BTN - Ballantyne Strong Reports First Quarter 2020 Operating Results

May, 12 2020 04:30 PM Ballantyne Strong Inc.

Charlotte, NC, May 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE American: BTN) (the “Company”) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. The Company conducts its operations through three operating segments: Strong Entertainment, Convergent and Strong Outdoor.

Financial and Operational Highlights

Significant improvements in first quarter consolidated financial performance as compared to the prior year

Gross profit increased by 60.8%

Operating loss improved 25.4%

Net loss improved 89.2%

Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) increased 54.1%

Convergent’s Digital Signage as a Service (DSaaS) recurring revenue model continued to generate improving gross margins and operating performance

Strong Entertainment’s revenue and profitability contracted, following several quarters of improving trends, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact demand for both screens and services in March 2020

Strong Outdoor’s operating performance improved significantly on lower cost structure and launch of experiential marketing campaigns

Mark Roberson, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “The first quarter started off with positive momentum as gross margin, net loss and Adjusted EBITDA all showed meaningful improvements. However, that strong start was disrupted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our entertainment and advertising customers. In response to the temporary cinema closures and considerable reduction in outdoor advertising activities, we have taken actions to significantly reduce our operating expenses, manage working capital and conserve cash.

“Many of our digital signage customers provide essential services and their business levels have held up reasonably well. We began a phased reopening of our screen manufacturing facility this week and expect service demand will start to recover as cinemas prepare to resume operations this summer. While we cannot predict the timing or trajectory of the business recovery, we will continue to closely monitor expenses and pace our activities to ensure that we are well positioned to support our customers.”

First Quarter 2020 Financial Review

Consolidated revenue decreased 5.1% to $13.6 million for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter of 2019.

Revenue from Strong Entertainment decreased 3.8% to $7.3 million primarily due to the impact of COVID-19, including the temporary closure of our screen manufacturing facility in Quebec and lower revenues from field service projects;

Revenue from Convergent decreased 10.4% to $5.0 million as growth in DSaaS revenues were offset by lower revenue from non-recurring installation projects; and

Revenue from Strong Outdoor of $1.2 million was relatively flat compared to the prior year as increased advertising revenues from static taxi-tops and experiential marketing campaigns offset the reduction in revenue from the transfer of the digital taxi-top business to Firefly in mid-2019.

Gross profit increased 60.8% to $4.3 million for the first quarter of 2020. Gross profit margins improved to 31.3% for the first quarter of 2020 from 18.5% in for the first quarter of 2019. The improvement was a direct result of repositioning Convergent to a high margin recurring revenue model combined with cost reduction initiatives and improvements in Strong Outdoor’s operating cost structure.

Operating loss improved 25.4% to $1.9 million for the first quarter of 2020 from $2.6 million in the prior year. Improved operating performance at Convergent and Strong Outdoor and lower unallocated corporate expenses were partially offset by the lower revenue and related contribution from Strong Entertainment. We also recognized increased accounts receivable collection reserves due to the increased uncertainty related to the impact of COVID-19 on our customers.

Net loss was $0.4 million ($0.03 per share) for the first quarter of 2020 as compared to $4.2 million ($0.29) per share) in the prior year. Improved operating results, combined with foreign currency gains, lower fair value adjustments on our notes receivable and increased equity method investment income improved our net loss in the current year.

Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, improved to $(0.7) million for the first quarter of 2020 compared to $(1.4) million in the prior year.

Conference Call

A conference call to discuss the 2020 first-quarter financial results will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time. Investors and analysts are invited to access the conference call by dialing 877-407-3982 (domestic) or 201-493-6780 (international) and providing the operator with conference ID number: 13703177. Please dial in at least five minutes before the start of the call to register. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the conference call until Friday, June 12, 2020 by dialing 844-512-2921 in the U.S. and Canada and 412-317-6671 internationally and entering the conference ID number: 13703177.

