ALSK - Alaska Communications Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-end 2018 Results

Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALSK) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.

“Our 2018 results are robust with total revenue growth of 2.5% for full year 2018 and annual adjusted EBITDA growth of 4.9%. Free cash flow performance was strong at $7.2 million while our capital expenditures position us for continued growth in future years.

“These results reflect our continued performance in Business and Wholesale, driven by our growth engine of the larger Enterprise and Carrier customers. Our technology differentiation was further strengthened by investments in Fixed Wireless, satellite, and Software Defined Networking, along with continued investments in our fiber network particularly in support of 5G wireless backhaul.

“Attention to prudent cost management has been and will continue to be a focus reflecting our commitment to adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow improvements.

“With clear line of sight to continued growth in our Enterprise and Carrier customer segment, combined with the recent balance sheet refinancing work, we have conviction about high quality future operating results, while we continue to explore all strategic opportunities for shareholder value creation,” said Anand Vadapalli, president and CEO of Alaska Communications.

Revenue Highlights

• Total revenue:
  • Revenue grew to $58.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to $54.9 in the fourth quarter of 2017. Annual revenue grew to $232.5 million for 2018, from $226.9 million in 2017.
  • Total broadband revenue was $31.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to $28.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, and was $125.4 million for 2018, compared to $123.1 million for 2017.
• Business and wholesale:
  • Business and wholesale revenue was $37.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to $33.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 revenue was $144.6 million, comprising 62.2 percent of total revenue, compared to $139.1 million for 2017, comprising 61.3 percent of total revenue.
  • Business and wholesale broadband revenue was $25.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $22.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, and was $99.3 million for 2018, compared to $97.6 million for 2017.
• Consumer:
  • Consumer revenue was $9.2 million for the fourth quarters of 2018 and 2017. 2018 revenue was $37.3 million, comprising 16.0 percent of total revenue, compared to $37.1 million for 2017, comprising 16.4 percent of total revenue.
  • Consumer broadband revenue was $6.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to $6.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, and was $26.1 million for 2018, compared to $25.4 million for 2017.
• Regulatory:
  • Regulatory revenue was $12.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to $12.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 revenue was $50.6 million, comprising 21.8 percent of total revenue, compared to $50.7 million for 2017, comprising 22.3 percent of total revenue.

Financial Metrics

• Net income for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $1.7 million, compared to net loss of $2.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 net income was $9.1 million, compared to net loss of $6.1 million for 2017.

• Net cash provided by operating activities for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $9.3 million, compared to $4.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 cash provided by operating activities was $56.2 million, compared to $30.4 million for 2017.
• Capital expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2018 were $12.5 million, compared to $8.9 million fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 capital expenditures were $38.0 million, compared to $32.9 million in 2017.

Non-GAAP Metrics:

• Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $14.1 million, compared to $15.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 Adjusted EBITDA was $60.2 million, compared to $57.3 million for 2017.
• Adjusted free cash outflow for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $3.0 million, compared to free cash inflow of $2.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. 2018 Adjusted free cash flow was $7.2 million, compared to $8.8 million for 2017.

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures can be found in tables at the end of this release.

Balance Sheet Metrics

• Cash was $15.0 million at December 31, 2018, compared to $16.2 million at December 31, 2017.
• Net debt was $161.2 million at December 31, 2018, compared to $177.2 million at December 31, 2017.

Laurie Butcher, Alaska Communications senior vice-president of finance, said, “We are pleased to report that we met or exceeded our guidance in all areas for 2018. Additionally, on January 15, 2019 we closed a transaction securing favorable terms for a new senior credit facility in a volatile market, while increasing access to capital. As we enter 2019, we are well positioned to perform to our business plan which is expected to generate attractive adjusted free cash flow for the year.”

2019 Guidance

The company sets guidance as follows:

• Total Revenue to be between $230 million and $235 million
• Adjusted EBITDA to be between $60 million and $62 million
• Capital Expenditures to be between $40 million and $42 million
• Adjusted Free Cash Flow to be between $10 million and $12 million

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and live webcast on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results. Parties in the United States and Canada can access the call at 1-888-205-6786 and enter pass code 366695. All other parties can access the call at 1-856-344-9315 and use the same code. There will be a live question and answer session after the prepared remarks.

The live webcast of the conference call will be accessible from the "Events Calendar" section of the Company's website (www.alsk.com). The webcast will be archived for a period of 90 days. A telephonic replay of the conference call will also be available two hours after the call and will run until April 6, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear the replay, parties in the U.S. and Canada can call 1-888-203-1112 and enter pass code 8903679. All other parties can call 1-719-457-0820 and enter pass code 8903679.

About Alaska Communications

Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is the leading provider of advanced broadband and managed IT services for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly reliable, advanced statewide data network with the latest technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For more information, visit www.alaskacommunications.com or www.alsk.com.

