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LivePerson Announces First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

-- Generates Mid-Teens Year-over-Year Revenue Growth --

-- Raises Midpoint of 2018 Revenue and Profit Guidance Ranges --

-- Multiple Key Performance Indicators Reach Record Levels --

-- Discover, Lowe's, The Home Depot and T-Mobile Kick Off Launch of Apple Business Chat --

NEW YORK, May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPSN), a leading provider of conversational commerce solutions, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018.

First Quarter Highlights
Total revenue was $58.2 million for the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 14% as compared to the same period last year. Within total revenue, business operations (B2B) revenue for the first quarter of 2018 increased 15% year over year to $53.6 million, and revenue from consumer operations increased 12% year over year to $4.7 million

LivePerson signed 98 deals in the first quarter of 2018, a 32% increase over the 74 deals signed in the equivalent period in the prior year. Trailing-twelve-months average revenue per enterprise and mid-market customer increased to greater than $240,000 in the first quarter, up from approximately $200,000 in the equivalent period in the prior year.

"Our focus on scalable asynchronous messaging as the foundation for an intelligent, cloud-based platform that powers human and automated conversations across consumer endpoints has proved to be a significant differentiator for LivePerson, and is fueling our market penetration," said LivePerson CEO and founder, Rob LoCascio. "The beta launch of Apple Business Chat with an elite list of LivePerson customers is another key milestone for the business. It is extremely rewarding to see our investments in LiveEngage, our go-to-market strategy, and our development capabilities pay off and translate into renewed double-digit growth."

"We are also achieving new records across multiple key performance indicators," added CFO Chris Greiner, "including revenue retention, average revenue per customer, mobile interactions and deferred revenue, which further validates our opportunity in the multi-billion dollar Conversational Commerce space."

Customer Expansion
During the first quarter, the Company signed contracts with the following new customers:

  • A top U.K. mortgage provider with more than 15 million customers
  • The credit card services arm for one of North America's largest luxury retailers
  • A multi-billion dollar online gaming company
  • A global payment processing and cash management software provider
  • A national automotive and home insurance provider

The Company also expanded business with:

  • Several large multinational telecommunications providers
  • One of the 20 largest global financial institutions
  • A leading European entertainment company
  • A top 10 automotive manufacturer
  • A multi-billion dollar designer of audio equipment

Net Loss and Adjusted Net Income
Net loss for the first quarter of 2018 was $3.2 million or $0.06 per share, as compared to a net loss of $5.7 million or $0.10 per share in the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted net income for the first quarter of 2018 was $0.7 million or $0.01 per share, as compared to adjusted net income of $0.5 million or $0.01 per share in the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted net income excludes amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, deferred tax asset valuation allowance, other non-recurring charges and the related income tax effect of these adjustments.

Net loss in the first quarters of 2018 and 2017 included non-recurring expenses of $1.4 million ($0.03 per share) and $2.1 million ($0.04 per share), respectively, primarily associated with IP litigation.

Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2018 was $4.1 million or $0.07 per share, as compared to $3.3 million or $0.06 per share in the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted EBITDA excludes provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, net, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges.

A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures has been provided in the financial tables included in this press release. An explanation of the non-GAAP financial measures and how they are calculated is included below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company's cash balance was $57.7 million at March 31, 2018. During the first quarter of 2018, the Company utilized approximately $0.7 million of cash from operations, and incurred capital expenditures of approximately $4.6 million. The Company also repurchased $1.3 million of stock and has $17.1 million remaining on its repurchase authorization.

Financial Expectations
Following a strong start to the year, the Company is raising the midpoint of its 2018 revenue guidance. The 2018 revenue guidance range is now $239 million to $243 million, as compared to previously issued guidance of $237 million to $243 million.

The Company is also increasing guidance for net income, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA profit measures. Adjusted EBITDA guidance is increasing by $2 million to a range of $22 million to $25 million, from a previously issued range of $20 million to $23 million. The midpoint now equates to a 9.8% margin, which is 140 basis points higher than in 2017.

Updated profit guidance incorporates the Company's final view on ASC 606, which is immaterial to revenue, but is anticipated to benefit commission expenses due to a shift in the amortization period from over the contract life to over the average customer life, which is estimated as 3 to 5 years.

