Press Release: CTG Reports 2020 Second Quarter Results

Jul 21, 2020

Achieved GAAP EPS of $0.12; non-GAAP EPS of $0.10, Performing Well in
Challenging COVID-19 Pandemic Environment
Operating Margin Increased 30 Basis Points to 2.1%, or 16%, Year-over-Year
Non-GAAP Operating Margin Increased 83 Basis Points to 3.2%, or 35%, Year-over-Year
Solutions Expanded to 38% of Revenue as Strategic Transformation Continues

BUFFALO, N.Y., July 21, 2020 – CTG (NASDAQ: CTG), a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions and services in North America and Western Europe, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 26, 2020.

Second Quarter Financial Summary

Total revenue was $89.1 million, compared with $86.9 million in the previous quarter and $100.4 million in the second quarter of 2019
Revenue from Solutions increased to 38.0% of total revenue, compared with 35.5% of total revenue last year
Solutions direct profit was 28.5%, an increase from 25.5% in the second quarter of 2019
GAAP operating income and margin increased $0.1 million and 30 basis points year-over-year, respectively, to $1.9 million and 2.1%, reflecting high utilization of billable resources across the business and a continued focus on diligent cost management
Non-GAAP operating income and margin, excluding $1.0 million in severance and acquisition-related expenses, increased $0.5 million and 83 basis points year-over-year, respectively, to $2.9 million and 3.2%
GAAP net income was $1.8 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, and included severance and acquisition-related expenses, as well as gains from life insurance proceeds and the sale of real estate; non-GAAP net income was $1.4 million, or $0.10 per diluted share

Second Quarter and Recent Business Highlights

Secured competitive multi-million dollar contract to manage go-live implementation of EPIC-based electronic health records (EHR) for a prominent healthcare system in the northeastern U.S.
Appointed Brett Hunt, a seasoned IT solutions and services executive, to lead and accelerate growth of CTG’s North American Solutions team through the development of key partnerships and rapid adoption of CTG’s Delivery Center model
Opened new delivery center in Bogotá, Colombia, enhancing existing IT support and service capabilities. This new center expands the Company’s global solutions offerings, including IT support, infrastructure, and cloud solutions implementation and management across all served geographies
Completed sale of the Company’s headquarters building in Buffalo, NY, resulting in a recorded gain of approximately $0.8 million

CEO Comments on Results

“Building on our solid start to the year, we delivered strong second quarter results with both revenue and non-GAAP operating profit increasing sequentially despite the unprecedented and challenging global business environment,” said Filip Gydé, CTG President and CEO. “We believe that these results and the favorable performance trends we have achieved over the last eighteen months are proof that our strategy is working and will contribute to significant shareholder value creation.”

“We successfully transitioned to a work-from-home model at the onset of COVID-19, while simultaneously implementing prudent cost containment efforts to improve efficiency and utilization across our operations. Our team has done an outstanding job sustaining new business development, even as the pace of new requests for proposals and contract wins has slowed due to the heightened uncertainty associated with the current environment. With resilient operations and a healthy pipeline in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on future prospects and build on our track record of growth and success.”

“During the quarter, we continued to benefit from the ongoing expansion of our Solutions team and business. We recently appointed Brett Hunt to lead and accelerate the growth of this business in North America. To expand our global capabilities, we also opened a new facility in Bogotá, Colombia to enhance our delivery of high quality, cost-effective IT services and solutions for clients in the Americas and Europe. With Solutions becoming a larger portion of our portfolio of services, we are focused on investing in the scale, talent and resources that we need to continue to compete and win.”

Gydé concluded, “While we expect the uncertain economic environment will persist in the months ahead, we are confident in our team’s ability to continue transforming our business into a higher-margin, solutions-focused organization and driving long-term value for all CTG shareholders.”

Consolidated Second Quarter Results

Revenue in the second quarter of 2020 was $89.1 million, compared with $86.9 million in the first quarter of 2020, and $100.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. The year-over-year decrease in second quarter revenue primarily reflected a continued transition away from select lower margin staffing business, combined with lower demand from clients impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currency translation had a negative impact of $0.8 million on revenue in the second quarter, compared with a negative $1.1 million impact in the first quarter of 2020, and a negative $2.4 million impact in the second quarter of 2019.

