Entravision Communications Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2018 Results

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE: EVC) today reported financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018.

Historical results, which are attached, are in thousands of U.S. dollars (except share and per share data). This press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC Regulation G. The GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to each of these non-GAAP financial measures, and a table reconciling each of these non-GAAP financial measures to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, are included beginning on page 12. Unaudited financial highlights are as follows:

Commenting on the Company's earnings results, Walter F. Ulloa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "During the fourth quarter, we achieved growth in advertising revenue, driven by an increase in our television segment. We also improved our free cash flow over the fourth quarter of 2017. We continue to maintain a solid balance sheet and return capital to our shareholders through our share repurchase program and dividend. Looking ahead, we remain well positioned to build on our success in further attracting Latino and other audiences worldwide, as we execute our multiplatform strategy to the benefit of our shareholders."

Quarterly Cash Dividend

The Company announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of $0.05 per share of the Company's Class A, Class B and Class U common stock, in an aggregate amount of approximately $4.3 million. The quarterly dividend will be payable on June 28, 2019 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 14, 2019, and the common stock will trade ex-dividend on June 13, 2019. As previously announced, the Company currently anticipates that future cash dividends will be paid on a quarterly basis; however, any decision to pay future cash dividends will be subject to approval by the Board.

Form 10-K Filed Today

The Company today filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 (its "Form 10-K") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

As previously disclosed by the Company, on April 3, 2019 the Company received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") that the Company was not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing requirements under the timely filing criteria established in Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual (the "NYSE Rules"), because the Company did not timely file its Form 10-K with the SEC on or prior to the due date thereof or by the extended filing due date provided by Rule 12b-25.  Such notices are routinely issued by the NYSE when there are late filings with the SEC.  The NYSE informed the Company that, under the NYSE Rules, the Company had six months from April 2, 2019 to file its Form 10-K with the SEC. With today's filing of the Form 10-K with the SEC, the Company believes it has regained compliance with the NYSE Rules with respect to the Company's filing of its Form 10-K.

Expects to File Form 12b-25 for Extension of Filing Deadline for Form 10-Q for First Quarter

The Company announced today that it expects to file a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 with the SEC, which provides an automatic 5-day extension of the filing deadline for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 (the "2019 First Quarter Form 10-Q"), to May 15, 2019. Due to the Company's delay in filing the Form 10-K, the Company experienced delays in the preparation of its financial statements for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 and the filing of the 2019 First Quarter Form 10-Q. The Company expects to file the 2019 First Quarter Form 10-Q and announce the timing of a conference call to discuss its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 as soon as practicable.

 Financial Results

Net revenue from advertising and retransmission consent increased to $80.9 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $73.5 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $7.4 million. Of the overall increase, approximately $8.3 million was attributable to our television segment and was primarily due to an increase in political advertising revenue, which was not material in 2017, and an increase in retransmission consent revenue. This overall increase was partially offset by a decrease of approximately $0.6 million and $0.3 million that was attributable to our digital and radio segments, respectively.

Net revenue from spectrum usage rights was $1.2 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2018. There was no revenue from spectrum usage rights for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017.

Cost of revenue in our digital media segment decreased to $9.8 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $12.1 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $2.3 million. The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in revenue.

Operating expenses decreased to $44.6 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $45.1 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $0.5 million. Of the overall decrease, approximately $2.0 million was attributable to our radio segment and was primarily due to a decrease in expenses associated with the decrease in revenue and a decrease in salary expense. The overall decrease was partially offset by an increase of approximately $1.0 million that was attributable to our digital segment and was primarily due to the acquisition of Smadex in the second quarter of 2018, which did not contribute to direct operating expenses in 2017. Additionally, the overall decrease was partially offset by an increase of approximately $0.5 million that was attributable to our television segment and was primarily due to an increase in expenses associated with the increase in revenue.

Corporate expenses decreased to $7.7 million for the three-month period December 31, 2018 from $8.2 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $0.5 million, primarily due to a decrease in non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

Our historical revenues have primarily been denominated in U.S. dollars, and the majority of our current revenues continue to be, and are expected to remain, denominated in U.S. dollars. However, our operating expenses are generally denominated in the currencies of the countries in which our operations are located, and we have operations in countries other than the U.S., primarily related to the Headway business. As a result, we have operating expense, attributable to foreign currency loss, that is primarily related to the operations related to the Headway business. Foreign currency loss increased to $1.1 million for the three-month period December 31, 2018 from $0.1 million for the three-month period December 31, 2017, an increase of $1.0 million, which was primarily due to currency fluctuations that affected our digital segment operations located outside the U.S., primarily related to the Headway business.

We recognized an impairment charge of $1.3 million for the three-month period December 31, 2018, related to a decrease in value of a cost method investment.