Non-GAAP Measures

In an effort to provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we have provided certain non-GAAP financial information, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Free Cash Flow and Net Debt. Adjusted EBITDA eliminates the effects of period to period changes in costs that are not directly attributable to the underlying performance of the Company’s business operations and is used by Management and the Company’s Board of Directors to evaluate current operating financial performance, analyze and evaluate strategic and operational decisions and better evaluate comparability between periods. Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP liquidity measured used by Management and the Company’s Board of Directors to assess the Company’s ability to generate cash and plan for future operating and capital actions. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow are common measures utilized by our peers (other telecommunications companies) and we believe they provide useful information to investors and analysts about the Company’s operating results, financial condition and cash flows. Net Debt provides Management and the Company’s Board of Directors with a measure of the Company’s current leverage position. The definition and computation of these non-GAAP measures are provided on Schedules 4, 6 and 9 to this press release. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow should not be considered a substitute for Net Income, Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities and other measures of financial performance recorded in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of our non-GAAP measures to our nearest GAAP measures can be found in the tables in this release. Other companies may not calculate non-GAAP measures in the same manner as Alaska Communications. The Company does not provide reconciliations of guidance for Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income, and Adjusted Free Cash Flow to Net Cash from Operating Activities, in reliance on the unreasonable efforts exception provided under Item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K. The Company does not forecast certain items required to develop the comparable GAAP financial measures. These items are charges and benefits for uncollectible accounts, certain other non-cash expenses, unusual items typically excluded from Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow, and changes in operating assets and liabilities (generally the most significant of these items, representing cash inflows of $9.9 million in the twelve-month period of 2018).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events made using information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control. Such factors include, without limitation, Federal and Alaska Universal Service Fund changes, funding through the rural health care universal service support mechanism and our ability to comply with the regulatory requirements to receive those support payments, adverse economic conditions, the effects of competition in our markets, our relatively small size compared with our competitors, the Company’s ability to compete, manage, integrate, market, maintain, and attract sufficient customers for its products and services, adverse changes in labor matters, including workforce levels, our ability to service our debt and refinance as required, labor negotiations, employee benefit costs, our ability to control other operating costs, disruption of our supplier’s provisioning of critical products or services, the actions of activist shareholders, the impact of natural or man-made disasters, changes in Company's relationships with large customers, unforeseen changes in public policies, regulatory changes, changes in technology and standards, our internal control over financial reporting, and changes in accounting standards or policies, which could affect reported financial results. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the Company's SEC filings, including, but not limited to, the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of the Company's SEC filings may be obtained by contacting its investor relations department at (907) 564-7556 or by visiting its investor relations website at www.alsk.com.

NonGAAP Measures:

The Company provides certain non-GAAP financial information, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Free Cash Flow and Net Debt. Adjusted EBITDA eliminates the effects of period to period changes in costs that are not directly attributable to the underlying performance of the Company’s business operations and is used by Management and the Company’s Board of Directors to evaluate current operating financial performance, analyze and evaluate strategic and operational decisions and better evaluate comparability between periods. Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP liquidity measure used by Management to assess the Company’s ability to generate cash and plan for future operating and capital actions. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow are common measures utilized by our peers (other telecommunications companies) and we believe they provide useful information to investors and analysts about the Company’s operating results, financial condition and cash flows. Net Debt provides Management and the Board of Directors with a measure of the Company’s current leverage position.

The Company does not provide reconciliations of guidance for Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income, and Adjusted Free Cash Flow to Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities, in reliance on the unreasonable efforts exception provided under Item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K. The Company does not forecast certain items required to develop the comparable GAAP financial measures. These items are charges and benefits for uncollectible accounts, certain other non-cash expenses, unusual items typically excluded from Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow, and changes in operating assets and liabilities (generally the most significant of these items, representing cash inflows of $9.9 million in the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018).

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow are not GAAP measures and should not be considered a substitute for net income, net cash provided by operating activities, or net cash provided or used. Adjusted EBITDA as computed above is not consistent with the definition of Consolidated EBITDA referenced in our 2017 Senior Credit Facility and 2019 Senior Credit Facility, and other companies may not calculate Non-GAAP measures in the same manner we do.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense and income, loss on extinguishment of debt, depreciation and amortization, other income and expense, gain or loss on asset purchases or disposals, provision for income taxes, stock-based compensation, and net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest.

NonGAAP Measures:

Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP liquidity measure and is defined as Adjusted EBITDA, less recurring operating cash requirements which include capital expenditures, less cash income taxes refunded or paid, cash interest paid, amortization of GCI capacity revenue and cash receipts and payments, deferred costs and amortized revenue and expense associated with certain prefunded special projects as defined in the 2019 Senior Credit Facility. Amortization of deferred revenue associated with our interconnection agreement with GCI is excluded from Adjusted Free Cash Flow because no cash was received by the Company in connection with this agreement. Amortization of all other deferred revenue, including that associated with other IRU capacity arrangements, is included in Adjusted Free Cash Flow because cash was received by the Company, typically at contract inception, and is being recognized as revenue over the term of the relevant agreement. Items associated with certain prefunded special projects as defined in the 2019 Senior Credit Facility are excluded from Adjusted Free Cash Flow primarily due to the magnitude and timing of the cash receipts relative to the subsequent recognition of revenue and expense.

See Schedule 3 for Net cash provided by operating activities, Net cash used by investing activities, and Net cash used by financing activities.

See Schedule 5 for the reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Adjusted Free Cash Flow.

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