Acquisition-Adjusted Three Months Results
Acquisition-adjusted net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018 increased 5.6% over Acquisition-adjusted net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017. Acquisition-adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2018 increased 6.4% as compared to Acquisition-adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2017. Acquisition-adjusted net revenue and Acquisition-adjusted EBITDA include adjustments to the 2017 period for acquisitions and divestitures for the same time frame as actually owned in the 2018 period. See “Reconciliation of Reported Basis to Acquisition-Adjusted Results”, which provides reconciliations to GAAP for Acquisition-adjusted measures.
Twelve Months Results
Lamar reported net revenues of $1.63 billion for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 versus $1.54 billion for the same period in 2017, a 5.6% increase. Due tonon-cash operating expense growth in depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation for the year ended December 31, 2018 of $34.0 million over the same period in 2017, operating income for the year ended December 31, 2018 increased only 1.1% to $460.6 million. Due to the above factors and a $15.4 million loss on debt extinguishment related to the prepayment of Lamar Media’s 5 7/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2022 in the first quarter of 2018, Lamar’s net income for the year ended December 31, 2018 decreased $12.4 million to $305.2 million as compared to $317.7 million for the same period in 2017. Net income per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $3.08 compared to $3.23 for the year ended December 31, 2017. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $722.5 million versus $671.4 million for the same period in 2017, a 7.6% increase.
Cash flow provided by operating activities increased to $564.8 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $507.0 million in the same period in 2017. Free cash flow for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 increased 9.5% to $471.1 million as compared to $430.0 million for the same period in 2017.
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, FFO was $527.0 million versus $513.0 million for the same period in 2017, a 2.7% increase. AFFO for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $544.5 million compared to $496.3 million for the same period in 2017, a 9.7% increase. Diluted AFFO per share increased to $5.50 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $5.05 in the same period in 2017, an increase of 8.9%.
Liquidity
As of December 31, 2018, Lamar had $178.3 million in total liquidity that consisted of $156.8 million available for borrowing under its revolving senior credit facility and approximately $21.5 million in cash and cash equivalents. On January 17, 2019, Lamar increased its borrowing capacity under the revolving portion of Lamar Media’s credit facility by an additional $100 million in aggregate principal amount.
Guidance
We expect Diluted AFFO per share for fiscal year 2019 will be between $5.67 and $5.83, representing growth of approximately 3.0% to 6.0% over 2018, with net income per diluted share expected to be between $3.69 and $3.86. See “Supplemental Schedules and Unaudited Reconciliations ofNon-GAAP Measures” for a reconciliation of GAAP.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding sales trends. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: (1) our significant indebtedness; (2) the state of the economy and financial markets generally and the effect of the broader economy on the demand for advertising; (3) the continued popularity of outdoor advertising as an advertising medium; (4) our need for and ability to obtain additional funding for operations, debt refinancing or acquisitions; (5) our ability to continue to qualify as a Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”) and maintain our status as a REIT; (6) the regulation of the outdoor advertising industry by federal, state and local governments; (7) the integration of companies and assets that we acquire and our ability to recognize cost savings or operating efficiencies as a result of these acquisitions; (8) changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; (9) changes in tax laws applicable to REITs or in the interpretation of those laws; (10) our ability to renew expiring contracts at favorable rates; (11) our ability to successfully implement our digital deployment strategy; and (12) the market for our Class A common stock. For additional information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements, we refer you to the risk factors included in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, as supplemented by any risk factors contained in our Quarterly Reports on Form10-Q and our Current Reports on Form8-K. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this document. These statements speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements, except as may be required by law.
2