Direct costs in the second quarter of 2020 were $70.4 million, or 79.0% of revenue, compared with $69.9 million, or 80.4% of revenue, in the first quarter of 2020, and $82.1 million, or 81.7% of revenue, in the second quarter of 2019. SG&A expense in the second quarter of 2020 was $16.8 million, which included $0.6 million in severance and $0.4 million in acquisition-related expenses associated with previously acquired businesses. This compared with SG&A expense of $15.0 million in the first quarter of 2020, which included $0.4 million in acquisition-related expenses. SG&A expense in the second quarter of 2019 was $16.5 million, which included $0.5 million in acquisition-related expenses.

GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2020 was $1.9 million, or 2.1% of revenue, and included the previously referenced severance and acquisition-related expenses totaling $1.0 million. Excluding these items, non-GAAP operating income was $2.9 million, or 3.2% of revenue. GAAP operating income in the first quarter of 2020 was $2.1 million, or 2.4% of revenue, and included acquisition-related expenses of $0.4 million. Excluding this item, non-GAAP operating income in the first quarter of 2020 was $2.5 million, or 2.9% of revenue. GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2019 was $1.9 million, or 1.8% of revenue, and included acquisition-related expenses of $0.5 million. Excluding this item, non-GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2019 was $2.4 million, or 2.4% of revenue. CTG’s operations outside of the U.S. are conducted in local currencies. Accordingly, fluctuations in currency valuation for the countries in which the Company operates generally have minimal impact on operating results; these fluctuations reduced operating income by less than $0.1 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Net income in the second quarter of 2020 was $1.8 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, which included a net $0.4 million of expense, or $0.02 per diluted share, comprised of severance, acquisition-related expenses as well as gains from life insurance proceeds and the sale of real estate. Net income in the first quarter of 2020 was $1.1 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, which included $0.3 million, or $0.02 per diluted share in acquisition-related expenses. Net income in the second quarter of 2019 was $0.9 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, which included $0.4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share in acquisition-related expenses.

CTG’s effective income tax rate in the second quarter of 2020 was 43.7% compared with 39.0% in the first quarter of 2020 and 36.6% in the second quarter of 2019. The higher tax rate in the second quarter of 2020 was primarily due to certain non-deductible expenses incurred in the U.S. during the quarter.

Balance Sheet

Cash and short-term investments at June 26, 2020 were $34.3 million. Net cash was $22.3 million, net of long-term debt of $12.0 million. During the second quarter of 2020, CTG completed the sale of its headquarters building in Buffalo, NY, resulting in net cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. The Company previously had recorded the net value of the building as “other current assets” on its condensed consolidated balance sheet at the end of the first quarter of 2020. Days sales outstanding were 81 in the second quarter of 2020 compared with 83 in the second quarter of 2019.

Guidance and Outlook

Given the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CTG’s end markets, the Company is not providing updated guidance for the full year 2020.

CTG Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer John M. Laubacker commented, “We anticipate seasonality in the fiscal third quarter will be higher than normal as employees take vacations that have been previously delayed, resulting in lower utilization of billable resources. We also expect a reduction in government subsidies in Europe for technical unemployment, the sale of a customer’s business unit in Alaska to another company, and our continued investments in business development and solutions experts to impact earnings in the second half of the year. Despite these near-term challenges, we are encouraged by the progress of our IT Solutions-centric strategy, which has resulted in the highest operating margin and non-GAAP earnings per share we have reported for a first half period in the past six years. We remain committed to our strategic transformation, and will continue to take steps to enhance the long-term value potential of CTG.”

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Information

The Company has referenced non-GAAP information in this news release. The Company believes that the use of non-GAAP financial information provides useful information to investors and management to gain an overall understanding of its current financial performance and prospects. In addition, non-GAAP financial measures are used by management for forecasting, facilitating ongoing operating decisions, and measuring the Company’s overall performance. The Company believes that these non-GAAP measures align closely with its internal measurement processes and are reflective of the Company’s core operating results.

Specifically, the non-GAAP information as presented for the second quarter of 2020 and the year-to-date period exclude gains from life insurance proceeds and on the sale of real estate, and costs associated with severance and certain acquisition-related expenses. In 2020, the acquisition-related expenses consist of due diligence costs, and the amortization of intangible assets. In 2019, acquisition-related expenses also include changes in the value of earn-out payments upon the achievement of certain financial targets from the acquisitions of Soft Company and Tech-IT.

The reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP information for the second quarter ended June 26, 2020 is as follows: