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Press Release -- May 5th, 2014
Source: Earthlink
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EARTHLINK REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2014 RESULTS

  • Revenue of $297.3 million
  • Net loss of $(26.5) million and net loss per share of $(0.26)
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $49.9 million
  • Net cash provided by operating activities of $21.3 million
  • Unlevered Free Cash Flow of $26.5 million
  • Ending cash balance of $108.5 million

ATLANTA, GA — May 5, 2014 — EarthLink Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:ELNK, news, filings) today announced financial results for its first quarter of 2014.

I am pleased with the first quarter 2014 financial and cash flow results,” said EarthLink Chief Executive Officer and President Joseph F. Eazor. “The team has spent the last several months conducting a thorough strategic review. I’m confident the focus and prioritization we are instilling should drive continually improving long-term operating performance and support for the dividend.”

First Quarter 2014 Financial Summary

Revenue

  • EarthLink’s total revenue for the first quarter of 2014 was $297.3 million, a decline of 6.1% from the prior year quarter. The revenue trajectory continued to show improvement versus the 8.2% year-over-year decline the company reported in the fourth quarter of 2013.
  • Business Services revenue declined 4.3% from the first quarter of 2013, an improvement versus the 7.0% year-over-year decline reported in the fourth quarter of 2013. The company’s sales team made substantial progress extending the terms of contracts with existing customers.
  • The Consumer Services revenue trajectory continued to improve and attenuate. Churn in the consumer segment was 2.1% for the seasonally-high first quarter, remaining near its historic low of 2.0%.

Net Loss and Adjusted EBITDA

  • Net loss was $(26.5) million. The amount includes one-time non-cash charges of $5.3 million to record impairment of certain fixed assets. Adjusted Net Loss (a non-GAAP measure, see definition in “Non-GAAP Measures” below) and Net Loss per Share excluding these items were $(21.1) million and $(0.21).
    • The first quarter net loss compares with $(236.4) million in the first quarter of 2013. During the first quarter of 2013, we recorded a pre-tax non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $256.7 million.
    • The first quarter net loss compares with $(279.9) million in the fourth quarter of 2013. During the fourth quarter of 2013, we recorded a non-cash charge of $266.3 million to establish a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets.
  • Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure, see definition in “Non-GAAP Measures” below) was $49.9 million in the first quarter, relatively consistent with the fourth quarter of 2013, and a decrease of 18.6% from the first quarter of 2013.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

  • Net cash provided by operating activities was $21.3 million. EarthLink ended the first quarter with $108.5 million in cash.
  • EarthLink generated Unlevered Free Cash Flow (a non-GAAP measure, see definition in “Non-GAAP Measures” below) of $26.5 million during the first quarter of 2014. This compared to Unlevered Free Cash Flow of $19.0 million in the first quarter of 2013 and $16.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. The increase in Unlevered Free Cash Flow can be primarily attributed to lower capital expenditures in the first quarter of 2014.

Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense and other, net, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets, restructuring, acquisition and integration-related costs, and gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax. Unlevered Free Cash Flow is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense and other, net, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets, restructuring, acquisition and integration-related costs, and gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, less cash used for purchases of property and equipment. Adjusted Net Loss is defined as net loss excluding the non-cash charge to record valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, the non-cash impairment of goodwill and estimated tax impact and the non-cash impairment of long-lived assets.

Adjusted EBITDA, Unlevered Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Net Loss are non-GAAP financial measures. They should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to measures determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Please refer to the Consolidated Financial Highlights for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable measures reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and Footnote 5 of the Consolidated Financial Highlights for a discussion of the presentation, comparability and use of such financial measures.

Conference Call for Analysts and Investors
EarthLink’s First Quarter 2014 Conference Call will be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. ET and hosted by EarthLink’s Chief Executive Officer and President Joseph F. Eazor and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Bradley A. Ferguson.

Please note the new dial-in Number: (866) 887-3882.

Participants should reference the conference ID number 30141654 or “EarthLink First Quarter 2014 Earnings Call” and dial in 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

Webcast
A live Webcast of the conference call will be available at: http://ir.earthlink.net/.

Presentation
An investor presentation to accompany the conference call and webcast will be available at: http://ir.earthlink.net/.

Replay
A webcast replay will be available from 11:30 a.m. ET on May 6 through midnight on June 6, 2014. Dial toll-free: (855) 859-2056. The replay confirmation code is 30141654. The Webcast will be archived on the company’s website at: http://ir.earthlink.net/events.cfm.

