Eric DeMarco, Kratos’ President & CEO, said, “During the second quarter, we continued to make progress in the unmanned systems area, including receiving several new contract awards. We had a number of successful customer flights of our newest high performance unmanned aerial drone aircraft, we successfully achieved contractual milestones on our programs, and we experienced no significant flight anomalies. We have several additional flights scheduled over the balance of this year and into 2015, including with one of our largest and most important customers related to a program which over the next few years could become one of the biggest production programs in the Company. We also continued to make important progress in the unmanned ground systems, sea systems and robotics areas, including the award of a large unmanned platform command and control system contract. The unmanned systems and robotics business is one of our primary long-term strategic focus areas and where we are making a significant internal investment.”
Mr. DeMarco continued, “During the second quarter, Kratos’ PSS business continued a strong growth trajectory and received a number of new critical infrastructure security system deployment awards, including in the municipality, mass transportation, energy, healthcare and education market verticals. KPSS, with a strong backlog, record pipeline, and commercial and non-DoD customer base, is expected to be Kratos’ near term growth driver as we make investments in longer term opportunity areas, including unmanned systems, electronic warfare and satellite communications.”
Mr. DeMarco concluded, “The U.S. federal government contracting and DoD environment remains challenging, including delays with program starts and contract awards, aggressive competition, routine protests being made by companies losing competitive procurements and the threat of a Continuing Resolution later this year. However, Kratos’ business continued to strengthen in the second quarter, our last twelve months book to bill ratio has increased to 1.0 to 1.0, and we are expecting a strong second half of the year as we execute on and deliver recent product orders and anticipate additional new contract awards. With the recent refinancing of our Senior Secured Notes and the related significant reduction in interest expense, we have successfully positioned Kratos for the successful execution of our long-term strategy, while increasing our future free cash flow and enabling us to delever the business.”
Management will discuss the financial results in a conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. Pacific (5:00 p.m. Eastern) today. Analysts and institutional investors may participate in the conference call by dialing 866-393-0674, referencing the call by ID number 69162451. The general public may access the conference call by dialing (877) 344-3935 or on the day of the event by visiting www.kratosdefense.com for a simultaneous webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Kratos web site approximately two hours after the conclusion of the conference call.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:KTOS) is a specialized National Security technology business providing mission critical products, solutions and services for United States National Security. Kratos' core capabilities are sophisticated engineering, manufacturing and system integration offerings for National Security platforms and programs. Kratos' areas of expertise include Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR), satellite communication systems, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, missile defense, cyber warfare, cyber security, information assurance, and critical infrastructure security. Kratos has primarily an engineering and technically oriented work force of approximately 3,600. Substantially all of Kratos' work is performed on a military base, in a secure facility or at a critical infrastructure location. Kratos' primary end customers are national security related agencies. News and information are available at www.KratosDefense.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release and filing contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, express or implied statements concerning the Company’s expectations regarding its future financial performance, bid and proposal pipeline, demand for its products and services, performance of key contracts, timing and expected impact of integration and divestiture activities, and market and industry developments, including the potential impact of sequestration and the impact of Federal budget cuts on our business. Such statements are only predictions, and the Company’s actual results may differ materially. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Factors that may cause the Company’s results to differ include, but are not limited to: risks to our business and financial results related to the reductions and other spending constraints imposed on the U.S. Government and our other customers, including as a result of sequestration, the Federal budget deficit and Federal government shut-downs; risks of adverse regulatory action or litigation; risks associated with debt leverage and expected cost savings and cash flow improvements expected as a result of the refinancing of our outstanding senior notes; risks that our cost cutting initiatives will not provide the anticipated benefits; risks that changes, cutbacks or delays in spending by the U.S. Department of Defense may occur, which could cause delays or cancellations of key government contracts; risks that changes may occur in Federal government (or other applicable) procurement laws, regulations, policies and budgets; risks of the availability of government funding for the Company's products and services due to performance, cost growth, or other factors, changes in government and customer priorities and requirements (including cost-cutting initiatives, the potential deferral of awards, terminations or reduction of expenditures to respond to the priorities of Congress and the Administration, or budgetary cuts resulting from Congressional committee recommendations or automatic sequestration under the Budget Control Act of 2011), risks of increases in the Federal government initiatives related to in-sourcing; risks related to security breaches, including cyber security attacks and threats or other significant disruptions of our information systems, facilities and infrastructures; risks related to our compliance with applicable contracting and procurement laws, regulations and standards; risks relating to contract performance; risks related to failure of our products or services; risks of our subcontractors’ or suppliers’ failure to perform their contractual obligations, including the appearance of counterfeit or corrupt parts in our products; changes in the competitive environment (including as a result of bid protests); failure to successfully integrate acquired operations and competition in the marketplace, which could reduce revenues and profit margins; risks associated with divestiture of non-core businesses; risks that potential future goodwill impairments will adversely affect our operating results; risks that anticipated tax benefits will not be realized in accordance with our expectations; risks that a change in ownership of our stock could cause further limitation to the future utilization of our net operating losses; risks that the current economic environment will adversely impact our business; changes in our business, or other reasons; and risks related to natural disasters or severe weather. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 29, 2013, and in our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This news release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including Pro Forma EPS (computed using net income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, excluding amortization of purchased intangibles, acquisition related items, stock compensation expense, restructuring related items and other, unused office space expense, contract design retrofit costs and other, and the loss on extinguishment of debt, less the estimated tax cash payments), Adjusted EBITDA (which excludes losses from discontinued operations, acquisition related items, restructuring related items and other, stock compensation expense, unused office space expense, contract design retrofit costs, loss on extinguishment of debt and other and the associated margin rates), and Adjusted Free Cash Flow (which is computed using Cash Flow from Operating Activities less the loss on extinguishment of debt and less Capital Expenditures). Kratos believes this information is useful to investors because it provides a basis for measuring the Company’s available capital resources, the actual and forecasted operating performance of the Company’s business and the Company’s cash flow, excluding extraordinary items and non-cash items that would normally be included in the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures along with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in evaluating the Company’s actual and forecasted operating performance, capital resources and cash flow. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information presented in compliance with GAAP, and investors should carefully evaluate the Company’s financial results calculated in accordance with GAAP and reconciliations to those financial statements. In addition, non-GAAP financial measures as reported by the Company may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies. As appropriate, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures and information reconciling these non-GAAP financial measures to the Company’s financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP are included in this news release.