Contact:
Brian Campbell, Investor Relations
201.748.6874
brian.campbell@wiley.com
Wiley Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2020 Results
September 5, 2019 – John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JW-A and JW-B), a global research and education company, today announced results for the first quarter ended July 31, 2019.
➢ | GAAP results: Revenue of $424 million (higher by $13 million, +3%), EPS of $0.06 (lower by $0.39 including a net restructuring charge impact of -$0.22) and Net Cash Used in Operating Activities of $94 million (improved $51 million) |
➢ | Adjusted results excluding FX: Revenue +5% (+0.5% excluding acquisitions), EBITDA -18%, and EPS -53% |
➢ | Free Cash Flow improvement of $45 million primarily driven by the timing of journal cash collections |
➢ | Acquisition of Zyante (zyBooks) further positions Wiley as a leader in the fast-growing digital courseware market for computing and STEM |
MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY
“Our Research and Education Services segments demonstrated strong momentum in the first quarter,” said Brian Napack, Wiley’s President and CEO. “Softness in Education Publishing & Professional Learning revenue, in a seasonally smaller quarter for that segment, weighed on results overall. That segment’s profit contribution was further impacted by investments in growth initiatives such as the acquisitions of zyBooks and Knewton, which significantly expanded our digital courseware offerings and adaptive learning technologies. Cash flow performance for the quarter was very favorable, consistent with our expectations for clearing the Q4 backlog of calendar year 2019 journal subscription collections. We remain confident in our full year outlook.”
NEW SEGMENT REPORTING
To reflect shifts in its management structure, the Company has implemented a new reporting structure comprised of three reportable segments: (1) Research Publishing & Platforms, which includes the Research publishing and Atypon businesses; (2) Education Publishing & Professional Learning, which is the former “Publishing” segment combined with our corporate training businesses – previously noted as Professional Assessment and Corporate Learning; and (3) Education Services, which is the online program management business. Please see the attached financial schedules for more detail, including restated segment results for the prior year.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Wiley provides non-GAAP financial measures and performance results such as “Adjusted EPS,” “Adjusted Revenue,” “Adjusted Operating Income,” “Adjusted EBITDA,” “Adjusted CTP,” “Free Cash Flow less Product Development Spending,” “inorganic contribution,” and results on a Constant Currency basis to assess underlying business performance and trends. Management believes non-GAAP financial measures, which exclude the impact of restructuring charges and credits and certain other items, provide a useful comparable basis to analyze operating results and earnings. See the reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures and explanations of the uses of non-GAAP measures in the supplementary information accompanying this press release.
GAAP Measures Unaudited ($millions except for EPS) | | | Q1 2020 | | | | Q1 2019 | | | Change | |
Revenue | | $ | 423.5 | | | $ | 410.9 | | | | +3 | % |
Operating Income | | $ | 4.6 | | | $ | 36.1 | | | | (87 | %) |
Diluted EPS | | $ | 0.06 | | | $ | 0.45 | | | | (87 | %) |
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities | | $ | (94.2 | ) | | $ | (145.0 | ) | | | +35 | % |
Non-GAAP Measures | | | Q1 2020 | | | | Q1 2019 | | | Change Constant Currency | |
Revenue | | $ | 423.5 | | | $ | 410.9 | | | | +5 | % |
Adjusted Operating Income | | $ | 15.3 | | | $ | 30.1 | | | | (52 | %) |
Adjusted EBITDA | | $ | 57.5 | | | $ | 70.2 | | | | (18 | %) |
Adjusted EPS | | $ | 0.21 | | | $ | 0.43 | | | | (53 | %) |
Free Cash Flow Less Product Development Spending | | $ | (124.6 | ) | | $ | (169.5 | ) | | | +27 | % |
Wiley recorded foreign currency variances in the quarter of $6 million unfavorable in revenue, $0.7 million favorable in operating income, $0.2 million favorable in EBITDA, and $0.01 favorable in EPS.