The Company’s financial results and an accompanying slide presentation will also be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at ballantynestrong.com/investors.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, the Company discloses information regarding Adjusted EBITDA, which differs from the term EBITDA as it is commonly used. In addition to adjusting net income (loss) to exclude income taxes, interest, and depreciation and amortization, Adjusted EBITDA also excludes share-based compensation, impairment charges, equity method income (loss), fair value adjustments, severance, foreign currency transaction gains (losses), transactional expenses, gains on insurance recoveries and other cash and non-cash charges and gains.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of performance defined in accordance with GAAP. However, Adjusted EBITDA is used internally in planning and evaluating the Company’s operating performance. Accordingly, management believes that disclosure of these metrics offers investors, bankers and other stakeholders an additional view of the Company’s operations that, when coupled with the GAAP results, provides a more complete understanding of the Company’s financial results.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net loss or to net cash used in operating activities as measures of operating results or liquidity. Our calculation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies, and the measures exclude financial information that some may consider important in evaluating the Company’s performance. A reconciliation of GAAP net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is included in the accompanying financial schedules.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are (i) they do not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments, (ii) they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs, (iii) EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debt, (iv) although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements, (v) they do not adjust for all non-cash income or expense items that are reflected in our statements of cash flows, (vi) they do not reflect the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations, and (vii) other companies in our industry may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

We believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period by isolating the effects of some items that vary from period to period without any correlation to core operating performance or that vary widely among similar companies. These potential differences may be caused by variations in capital structures (affecting interest expense), tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates or net operating losses) and the age and book depreciation of facilities and equipment (affecting relative depreciation expense). We also present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because (i) we believe these measures are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry, (ii) we believe investors will find these measures useful in assessing our ability to service or incur indebtedness, and (iii) we use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA internally as benchmarks to evaluate our operating performance or compare our performance to that of our competitors.

For further information, please refer to Ballantyne Strong, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about May 12, 2020, available online at www.sec.gov.

About Ballantyne Strong, Inc.

Ballantyne Strong (www.ballantynestrong.com) and its subsidiaries engage in diverse business activities including the design, integration and installation of technology solutions for a broad range of applications; development and delivery of out-of-home messaging, advertising and communications; manufacturing of projection screens; and providing managed services including monitoring of networked equipment. The Company focuses on serving the entertainment, retail and advertising markets.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to the historical information in this press release, it includes forward-looking statements, such as our expectations regarding future sales, the impact, length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the adequacy of the actions taken in response to the pandemic, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the “Risk Factors” section contained in Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the following risks and uncertainties: the Company’s ability to maintain and expand its revenue streams, potential interruptions of supplier relationships or higher prices charged by suppliers, the Company’s ability to successfully compete and introduce enhancements and new features that achieve market acceptance and that keep pace with technological developments, the Company’s access to capital, the Company’s ability to successfully execute its capital allocation strategy, the Company’s ability to maintain its brand and reputation and retain or replace its significant customers, the impact of a challenging global economic environment or a downturn in the markets (such as the current economic disruption and market volatility generated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), economic and political risks of selling products in foreign countries (including tariffs), risks of non-compliance with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, potential sales tax collections and claims for uncollected amounts, cybersecurity risks and risks of damage and interruptions of information technology systems, the Company’s ability to retain key members of management and successfully integrate new executives, the Company’s ability to complete acquisitions, strategic investments, entry into new lines of business, divestitures, mergers or other transactions on acceptable terms or at all, the Company’s ability to utilize or assert its intellectual property rights, the impact of natural disasters and other catastrophic events (such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), the adequacy of insurance and the impact of having a controlling stockholder. Given the risks and uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should recognize that the statements are predictions of future results which may not occur as anticipated. Many of the risks listed above have been, and may be further be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the cinema and entertainment industry, and the worsening economic environment. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and from historical results, due to the risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as others not now anticipated. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Except where required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in factors or assumptions affecting such forward-looking statements.