Net revenue from advertising and retransmission consent increased to $294.8 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $272.1 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, an increase of approximately $22.7 million. Of the overall increase, $23.9 million was attributable to our digital media segment and was primarily due to the growth in the Headway business, which we acquired in the second quarter of 2017. Additionally, $1.9 million of the overall increase was attributable to our television segment and was primarily due to an increase in political advertising revenue, which was not material in 2017, and an increase in retransmission consent revenue, partially offset by decreases in national and local advertising revenue, as part of a trend for advertising to move increasingly from traditional media, such as television and radio, to new media, such as digital media. The overall increase was partially offset by a decrease in our radio segment of $3.0 million, primarily due to decreases in local and national advertising revenue, partially offset by an increase in political advertising revenue, which was not material in 2017, and an increase in revenue from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Net revenue from spectrum usage rights decreased to $3.0 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $263.9 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017. The decrease was primarily due to revenue from the FCC auction for broadcast spectrum in the prior year, which revenue was not significant in 2018.

We did not incur cost of revenue related to revenue from spectrum usage rights in 2018. Cost of revenue related to revenue from spectrum usage rights was $12.3 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, related to the FCC auction for broadcast spectrum.

Cost of revenue in our digital media segment increased to $45.1 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $33.0 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $12.1 million, primarily due to the growth in the Headway business, which we acquired in the second quarter of 2017.

Operating expenses increased to $176.8 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $168.4 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $8.4 million. Of the overall increase, approximately $9.8 million was attributable to our digital media segment and was primarily due to expenses associated with the increase in revenue, and due to the acquisitions of Headway during the second quarter of 2017, which did not contribute to direct operating expenses for the full year in 2017, and Smadex in the second quarter of 2018. Additionally, $2.6 million of the overall increase was attributable to our television segment and was primarily due to the acquisition of station KMIR-TV in the fourth quarter of 2017, which did not contribute to direct operating expenses in that year, and expenses associated with the increase in advertising revenue. The overall increase was partially offset by a decrease in expenses associated with the decrease in radio advertising revenue and a decrease in salary expenses in our television and radio segments.

Corporate expenses decreased to $26.9 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 from $27.9 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $1.0 million. The decrease was primarily due to expenses associated with the FCC auction for broadcast spectrum recorded in 2017, which expenses did not recur in 2018, and due diligence costs related to the Headway acquisition during the second quarter of 2017, partially offset by increase in salary expense, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, and due diligence costs related to the Smadex acquisition in 2018.

Our historical revenues have primarily been denominated in U.S. dollars, and the majority of our current revenues continue to be, and are expected to remain, denominated in U.S. dollars. However, our operating expenses are generally denominated in the currencies of the countries in which our operations are located, and we have operations in countries other than the U.S., primarily related to the Headway business. As a result, we have operating expense, attributable to foreign currency loss, that is primarily related to the operations related to the Headway business. Foreign currency loss increased to $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 from $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $1.2 million, which was primarily due to currency fluctuations that affected our digital segment operations located outside the U.S., primarily related to the Headway business.

We recognized an impairment charge of $1.3 million for the three-month period December 31, 2018, related to a decrease in value of a cost method investment.

Segment Results

The following represents selected unaudited segment information:

Entravision Communications Corporation will hold a conference call to discuss its 2018 fourth quarter results on May 7, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To access the conference call, please dial 412-317-5440 ten minutes prior to the start time. The call will be webcast live and archived for replay on the investor relations portion of the Company's web site located at www.entravision.com.

Entravision Communications Corporation is a leading global media company that, through its television and radio segments, reaches and engages U.S. Hispanics across acculturation levels and media channels. Additionally, our digital segment, whose operations are located primarily in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina and other countries in Latin America, reaches a global market. The Company's expansive portfolio encompasses integrated marketing and media solutions, comprised of television, radio, and digital properties and data analytics services. Entravision has 55 primary television stations and is the largest affiliate group of both the Univision and UniMás television networks. Entravision also owns and operates 49 primarily Spanish-language radio stations featuring nationally recognized talent, as well as the Entravision Audio Network and Entravision Solutions, a coast-to-coast national spot and network sales and marketing organization representing Entravision's owned and operated, as well as its affiliate partner, radio stations. Entravision's Pulpo digital advertising unit is the #1-ranked online advertising platform in Hispanic reach according to comScore Media Metrix®, and Entravision's digital group also includes Headway, a leading provider of mobile, programmatic, data and performance digital marketing solutions primarily in the United States, Mexico and other markets in Latin America. Entravision shares of Class A Common Stock are traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol: EVC.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and performance in future periods to be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this press release. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from these expectations, including the length of time that may be required for the Company to file the Form 10-Q and whether the Company files the Form 10-Q on or prior to the due date thereof or by the extended filing due date provided by Rule 12b-25, and the Company disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements made by the Company. From time to time, these risks, uncertainties and other factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.