Ribbon Communications Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

WESTFORD, Mass., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ribbon Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: RBBN), a global provider of converged communications software and network solutions to Service Providers, Enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors, today announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2020.

Revenue for the third quarter of 2020 was $231 million, compared to $138 million for the third quarter of 2019, an increase of 68%. Approximately $78 million of the year-over-year revenue increase was attributable to the acquisition of ECI Telecom Group, Ltd. (ECI), which closed on March 3, 2020.

"We are pleased to report strong third quarter results that exceeded our previous outlook," noted Bruce McClelland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ribbon Communications. "We have continued on our path of improved profitability, demonstrated by our record Adjusted EBITDA during the third quarter. Our Cloud & Edge business continues to benefit from strong software sales and improved operating expenses. We are encouraged by the continued recovery we are seeing in our Packet Optical business and, based on our current pipeline, we expect to see further improvement in the fourth quarter and a solid finish to the year."

Financial Highlights^1,2

The following table summarizes the consolidated financial highlights for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions, except per share amounts).

Cash was $111 million at September 30, 2020, compared with $94 million at June 30, 2020 and $40 million at September 30, 2019.

¹ Results for the three months ended September 30, 2020 represent three months of Ribbon and ECI. Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 represent nine months of Ribbon and the period March 3, 2020 to September 30, 2020 for ECI. Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 represent nine months of Ribbon.

² Please see the reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures and additional information about non-GAAP measures in the section entitled "Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" in the press release appendix.

"Our performance in the third quarter demonstrated continued strong execution amidst a challenging environment," said Mick Lopez, Chief Financial Officer of Ribbon Communications. "We achieved record Adjusted EBITDA of $43 million due to record software product sales and continued operational efficiencies. Packet Optical Networks contributed $78 million in revenue with positive profitability."

Customer and Company Highlights

• Secured eight new Packet Optical wins with critical Infrastructure and Enterprise customers
• Indian telecom AGR resolution provides certainty over the operating environment in the country and provides path to improved 2021 outlook
• Strong year-to-date growth of 25%+ in high performance Enterprise and Service Provider SBC platform sales (7K,5K, SWe and customized software)
• Large software order from a major US-based multi-national bank to support their migration to Microsoft Teams and to increase call center capacity
• Expanded cloud-native voice session security offers including the certification of intelligent edge SBCs by Zoom Phone Services, and the introduction of our SBC SWe Lite on AWS
• Secured wins with six Tier 1 and Tier 2 Service Providers for our Call Trust™ solution, which mitigates robocalls and fraudulent calls

Business Outlook

The Company's outlook is based on current indications for its business, which are subject to change. For the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company projects revenue of $235 million to $245 million, non-GAAP operating expenses of approximately $105 million, non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.12 to $0.14, and Adjusted EBITDA of $36 million to $40 million. The current outlook provided excludes any potential effects of the proposed sale of Kandy and assumes existing COVID-19 conditions.

Upcoming Fourth Quarter 2020 Virtual Investor Conference Schedule

• November 17, 2020 - Needham Security, Networking, and Communications Conference (presentation and one-on-one institutional investor meetings).
• November 30, 2020 - Credit Suisse 24th Annual Technology Conference (one-on-one institutional investor meetings).
• December 9, 2020 – Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference (one-on-one institutional investor meetings).
• December 14, 2020 - Cowen 7th Annual Networking Summit (one-on-one institutional investor meetings).
• December 16, 2020 – MKM Partners Conference: "The Road Ahead, Preparation for 2021" (presentation and one-on-one institutional investor meetings).

Conference Call Details

Conference call to discuss the Company's financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020 on October 29, 2020, via the investor section of its website at http://investors.ribboncommunications.com, where a replay will also be available shortly following the conference call.

Conference Call Details:

Date: October 29, 2020

Time: 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Dial-in number (Domestic): 877-300-8521
Dial-in number (Intl): 412-317-6026
Instant Telephone Access: Call me™ Password: 5835757

Replay information:

A telephone playback of the call will be available following the conference call until November 12, 2020 and can be accessed by calling 844-512-2921 or 412-317-6671 for international callers. The reservation number for the replay is 10149289.

About Ribbon

Ribbon Communications (Nasdaq: RBBN) delivers global communications software and packet and optical network solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors. We engage deeply with our customers, helping them modernize their networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes in today's smart, always-on and data-hungry world. Our innovative, end-to-end solutions portfolio delivers unparalleled scale, performance, and agility, including core to edge IP solutions, cloud-native offers, leading-edge software security and analytics tools, as well as 5G-ready packet and optical networking solutions acquired via our recent merger with ECI Telecom. To learn more about Ribbon visit rbbn.com.

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to several risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release, including without limitation statements regarding, projected financial results for the fourth quarter 2020 and beyond, recovery in sales of certain products, the proposed sale of the Kandy business, and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes", "estimates", "expects", "expectations", "intends", "may", "plans", "projects" and other similar language, whether in the negative or affirmative, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements due to various risks, uncertainties and other important factors, including, among others, risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic; risks that the businesses of ECI will not be integrated successfully or that the combined companies will not realize estimated cost savings; failure to realize anticipated benefits of the merger with ECI; disruptions from the integration efforts that could harm our business; failure to consummate the proposed sale of the Kandy Communications platform; failure to satisfy closing conditions to the Kandy transaction; failure to realize anticipated benefits from the Kandy transaction; disruptions from the proposed Kandy transaction that could harm our business; our ability to recruit and retain key personnel; reductions in customer spending; geopolitical tensions, including those in India, that could disrupt shipments to customers; a slowdown in customer payments and changes in customer requirements, including the timing of customer purchasing decisions and our recognition of revenues; conditions in the credit markets, credit risks and risks related to the terms of our credit agreement; our international operations, which are subject to the risks of currency fluctuations and foreign exchange controls; unpredictable fluctuations in quarterly revenue and business from our existing customers; increases in tariffs, trade restrictions or taxes on our products; and currency fluctuations.