For Investor Relations Inquiries:
Ballantyne Strong, Inc.
Mark Roberson
Chief Executive Officer
IR@btn-inc.com
704-994-8279

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except par values)



March 31, 2020


December 31, 2019



(unaudited)




Assets








Current assets:








Cash and cash equivalents

$
6,546


$
4,951

Restricted cash


351



351

Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,217 and $1,291, respectively)


10,252



12,898

Inventories, net


2,794



2,879

Recoverable income taxes


262



190

Other current assets


2,642



1,754

Total current assets


22,847



23,023

Property, plant and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation of $10,299 and $10,238, respectively)


9,836



10,560

Operating lease right-of-use assets


5,438



5,581

Finance lease right-of-use assets


2,333



2,563

Investments


14,368



13,311

Intangible assets, net


1,453



1,534

Goodwill


842



919

Other assets


98



142

Total assets

$
57,215


$
57,633










Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity








Current liabilities:








Accounts payable

$
5,139


$
3,273

Accrued expenses


3,830



4,416

Short-term debt


3,188



3,080

Current portion of long-term debt


1,016



998

Current portion of operating lease obligations


974



971

Current portion of finance lease obligations


1,633



1,586

Deferred revenue and customer deposits


3,175



2,981

Total current liabilities


18,955



17,305

Long-term debt, net of current portion and debt issuance costs


2,757



3,019

Operating lease obligations, net of current portion


4,632



4,809

Finance lease obligations, net of current portion


3,561



3,988

Deferred revenue and customer deposits, net of current portion


32



38

Deferred income taxes


2,918



2,649

Other long-term liabilities


110



116

Total liabilities


32,965



31,924

Commitments, contingencies and concentrations








Stockholders’ equity:








Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share; authorized 1,000 shares, none outstanding


-



-

Common stock, par value $.01 per share; authorized 25,000 shares; issued 17,445 and 17,410 shares at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively; outstanding 14,651 and 14,616 shares at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively


174



174

Additional paid-in capital


42,862



42,589

Retained earnings


5,554



6,001

Less 2,794 of common shares in treasury, at cost


(18,586
)


(18,586
)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss


(5,754
)


(4,469
)
Total stockholders’ equity


24,250



25,709

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$
57,215


$
57,633

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)



Three Months Ended March 31,



2020


2019

Net product sales

$
6,404


$
5,560

Net service revenues


7,171



8,746

Total net revenues


13,575



14,306

Cost of products sold


4,695



3,523

Cost of services


4,627



8,138

Total cost of revenues


9,322



11,661

Gross profit


4,253



2,645

Selling and administrative expenses:








Selling


1,344



1,228

Administrative


4,830



3,929

Total selling and administrative expenses


6,174



5,157

Loss on disposal of assets


-



(64
)
Loss from operations


(1,921
)


(2,576
)
Other income (expense):








Interest expense


(272
)


(119
)
Fair value adjustment to notes receivable


-



(510
)
Foreign currency transaction gain (loss)


488



(143
)
Other income, net


289



36

Total other income (expense)


505



(736
)
Loss before income taxes and equity method investment income (loss)


(1,416
)


(3,312
)
Income tax expense


(400
)


(141
)
Equity method investment income (loss)


1,369



(697
)
Net loss

$
(447
)

$
(4,150
)









Basic loss per share

$
(0.03
)

$
(0.29
)
Diluted loss per share

$
(0.03
)

$
(0.29
)

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)



Three Months Ended March 31,



2020


2019

Cash flows from operating activities:








Net loss

$
(447
)

$
(4,150
)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:








Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts


819



(310
)
Provision for obsolete inventory


44



53

Provision for warranty


53



67

Depreciation and amortization


989



795

Amortization and accretion of operating leases


309



579

Fair value adjustment to notes receivable


-



510

Equity method investment (income) loss


(1,369
)


697

Loss on disposal of assets


-



64

Gain on Firefly transaction


(270
)