Download the First Quarter 2014 Financial Statements

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Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking” statements (rather than historical facts) that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Although we believe that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot promise that our expectations will turn out to be correct. Our actual results could be materially different from and worse than our expectations. With respect to such forward-looking statements, we seek the protections afforded by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These risks include, without limitation: (1) we may not be able to execute our strategy to be a leading managed network services provider, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows; (2) we may not be able to grow revenues from our growth products and services to offset declining revenues from our traditional products and services, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows; (3) our failure to achieve operating efficiencies will adversely affect our results of operations; (4) as a result of our continuing review of our business, we may determine to undertake further restructuring plans that would require additional charges, including incurring facility exit and restructuring charges; (5) we may be unsuccessful integrating acquisitions into our business, which could result in operating difficulties, losses and other adverse consequences; (6) if we are unable to adapt to changes in technology and customer demands, we may not remain competitive, and our revenues and operating results could suffer; (7) unfavorable general economic conditions could harm our business; (8) we may be unable to successfully identify, manage and assimilate future acquisitions, which could adversely affect our results of operations; (9) we face significant competition in the communications and IT services industry that could reduce our profitability; (10) failure to retain existing customers could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows; (11) decisions by legislative or regulatory authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission relieving incumbent carriers of certain regulatory requirements, and possible further deregulation in the future, may restrict our ability to provide services and may increase the costs we incur to provide these services; (12) if we are unable to interconnect with AT&T, Verizon and other incumbent carriers on acceptable terms, our ability to offer competitively priced local telephone services will be adversely affected; (13) our operating performance will suffer if we are not offered competitive rates for the access services we need to provide our long distance services; (14) we may experience reductions in switched access and reciprocal compensation revenue; (15) that failure to obtain and maintain necessary permits and rights-of-way could interfere with our network infrastructure and operations; (16) we have substantial business relationships with several large telecommunications carriers, and some of our customer agreements may not continue due to financial difficulty, acquisitions, non-renewal or other factors, which could adversely affect our wholesale revenue and results of operations; (17) we obtain a majority of our network equipment and software from a limited number of third-party suppliers; (18) work stoppages experienced by other communications companies on whom we rely for service could adversely impact our ability to provision and service our customers; (19) our commercial and alliance arrangements may not be renewed or may not generate expected benefits, which could adversely affect our results of operations; (20) our consumer business is dependent on the availability of third-party network service providers; (21) we face significant competition in the Internet access industry that could reduce our profitability; (22) the continued decline of our consumer access subscribers will adversely affect our results of operations; (23) potential regulation of Internet service providers could adversely affect our operations; (24) cyber security breaches could harm our business; (25) privacy concerns relating to our business could damage our reputation and deter current and potential users from using our services; (26) interruption or failure of our network, information systems or other technologies could impair our ability to provide our services, which could damage our reputation and harm our operating results; (27) our business depends on effective business support systems and processes; (28) if we, or other industry participants, are unable to successfully defend against disputes or legal actions, we could face substantial liabilities or suffer harm to our financial and operational prospects; (29) we may be accused of infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third parties, which is costly to defend and could limit our ability to use certain technologies in the future; (30) we may not be able to protect our intellectual property; (31) we may be unable to hire and retain sufficient qualified personnel, and the loss of any of our key executive officers could adversely affect us; (32) government regulations could adversely affect our business or force us to change our business practices; (33) our business may suffer if third parties are unable to provide services or terminate their relationships with us; (34) we may be required to recognize impairment charges on our goodwill and intangible assets, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial position; (35) we may not realize our deferred tax assets, we may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities and we may be limited in the use of our net operating losses and certain other tax attributes in the future; (36) our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and limit our ability to react to changes in our industry; (37) we may require substantial capital to support business growth, and this capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all; (38) our debt agreements include restrictive covenants, and failure to comply with these covenants could trigger acceleration of payment of outstanding indebtedness or limit our ability to draw on our revolving credit facility; (39) we may reduce, or cease payment of, quarterly cash dividends; (40) our stock price may be volatile; (41) provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and other elements of our capital structure could limit our share price and delay a change of control of the company; and (42) our bylaws designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ flexibility in obtaining a judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations, are not intended to represent a complete list of all risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, and should be read in conjunction with the more detailed cautionary statements and risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading IT services and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses and one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with managed services including cloud computing, managed and private cloud, and virtualization services such as managed hosting and cloud workspace. EarthLink also offers a robust portfolio of IT security, application hosting, colocation and IT support services. The company operates an extensive network spanning 29,421 route fiber miles with 90 metro fiber rings and 8 secure data centers providing ubiquitous nationwide data and voice IP service coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. Founded in 1994, EarthLink’s award-winning reputation for outstanding service and product innovation is supported by an experienced team of professionals focused on best-in-class customer care. For more information, visit EarthLink’s website at www.earthlink.net.

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