The Company's detailed financial expectations are as follows:

Second Quarter 2018

 

Guidance

Revenue (in millions)

$59.0 - $60.0

GAAP net loss per share

$(0.13) - $(0.11)

Adjusted net income per share

$0.00 - $0.01

Diluted adjusted EBITDA per share

$0.06 - $0.07

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

$3.5 - $4.1

Fully diluted share count

59.2 million

Full Year 2018

     

Updated
Guidance

 

Previous
Guidance

Revenue (in millions)

   

$239.0 - $243.0

 

$237.0 - $243.0

GAAP net loss per share

   

$(0.29) - $(0.23)

 

$(0.35) - $(0.29)

Diluted adjusted net income per share

   

$0.11 - $0.15

 

$0.07 - $0.10

Diluted adjusted EBITDA per share

   

$0.37 - $0.42

 

$0.34 - $0.39

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

   

$22.0 - $25.0

 

$20.0 - $23.0

Fully diluted share count

   

59.0 million

 

59.0 million

Other Full Year 2018 Assumptions

  • Estimated non-recurring expenses primarily tied to litigation of $6.2 million ($0.11 per share)
  • Amortization of purchased intangibles of approximately $3.0 million
  • Stock-based compensation expense of approximately $13.5 million
  • Depreciation of approximately $13.7 million
  • Cash taxes paid of $2.0 million to $4.0 million. Adjusted tax rate of approximately 25%. A GAAP tax liability of approximately $2.5 million.
  • Capital expenditures of approximately $14.5 million

Stock-Based Compensation
Included in the accompanying financial results are expenses related to stock-based compensation, as follows (in thousands):

 

Three Months Ended

 

March 31,

 

2018

 

2017

Cost of revenue

$

154

 

$

75

Sales and marketing

886

 

654

General and administrative

840

 

662

Product development

558

 

522

Total

$

2,438

 

$

1,913

Amortization of Purchased Intangibles
Included in the accompanying financial results are expenses related to the amortization of purchased intangibles, as follows (in thousands):

 

Three Months Ended

 

March 31,

 

2018

 

2017

Cost of revenue

$

287

 

$

959

Amortization of purchased intangibles

424

 

472

Total

$

711

 

$

1,431

Supplemental First Quarter 2018 Presentation
LivePerson will post a presentation providing supplemental information for the first quarter 2018 on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/ir.

Earnings Teleconference and Video Discussion Information
The Company will discuss its first quarter 2018 financial results during a teleconference today, May 3, 2018. To participate via telephone, callers should dial in five to ten minutes prior to the 5:00 p.m. Eastern start time; domestic callers (U.S. and Canada) should dial 877-507-3684, while international callers should dial 928-328-1244, and both should reference the conference ID "2495549."

The conference call will also be simulcast live on the Internet and can be accessed by logging onto the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/company/ir.

If you are unable to participate in the live call, the teleconference will be available for replay approximately two hours after the call. To access the replay, please call 855-859-2056 (U.S. and Canada) or 404-537-3406 (international). Please reference the conference ID "2495549." A replay will also be available on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at http://www.liveperson.com/company/ir.

About LivePerson

LivePerson makes life easier by transforming how people communicate with brands. Our 18,000 customers, including leading brands like Citibank, HSBC, Orange, and The Home Depot, use our conversational commerce solutions to orchestrate humans and AI, at scale, and create a convenient, deeply personal relationship — a conversational relationship — with their millions of consumers. For more information about LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN), please visit www.liveperson.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Investors are cautioned that the following financial measures used in this press release are defined as "non-GAAP financial measures" by the Securities and Exchange Commission: adjusted EBITDA, or earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges; and adjusted net income, or net income excluding amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, deferred tax asset valuation allowance, other non-recurring charges and the related income tax effect of these adjustments. These measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation. In addition, although we have provided a reconciliation of these measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures, they should not be construed as alternatives to any other measures of performance determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or as indicators of our operating performance, liquidity or cash flows generated by operating, investing and financing activities, as there may be significant factors or trends that they fail to address. We present this financial information because we believe that it is helpful to some investors as a measure of our performance. We caution investors that non-GAAP financial information, by its nature, departs from traditional accounting conventions; accordingly, its use can make it difficult to compare our current results with our results from other reporting periods and with the results of other companies.

A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial information to GAAP financial information is not a financial measure under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In addition, non-GAAP financial information should not be construed as an alternative to any other measures of performance determined in accordance with GAAP, or as an indicator of our operating performance, liquidity or cash flows generated by operating, investing and financing activities as there may be significant factors or trends that it fails to address. We present non-GAAP financial information because we believe that it is helpful to some investors as one measure of our operations.