-

Deferred income taxes


23



50

Stock-based compensation expense


273



243

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:








Accounts receivable


1,499



1,819

Inventories


(118
)


(145
)
Current income taxes


(87
)


(444
)
Other assets


(277
)


(69
)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses


1,323



(605
)
Deferred revenue and customer deposits


216



11

Operating lease obligations


(341
)


(590
)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities


2,639



(1,425
)
Cash flows from investing activities:








Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment

$
-


$
86

Capital expenditures


(371
)


(257
)
Net cash used in investing activities


(371
)


(171
)









Cash flows from financing activities:








Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt


-



237

Principal payments on short-term debt


(55
)


(79
)
Principal payments on long-term debt


(243
)


(245
)
Payments on capital lease obligations


(380
)


(49
)
Net cash used in financing activities


(678
)


(136
)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents


5



23

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash


1,595



(1,709
)
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period


5,302



7,048

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$
6,897


$
5,339










Components of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash:








Cash and cash equivalents

$
6,546


$
4,989

Restricted cash


351



350

Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

$
6,897


$
5,339

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Summary by Business Segments
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)



Three Months Ended March 31,



2020


2019

Strong Entertainment








Revenue

$
7,315


$
7,601

Gross profit


1,834



2,415

Operating (loss) income


(337
)


1,159

Adjusted EBITDA


(103
)


1,471










Convergent








Revenue

$
4,962


$
5,535

Gross profit


1,985



1,569

Operating income


857



752

Adjusted EBITDA


1,460



1,178










Strong Outdoor








Revenue

$
1,197


$
1,093

Gross profit (loss)


333



(1,416
)
Operating loss


(376
)


(2,012
)
Adjusted EBITDA


(266
)


(1,902
)









Corporate and Other








Revenue

$
101


$
77

Gross profit


101



77

Operating loss


(2,065
)


(2,475
)
Adjusted EBITDA


(1,747
)


(2,176
)









Consolidated








Revenue

$
13,575


$
14,306

Gross profit


4,253



2,645

Operating loss


(1,921
)


(2,576
)
Adjusted EBITDA


(656
)


(1,429
)

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)



Three Months Ended March 31,



2020


2019



































Strong Entertainment



Convergent



Strong Outdoor



Corporate and Other



Consolidated



Strong Entertainment



Convergent



Strong Outdoor



Corporate and Other



Consolidated

Net (loss) income

$
(156
)


616


$
(201
)


(706
)

$
(447
)

$
(348
)


579


$
(2,034
)


(2,347
)

$
(4,150
)
Interest expense, net


32



144



95



1



272



35



92



23



(31
)


119

Income tax expense


287



58



-



55



400



23



68



-



50



141

Depreciation and amortization


230



602



110



47



989



219



423



100



53



795

EBITDA


393



1,420



4



(603
)


1,214



(71
)


1,162



(1,911
)


(2,275
)


(3,095
)
Stock-based compensation expense


-



-



-



273



273



-



-



-



243



243

Fair value adjustment to notes receivable


-



-



-



-



-



510



-



-



-



510

Equity method investment loss (income)


48



-



-



(1,417
)


(1,369
)


841



-



-



(144
)


697

Loss on disposal of assets and impairment charges


-



-



-



-



-



63



1



-



-



64

Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss


(528
)


40



-



-



(488
)


128



15



-



-



143

Gain on Firefly transaction, net of transaction costs


-



-



(270
)


-



(270
)


-



-



9



-



9

Gain on property and casualty insurance recoveries


(16
)


-



-



-



(16
)


-



-



-



-



-

Adjusted EBITDA

$
(103
)

$
1,460


$
(266
)

$
(1,747
)

$
(656
)

$
1,471


$
1,178


$
(1,902
)

$
(2,176
)

$
(1,429
)

Company Name:	Ballantyne Strong Inc.
Stock Symbol:	BTN
Market:	NYSE
Website:	ballantynestrong.com

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