly after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for 30 days.

Non-GAAP Measures
This press release contains information prepared in conformity with GAAP as well as non-GAAP information. It is management’s intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance understanding of the Company's consolidated financial information as prepared in accordance with GAAP. This non-GAAP information should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Each non-GAAP financial measure and the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure are presented so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure. The non-GAAP financial information presented may be determined or calculated differently by other companies.

Additional information about non-GAAP financial measures, including, but not limited to, adjusted net revenue, pro forma adjusted net income, adjusted EBITDA and pro forma adjusted diluted EPS, and a reconciliation of those measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is included on pages 8 through 10 in the financial schedules of this release.

About i3 Verticals
Helping drive the convergence of software and payments, i3 Verticals delivers seamlessly integrated payment and software solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses and other organizations in strategic vertical markets, such as education, non-profit, the public sector, property management, and healthcare and to the business-to-business payments market. With a broad suite of payment and software solutions that address the specific needs of its clients in each strategic vertical market, i3 Verticals processed approximately $11.7 billion in total payment volume for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact or relating to present facts or current conditions included in this release are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding guidance and statements of a general economic or industry specific nature. Forward-looking statements give the Company's current expectations and projections relating to its financial condition, results of operations, guidance, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could have,” “exceed,” “significantly,” “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on assumptions that we have made in light of the Company's industry experience and its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. As you review and consider information presented herein, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of future performance or results. They depend upon future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond the Company's control) and assumptions. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect the Company's actual future performance or results and cause them to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Certain of these factors and other risks are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and include, but are not limited to: (i) the ability to generate revenues sufficient to maintain profitability and positive cash flow; (ii) competition in the Company's industry and the ability to compete effectively; (iii) the dependence on non-exclusive distribution partners to market the Company's products and services; (iv) the ability to keep pace with rapid developments and changes in the Company's industry and provide new products and services; (v) liability and reputation damage from unauthorized disclosure, destruction or modification of data or disruption of the Company's services; (vi) technical, operational and regulatory risks related to the Company's information technology systems and third-party providers’ systems; (vii) reliance on third parties for significant services; (viii) exposure to economic conditions and political risks affecting consumer and commercial spending, including the use of credit cards; (ix) the ability to increase the Company's existing vertical markets, expand into new vertical markets and execute the Company's growth strategy; (x) the ability to successfully complete acquisitions and effectively integrate those acquisitions into the Company's services; (xi) degradation of the quality of the Company's products, services and support; (xii) the ability to retain clients, many of which are small- and medium-sized businesses, which can be difficult and costly to retain; (xiii) the Company's ability to successfully manage its intellectual property; (xiv) the ability to attract, recruit, retain and develop key personnel and qualified employees; (xv) risks related to laws, regulations and industry standards; (xvi) the Company's indebtedness and potential increases in its indebtedness; (xvii) operating and financial restrictions imposed by the Company's senior secured credit facility; and (xviii) the risk factors included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of these assumptions prove incorrect, the Company's actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Factors or events that could cause the Company's actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contacts:
 
Clay Whitson
Scott Meriwether
Chief Financial Officer
Senior Vice President - Finance
(615) 988-9890
(615) 942-6175
cwhitson@i3verticals.com
smeriwether@i3verticals.com
  

i3 Verticals, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017 % Change
      
Revenue$84,868  $77,221  10%
      
Operating expenses     
Interchange and network fees55,829  52,238  7%
Other costs of services9,790  9,553  2%
Selling general and administrative12,516  8,845  42%
Depreciation and amortization3,552  2,856  24%
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(349) 382  (191)%
Total operating expenses81,338  73,874  10%
      
Income from operations3,530  3,347  5%
      
Other expenses     
Interest expense, net914  2,387  (62)%
Change in fair value of warrant liability  1,681  n/m 
Total other expenses914  4,068  (78)%
      
Income (loss) before income taxes2,616  (721) n/m 
      
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes265  (389) (168)%
      
Net income (loss)2,351  (332) n/m 
      
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest2,173    n/m 
Net income (loss) attributable to i3 Verticals, Inc.$178  $(332) (154)%
      
Net income per share available to Class A common stock(1):
     
Basic$0.02     
Diluted$0.02     
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding(1):
     
Basic8,812,630     
Diluted9,903,168     
       

__________________________

  1. Basic and diluted net income per Class A common stock are presented only for the period after the Company’s Reorganization Transactions.

i3 Verticals, Inc. Financial Highlights
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands, except per share amounts)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017 % Change 
      
Net revenue (non-GAAP)
$29,570 $24,983 18%
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)
8,578 6,849 25%
Pro forma adjusted diluted earnings per share (non-GAAP)
$0.20    
       

i3 Verticals, Inc. Supplemental Volume Information
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017
    