Safe Harbor Provision

Statements in this press release regarding LivePerson that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. Any such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to financial guidance, are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is routine for our internal projections and expectations to change as the quarter and year progress, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change. Although these expectations may change, we are under no obligation to inform you if they do. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the projections or forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation: potential fluctuations in our quarterly revenue and operating results; competition in the market for digital engagement technology; our ability to retain existing clients and attract new clients; potential adverse impact due to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; privacy concerns relating to the Internet that could result in new legislation or negative public perception; risks related to new regulatory or other legal requirements that could materially impact our business; our ability to effectively operate on mobile devices; failures or security breaches in our services, those of our third party providers, or in the websites of our customers; risks related to industry-specific regulation and unfavorable industry-specific laws, regulations or interpretive positions; the adverse effect that the global economic downturn may have on our business and results of operations; economic conditions and regulatory changes caused by the United Kingdom's likely exit from the European Union; our ability to retain key personnel, attract new personnel and to manage staff attrition; risks related to the ability to successfully integrate past or potential future acquisitions; additional regulatory requirements, tax liabilities, currency exchange rate fluctuations and other risks as we expand internationally and/or as we expand into direct-to-consumer services; risks related to the regulation or possible misappropriation of personal information belonging to our customers' Internet users; potential failure to meeting service level commitments to certain customers; technology systems beyond our control and technology-related defects that could disrupt the LivePerson services; risks related to protecting our intellectual property rights or potential infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties; legal liability and/or negative publicity for the services provided to consumers via our technology platforms; errors, failures or "bugs" in our products may be difficult to correct; increased allowances for doubtful accounts as a result of an increasing amount of receivables due from customers with greater credit risk; payment-related risks; delays in our implementation cycles; impairments to goodwill that result in significant charges to earnings; risks associated with the recent volatility in the capital markets; our ability to secure additional financing to execute our business strategy; our ability to license necessary third party software for use in our products and services, and our ability to successfully integrate third party software; our ability to maintain our reputation; risks related to our recognition of revenue from subscriptions; our lengthy sales cycles; risks related to our operations in Israel, and the civil and political unrest in that region; changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; risks associated with our current or any future stock repurchase programs, including whether such programs will enhance long-term stockholder value, and whether such stock repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our common stock and diminish our cash reserves; natural catastrophic events and interruption to our business by man-made problems; the high volatility of our stock price; and risks related to our common stock being traded on more than one securities exchange. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Readers are referred to the reports and documents filed from time to time by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of these and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in forward-looking statements.

 

LivePerson, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)
(Unaudited)

 

 

           
         

Three Months Ended

         

March 31,

         

2018

 

2017

Revenue

$

58,241

   

$

50,919

 
               

Costs and expenses:

     
 

Cost of revenue

13,954

   

13,781

 
 

Sales and marketing

24,131

   

21,700

 
 

General and administrative

10,123

   

9,692

 
 

Product development

13,252

   

9,958

 
 

Restructuring costs

178

   

240

 
 

Amortization of purchased intangibles

424

   

472

 
   

Total costs and expenses

62,062

   

55,843

 
               

Loss from operations

(3,821)

   

(4,924)

 
               

Other income, net

129

   

320

 
               

Loss before (benefit from) provision for income taxes

(3,692)

   

(4,604)

 
               

(Benefit from) provision for income taxes

(489)

   

1,072

 
               

Net loss

$

(3,203)

   

$

(5,676)

 
               

Net loss per share of common stock:

     
 

Basic

$

(0.06)

   

$

(0.10)

 
 

Diluted

$

(0.06)

   

$

(0.10)

 
               

Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share:

     
 

Basic

57,309,707

   

55,975,093

 
 

Diluted

57,309,707

   

55,975,093

 
               

 

LivePerson, Inc.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Information to GAAP
(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)
(Unaudited)

 

 

       
   

Three Months Ended

 
   

March 31,

 
   

2018

 

2017

 

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA (1):

       

GAAP net loss

$

(3,203)

   

$

(5,676)

   
 

Add/(less):

       
 

Amortization of purchased intangibles

711

   

1,431

   
 

Stock-based compensation

2,438

   

1,913

   
 

Depreciation

3,357

   

2,793

   
 

Other non-recurring costs

1,270

 

(2)

1,824

 

(3)

 

Restructuring costs

178

 

(4)

240

 

(5)

 

(Benefit from) provision for income taxes

(489)

   

1,072

   
 

Other income, net

(129)

   

(320)

   

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$

4,133

   

$

3,277

   

Diluted adjusted EBITDA per common share

$

0.07

   

$

0.06

   
           

Weighted average shares used in diluted adjusted EBITDA per common share

58,765,572

   

56,259,082

   
           

Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income:

       

Pre-tax GAAP loss

$

(3,692)

   

$

(4,604)

   
 

Add/(less):

       
 

Amortization of purchased intangibles

711

   

1,431

   
 

Stock-based compensation

2,438

   

1,913

   
 

Other non-recurring costs

1,270

 

(2)

1,824

 

(3)

 

Restructuring costs

178

 

(4)

240

 

(5)

Pre-tax adjusted net income

905

   

804

   
 

Income tax effect of non-GAAP items (6)

(226)

   

(281)

   

Adjusted net income

$

679

   

$

523

   

Diluted adjusted net income per common share

$

0.01

   

$

0.01

   
           

Weighted average shares used in diluted adjusted net income per common share

58,765,572

   

56,259,082

   
           
           

(1) Earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, net, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges.