These factors are not intended to be an all-encompassing list of risks and uncertainties that may affect our business and results from operations. Additional information regarding these and other factors can be found in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our Form 10-Q for the quarter endedJune 30, 2020. In providing forward-looking statements, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update these statements publicly or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Ribbon Communications' management uses several different financial measures, both GAAP and non-GAAP, in analyzing and assessing the overall performance of the business, making operating decisions, planning and forecasting future periods, and determining payments under compensation programs. We consider the use of non-GAAP financial measures helpful in assessing the core performance of our continuing operations and when planning and forecasting future periods. Our annual financial plan is prepared on a non-GAAP basis and is approved by our board of directors. In addition, budgeting and forecasting for revenue and expenses are conducted on a non-GAAP basis and actual results on a non-GAAP basis are assessed against the annual financial plan. By continuing operations, we mean the ongoing results of the business adjusted for certain expenses and credits, as described below. We believe that providing non-GAAP information to investors will allow investors to view the financial results in the way our management views them and helps investors to better understand our core financial and operating performance and evaluate the efficacy of the methodology and information used by our management to evaluate and measure such performance.

While our management uses non-GAAP financial measures as a tool to enhance their understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance, our management does not consider these measures to be a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP measures. In addition, our presentations of these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives for, or in isolation from, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, many of the adjustments to our financial measures reflect the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in our financial results for the foreseeable future.

Stock-Based Compensation
The expense related to stock-based awards is generally not controllable in the short-term and can vary significantly based on the timing, size and nature of awards granted.  We believe that presenting non-GAAP operating results that exclude stock-based compensation provides investors with visibility and insight into our management's method of analysis and the Company's core operating performance.

Amortization of Intangible Assets
Amortization amounts are inconsistent in frequency and amount and are significantly impacted by the timing and size of acquisitions.  We believe that excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets facilitates the comparison of our financial results to our historical operating results and to other companies in our industry as if the acquired intangible assets had been developed internally rather than acquired.

Acquisition-Related Inventory Adjustment
Acquisition-related inventory adjustment amounts are inconsistent in frequency and amount and are significantly impacted by the then-current market prices of such inventory items.  We believe that excluding non-cash inventory adjustments arising from acquisitions facilitates the comparison of our financial results to our historical operating results and to other companies in our industry as if the inventory had been acquired by us through our normal channels rather than acquired.

Litigation Costs
We have been involved in litigation with a certain competitor and with a former GENBAND business partner, and reached settlements in both cases.    We believe that such costs of such litigation are not part of our core business or ongoing operations. 

Acquisition- and Integration-Related Expense
We consider certain acquisition- and integration-related costs to be unrelated to the organic continuing operations of our acquired businesses and the Company, and such costs are generally not relevant to assessing or estimating the long-term performance of the acquired assets.    We exclude such acquisition- and integration-related costs to allow more accurate comparisons of our financial results to our historical operations and the financial results of less acquisitive peer companies.  In addition, we believe that providing supplemental non-GAAP measures that exclude these items allows management and investors to consider the ongoing operations of the business both with and without such expenses.

Restructuring and Related Expense
We have recorded restructuring and related expense to streamline operations and reduce operating costs by closing and consolidating certain facilities and reducing our worldwide workforce.  We believe that excluding restructuring and related expense facilitates the comparison of our financial results to our historical operating results and to other companies in our industry, as there are no future revenue streams or other benefits associated with these costs.

Reduction to Deferred Purchase Consideration
We reached an agreement related to the outstanding cash deferred purchase consideration for Edgewater in the first quarter of 2019 and recorded the gain on the reduction in other (expense) income, net.  We believe that such reductions to cash deferred purchase consideration are not part of our core business or ongoing operations, as they relate to specific acquisitive transactions and  that excluding such reductions facilitates the comparison of our financial results to our historical results and to other companies in our industry.

Gain on Litigation Settlement
We were involved in litigation with a certain competitor with whom we reached a settlement in the second quarter of 2019.  We believe that such gains are not part of our core business or ongoing operations and that excluding such gains facilitates the comparison of our financial results to our historical operating results and to other companies in our industry.

Tax Effect of Non-GAAP Adjustments
Non-GAAP income tax expense is presented based on an estimated tax rate applied against forecasted annual non-GAAP income.  The non-GAAP income tax expense assumes no available net operating losses or any valuation allowances for the U.S. because of reporting significant cumulative non-GAAP income over the past several years.  Due to the methodology applied to our estimated annual tax rate, our estimated tax rate on non-GAAP income will differ from our GAAP tax rate and from our actual tax liabilities.

Adjusted EBITDA
We use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to review and assess our performance.  We calculate Adjusted EBITDA by excluding from net income (loss): interest expense, net; income tax provision; depreciation; and amortization of intangible assets.  In addition, we exclude from net income (loss):  stock-based compensation expense; acquisition-related inventory adjustments; certain litigation costs; acquisition- and integration-related expense; restructuring and related expense; and other (expense) income, net.  In general, we add back the expenses that we consider to be non-cash and/or not part of our ongoing operations.  Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that is used by our investing community for comparative and valuation purposes.  We disclose this metric to support and facilitate our dialogue with research analysts and investors.  Other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.