Payment volume(1)
$2,943,849 $2,827,929
      

__________________________

  1. Payment volume is the net dollar value of both 1) Visa, Mastercard and other payment network transactions processed by the Company's clients and settled to clients by us and 2) ACH transactions processed by the Company's clients and settled to clients by the Company.

i3 Verticals, Inc. Segment Summary
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands)

 As of and for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2018
 Merchant Services Proprietary Software and Payments Other Total
Revenue$77,702  $7,166  $  $84,868 
        
Operating expenses       
Interchange and network fees54,364  1,465    55,829 
Other costs of services9,396  394    9,790 
Selling general and administrative6,091  2,987  3,438  12,516 
Depreciation and amortization2,782  661  109  3,552 
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(319) (30)   (349)
Income (loss) from operations$5,388  $1,689  $(3,547) $3,530 
        
Payment volume
$2,804,139  $139,710  $  $2,943,849 
                


 As of and for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2017
 Merchant Services Proprietary Software and Payments Other Total
Revenue$72,679  $4,545 $(3) $77,221
        
Operating expenses       
Interchange and network fees51,047  1,192 (1) 52,238
Other costs of services9,143  410   9,553
Selling general and administrative4,886  1,695 2,264  8,845
Depreciation and amortization2,310  517 29  2,856
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(125) 507   382
Income (loss) from operations$5,418  $224 $(2,295) $3,347
        
Payment volume
$2,705,780  $122,149 $  $2,827,929
              

i3 Verticals, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets
($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 December 31, September 30,
 2018 2018
 (unaudited)  
Assets   
Current assets   
Cash and cash equivalents$887 $572
Accounts receivable, net10,374 12,500
Settlement assets930 863
Prepaid expenses and other current assets3,278 2,630
Total current assets15,469 16,565
    
Property and equipment, net3,111 2,958
Restricted cash666 665
Capitalized software, net6,482 3,372
Goodwill98,486 83,954
Intangible assets, net71,224 66,023
Other assets1,754 1,605
Total assets$197,192 $175,142
    
Liabilities and equity   
Liabilities   
Current liabilities   
Accounts payable3,388 4,114
Current portion of long-term debt5,000 5,000
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities15,371 11,538
Settlement obligations930 863
Deferred revenue4,614 4,927
Total current liabilities29,303 26,442
    
Long-term debt, less current portion and debt issuance costs, net49,009 31,776
Other long-term liabilities4,314 4,726
Total liabilities82,626 62,944
    
Commitments and contingencies   
Stockholders' equity   
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018 
Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 150,000,000 shares authorized; 9,108,032 and 9,112,042 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018, respectively1 1
Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 40,000,000 shares authorized; 17,213,806 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 20182 2
Additional paid-in-capital39,513 38,562
Accumulated earnings914 736
Total Stockholders' equity40,430 39,301
Non-controlling interest74,136 72,897
Total equity114,566 112,198
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$197,192 $175,142
      

i3 Verticals, Inc. Consolidated Cash Flow Data
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017
    
Net cash provided by operating activities$6,072  $5,868 
Net cash used in investing activities$(22,026) $(21,990)
Net cash provided by financing activities$16,270  $16,603 
        

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company believes that non-GAAP financial measures are important to enable investors to understand and evaluate its ongoing operating results. Accordingly, i3 Verticals includes non-GAAP financial measures when reporting its financial results to shareholders and potential investors in order to provide them with an additional tool to evaluate the Company’s ongoing business operations. i3 Verticals believes that the non-GAAP financial measures are representative of comparative financial performance that reflects the economic substance of i3 Verticals’ current and ongoing business operations.

Although non-GAAP financial measures are often used to measure the Company's operating results and assess its financial performance, they are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. i3 Verticals believes that its provision of non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with important key financial performance indicators that are utilized by management to assess the Company's operating results, evaluate the business and make operational decisions on a prospective, going-forward basis. Hence, management provides disclosure of non-GAAP financial measures to give shareholders and potential investors an opportunity to see i3 Verticals as viewed by management, to assess i3 Verticals with some of the same tools that management utilizes internally and to be able to compare such information with prior periods. i3 Verticals believes that inclusion of non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with additional information to help them better understand its financial statements just as management utilizes these non-GAAP financial measures to better understand the business, manage budgets and allocate resources.

i3 Verticals, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Pro Forma Adjusted Net Income and Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017
Net income (loss) attributable to i3 Verticals, Inc.$178  $(332)
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
2,173   
Non-GAAP Adjustments:
   