(2) Includes litigation costs of $0.9 million and executive recruiting costs of $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

(3) Includes litigation costs of $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

(4) Includes severance costs of $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

(5) Includes severance costs of $0.1 million and wind down costs of legacy platform of $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

(6) The Company's applies a standardized tax rate of 25% and 35% for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

LivePerson, Inc.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Information to GAAP - (continued)

(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)

       
   

Three Months Ended

 
   

March 31,

 
   

2018

 

2017

 

Reconciliation of Net Cash Used In Operating Activities:

       

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$

4,133

   

$

3,277

   
 

Add/(less):

       
 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

(5,898)

   

(6,015)

   
 

Provision for doubtful accounts

496

   

451

   
 

Benefit from (provision for) income taxes

489

   

(1,072)

   
 

Deferred income taxes

16

   

(21)

   
 

Amortization of tenant allowance

(42)

   

(42)

   
 

Other income, net

129

   

320

   

Net cash used in operating activities

$

(677)

   

$

(3,102)

   
           

(1) Earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, other (income)/expense, net, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other non-recurring charges.

 

LivePerson, Inc.
Reconciliation of Projected Non-GAAP Financial Information to GAAP

(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)

           
     

Three Months Ended

 

Twelve Months Ended

     

June 30, 2018

 

December 31, 2018

Reconciliation of Projected Adjusted EBITDA: (1)

       

GAAP net loss

 

$(7,400) - $(6,700)

 

$(16,700) - $(13,300)

 

Add/(less):

       
 

Amortization of purchased intangibles

 

800

 

3,000

 

Stock-based compensation

 

3,400

 

13,500

 

Depreciation

 

3,200

 

13,700

 

Other non-recurring costs

 

1,700

 

6,200

 

Other income

 

 

(100)

 

Provision for income taxes

 

1,700 - 1,600

 

2,500 - 2,100

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$3,500 - $4,100

 

$22,000 - $25,000

           

Reconciliation of Projected Adjusted Net Income: (1)

       

Pre-tax GAAP loss

 

$(5,700) - $(5,000)

 

$(14,200) - $(11,200)

 

Add/(less):

       
 

Amortization of purchased intangibles

 

800

 

3,000

 

Stock-based compensation

 

3,400

 

13,500

 

Other non-recurring costs

 

1,700

 

6,200

 

Pre-tax adjusted income

 

300 - 900

 

8,500 - 11,500

 

Non-GAAP income tax effect

 

(100) - (200)

 

(2,100) - (2,900)

Adjusted net income

 

$200 - $700

 

$6,400 - $8,600

           

(1)

Certain items may not total due to rounding.

       

LivePerson, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In Thousands)

               
         

March 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2017

         

(Unaudited)

   

ASSETS

       

CURRENT ASSETS:

     
 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

57,480

   

$

56,115

 
 

Cash held as collateral

216

   

1,451

 
 

Accounts receivable, net

45,897

   

37,926

 
 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

13,194

   

7,352

 
   

Total current assets

116,787

   

102,844

 
               
 

Property and equipment, net

36,328

   

34,705

 
 

Intangibles, net

12,937

   

12,366

 
 

Goodwill

80,595

   

80,531

 
 

Deferred tax assets

791

   

753

 
 

Other assets

1,622

   

1,600

 
   

Total assets

$

249,060

   

$

232,799

 
               

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

     

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

     
 

Accounts payable

$

5,602

   

$

5,481

 
 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

38,211

   

48,011

 
 

Deferred revenue

52,374

   

35,563

 
   

Total current liabilities

96,187

   

89,055

 
               
 

Deferred revenue

3,110

   

 
 

Other liabilities

2,679

   

2,766

 
 

Deferred tax liability

967

   

915

 
   

Total liabilities

102,943

   

92,736

 
               

Commitments and contingencies

     
 

Total stockholders' equity

146,117

   

140,063

 
   

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

249,060

   

$

232,799

 

Investor contact:
Matthew Kempler
212-609-4214
mkempler@liveperson.com

SOURCE LivePerson, Inc.