• | Revenue growth in Research Publishing & Platforms and Education Services was offset by a decline in Education Publishing & Professional Learning. |
o | Research Publishing & Platforms Revenue increased 2% on a reported basis and 3% on a constant currency basis driven by sustained growth in Research Publishing (+3%) and Atypon platform services (+10%). |
o | Education Publishing & Professional Learning Revenue declined 7% on a reported basis and 6% on a constant currency basis, mainly due to declines in the books businesses and test prep, partially offset by growth in corporate training. On July 1, Wiley acquired Zyante (zyBooks), a leading provider of computer science and STEM education courseware, for $56 million in cash. |
o | Education Services Revenue increased 69% (reported and constant currency), driven by the addition of Learning House (acquired November 2018) and organic growth of 9% at constant currency. |
• | GAAP Operating Income decline included an $11 million restructuring charge in this period. Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted EBITDA declines were mainly due to investment in growth initiatives and technology, accompanied by higher operating expenses in Education Publishing. |
o | Research Publishing & Platforms CTP declined 3% on a reported basis but rose 3% on an adjusted basis at constant currency. Improved performance was driven by revenue growth. Adjusted EBITDA rose 5% at constant currency. |
o | Education Publishing & Professional Learning CTP declined 77% on a reported basis and 64% on an adjusted basis at constant currency due to the revenue decline, investments in growth initiatives, and costs associated with the Knewton and Zyante acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA declined 37% at constant currency. |
o | Education Services CTP declined by $2 million to a loss of $7 million primarily due to $2 million in restructuring charges. Adjusted EBITDA grew to $0.4 million from a loss of $1.8 million. |
o | Corporate Expenses for the quarter increased 29% over prior year to $49 million. At constant currency and excluding restructuring charges (credits), expenses rose 9%, driven mainly by an increase in costs associated with strategic planning and business optimization efforts. |
• | Restructuring charges recorded in the quarter were $11 million for severance and other costs related to our multi-year business optimization program, for a year-over-year unfavorable cost variance of $17 million. |
• | GAAP EPS decline reflected lower operating income, partially offset by foreign exchange gains and a lower effective tax rate. Adjusted EPS decline was primarily due to lower adjusted operating income. |
• | Net Cash Used in Operating Activities was $94 million compared to a net use of $145 million in the prior year period, primarily driven by the timing of cash collections and payments. Free Cash Flow less Product Development Spending was a use of $125 million compared to a use of $170 million in the prior year. Generally, Cash From Operating Activities is a use of cash in the first half of Wiley’s fiscal year principally due to the timing of collections for annual journal subscriptions. Capital expenditures, including Technology, Property, and Equipment and Product development spending, rose $6 million to $30 million due to increased investment in products and platforms. |
• | Acquisitions: Wiley spent $73 million in total on acquisitions in the quarter, including zyBooks and Knewton. zyBooks and Knewton significantly expand Wiley’s market position in high-growth areas of education, including digital courseware and adaptive learning for high-demand disciplines and low-cost, high impact offerings. |
• | Shareholder Return: In June, Wiley raised its dividend to $0.34 per share (+3% increase). The Company repurchased 217,511 shares for a total of $10 million, with an average per share cost of $45.97. Approximately 1.7 million shares remain in the current authorization for share repurchases. |
FISCAL YEAR 2020 OUTLOOK
The Company is reaffirming its financial outlook with updates that reflect the addition of zyBooks. Note, Knewton was included in the original outlook.
ITEM (IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT EPS | | ORIGINAL FY20 OUTLOOK* | | | ZYBOOKS IMPACT | | | UPDATED FY20 OUTLOOK* | |
Revenue | | $ | 1,840-$1,870 | | | $ | +15 | | | $ | 1,855-$1,885 | |
Adjusted EBITDA | | $ | 360-$375 | | | $ | (3 | ) | | $ | 357-$372 | |
Adjusted EPS | | $ | 2.45-$2.55 | | | $ | (0.10 | ) | | $ | 2.35-$2.45 | |
Free Cash Flow | | $ | 210-$230 | | | Insignificant | | | Unchanged | |
*Outlook is at constant currency (reflecting FY19 average exchange rates)
EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALL
Scheduled for today, September 5 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). Access the webcast on Wiley.com, at https://www.wiley.com/en-us/investors. U.S. callers, please dial +1 844-231-0103 and enter the participant code 4291438#. International callers, please dial +1 216-562-0402 and enter the participant code 4291438#.
ABOUT WILEY
Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help researchers, professionals, students, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. And for more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company's Fiscal Year 2020 Outlook, operations, performance, and financial condition. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and are subject to change based on many important factors. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) the level of investment in new technologies and products; (ii) subscriber renewal rates for the Company's journals; (iii) the financial stability and liquidity of journal subscription agents; (iv) the consolidation of book wholesalers and retail accounts; (v) the market position and financial stability of key online retailers; (vi) the seasonal nature of the Company's educational business and the impact of the used book market; (vii) worldwide economic and political conditions; (viii) the Company's ability to protect its copyrights and other intellectual property worldwide (ix) the ability of the Company to successfully integrate acquired operations and realize expected opportunities; (x) the Company’s ability to realize operating savings over time and in fiscal year 2020 in connection with our multi-year Business Optimization Program and (xi) other factors detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.