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes265  (389)
Non-cash change in fair value of contingent consideration(1)
(349) 382 
Non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability(2)
  1,681 
Equity-based compensation(3)
951   
Acquisition revenue adjustments(4)
531   
Acquisition-related expenses(5)
360  228 
Acquisition intangible amortization(6)
2,905  2,260 
Non-cash interest expense(7)
233  221 
Other taxes(8)
3  36 
Non-GAAP pro forma adjusted income before taxes7,250  4,087 
Pro forma taxes at effective tax rate(9)
(1,812) (1,022)
Pro forma adjusted net income(10)
$5,438  $3,065 
Cash interest expense, net(11)
681  2,166 
Pro forma taxes at effective tax rate(9)
1,812  1,022 
Depreciation and internally developed software amortization(12)
647  596 
Adjusted EBITDA$8,578  $6,849 
        

________

  1. Non-cash change in fair value of contingent consideration reflects the changes in management’s estimates of future cash consideration to be paid in connection with prior acquisitions from the amount estimated as of the later of the most recent balance sheet date forming the beginning of the income statement period or the original estimates made at the closing of the applicable acquisition.
  2. Non-cash change in warrant liability reflects the fair value change in certain warrants for the Company's common units associated with the Company's mezzanine notes in the aggregate principal amount of $10.5 million. These warrants are accounted for as liabilities on the Company's consolidated balance sheets and were repaid with proceeds from its IPO.
  3. Equity-based compensation expense consisted of $951 related to stock options issued under the Company's 2018 Equity Incentive Plan during the three months ended December 31, 2018.
  4. Under GAAP, companies must adjust, as necessary, beginning balances of acquired deferred revenue to fair value as part of acquisition accounting as defined by GAAP. Acquisition revenue adjustments remove the effect of these adjustments to acquisition date fair value from acquisitions that have closed as of the date of this earnings release.
  5. Acquisition-related expenses are the professional service and related costs directly related to the Company's acquisitions and are not part of its core performance.
  6. Acquisition intangible amortization reflects amortization of intangible assets and software acquired through business combinations, acquired customer portfolios, acquired referral agreements and related asset acquisitions.
  7. Non-cash interest expense reflects amortization of deferred financing costs.
  8. Other taxes consist of franchise taxes, commercial activity taxes and other non-income based taxes. Taxes related to salaries or employment are not included. 
  9. Pro forma corporate income tax expense is based on Non-GAAP adjusted income before taxes and is calculated using a tax rate of 25.0% for both 2018 and 2017, based on blended federal and state tax rates, considering the Tax Reform Act for 2018.
  10. Pro forma adjusted net income assumes that the effect of the Reorganization Transactions and the Company's IPO occurred prior to the year ended September 30, 2018, and that all net income during that period was available to the Class A common shareholders. Further, pro forma adjusted diluted earnings per share assumes that all Common Units in i3 Verticals, LLC and the associated non-voting Class B common stock were exchanged for Class A common stock at the beginning of the period on a one for one basis.
  11. Cash interest expense, net represents all interest expense recorded on the Company's statement of operations other than non-cash interest expense, which represents amortization of deferred financing costs.
  12. Depreciation and internally developed software amortization reflects depreciation on the Company's property, plant and equipment, net, and amortization expense on its internally developed capitalized software.

i3 Verticals, Inc. GAAP Diluted EPS and Non-GAAP Pro Forma Adjusted Diluted EPS
(Unaudited)
($ in ones)

 Three months ended December 31, 2018
Diluted net income available to Class A common stock per share$0.02
Pro forma adjusted diluted earnings per share (non-GAAP)(1)
$0.20
Pro forma weighted average shares of adjusted diluted Class A common stock outstanding(2)
27,116,974
  

__________

  1. Pro forma adjusted diluted earnings per share is calculated using pro forma adjusted net income and the pro forma weighted average shares of adjusted diluted Class A common stock outstanding.
  2. Pro forma weighted average shares of adjusted diluted Class A common stock outstanding include 17,213,806 outstanding shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exchange of Common Units in i3 Verticals, LLC and 1,090,538 shares of unvested Class A common stock and options for the three months ended December 31, 2018.

i3 Verticals, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Revenue to Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Revenue
(Unaudited)
($ in thousands)

 Three months ended December 31,
 2018 2017
Revenue$84,868  $77,221 
Acquisition revenue adjustments(1)
531   
Interchange and network fees(55,829) (52,238)
Adjusted Net Revenue$29,570  $24,983 
        

__________

  1. Under GAAP, companies must adjust, as necessary, beginning balances of acquired deferred revenue to fair value as part of acquisition accounting as defined by GAAP. Acquisition revenue adjustments remove the effect of these adjustments to acquisition date fair value from acquisitions that have closed as of the date of this earnings release.

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