Verisk Reports Third-Quarter 2020 Financial Results

 




Jersey City, NJ, Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK), a leading data analytics provider, today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020.
Scott Stephenson, chairman, president, and CEO, said, “I am very pleased with our third quarter results, which reflect the strength and resiliency of our business along with the value of, and need for, our solutions. Our long-term strategy remains unchanged as we focus on serving our customers and driving innovation to fuel future growth. I continued to be proud that our over 9,000 Verisk teammates have adapted quickly to challenges and opportunities in this new environment.”Lee Shavel, CFO and executive vice president, said, “Normalizing for the continued impact of the injunction, Verisk delivered organic constant currency revenue growth of 4.9% and organic constant currency adjusted EBITDA growth of 17.7%, reflecting a sequential improvement from the second quarter and continued strong operating leverage. We continue to invest our strong cash flow back into high growth, high return on capital opportunities while also returning excess capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.”Summary of Results (GAAP and Non-GAAP)
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Note: Adjusted EBITDA, diluted adjusted EPS, and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures.1
RevenuesConsolidated revenues increased 7.6%, and 3.6% on an OCC basis, for third-quarter 2020. Normalizing for the impact of the injunction on roof measurement solutions, which adjusts for $8 million of associated revenue in the prior-year period, OCC revenue would have grown 4.9% in third-quarter 2020.The company has analyzed its solutions and services to assess the impact of COVID-19 on its revenue streams. It has not identified any material impact stemming from COVID-19 on approximately 85% of its revenues at this point, as much of these revenues are subscription-based and subject to long-term contracts. Normalizing for the impact of the injunction on the roof measurement solutions, these revenues would have grown approximately 7.8% on an OCC basis in the third quarter of 2020. Of the remaining 15%, the company has identified specific solutions and services, largely transactional in nature, that are being negatively impacted by COVID-19.  These revenues declined approximately 10% on an OCC basis in third-quarter 2020 compared to the prior-year period.Revenues and Revenue Growth by Segment
(in millions)
Insurance segment revenues grew 6.3% in the third quarter and 5.2% on an OCC basis. Normalizing for the impact of the injunction on roof measurement solutions, Insurance revenue would have grown 7.0% on an OCC basis.
Energy and Specialized Markets segment revenues increased 16.7% in the quarter and declined 1.0% on an OCC basis. The Genscape acquisition, environmental health and safety service solutions, core research, and weather analytics solutions contributed to the growth. The slight decrease in the segment was primarily due to declines in consulting revenues in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and declines in cost intelligence solutions’ implementation projects that did not reoccur.Financial Services segment revenues decreased 7.1% in the quarter and increased 1.6% on an OCC basis, resulting primarily from declines in our spend informed analytic solutions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent dispositions.2
Net Income and Adjusted EBITDADuring third-quarter 2020, net income increased 466%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 18.4%, and 14.8% on an OCC basis. Normalizing for the impact of the injunction on roof measurement solutions, OCC adjusted EBITDA would have grown 17.7% for third-quarter 2020.EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by Segment
(in millions)
Note: Consolidated EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. Margin is calculated as a percentage of revenues. See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” below for a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP measure. 
Earnings Per ShareDiluted EPS increased 460% to $1.12 for the third quarter of 2020 due to a litigation reserve of $125 million recorded in the third quarter of 2019 and a decrease in acquisition-related costs (earn-outs). Diluted adjusted EPS grew 17.9% to $1.32 for the third quarter of 2020, reflecting cost discipline in the business, a reduction in travel expenses as a result of COVID-19, and a lower average share count.Cash FlowNet cash provided by operating activities was $207 million for the third quarter of 2020, down 3.0%. Capital expenditures were $65 million for the third quarter, up 6.8%. Free cash flow was $142 million, down 6.9%, primarily due to a deferral of federal income tax payments under the CARES Act from the second quarter 2020 to the third quarter 2020, partially offset by the deferral of certain employer payroll taxes, as well as an increase in customer collections and a reduction in travel payments as a result of COVID-19.Free cash flow represented 38.9% of adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter, compared with 49.4% in the prior-year period.DividendOn September 30, 2020, Verisk paid a cash dividend of 27 cents per share of common stock issued and outstanding to the holders of record as of September 15, 2020. On October 28, 2020, Verisk’s Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of 27 cents per share of common stock issued and outstanding, payable on December 31, 2020, to holders of record as of December 15, 2020.Share RepurchasesIncluding the accelerated share repurchase (ASR) settled in the third quarter of 2020, the company repurchased approximately 0.3 million shares at an average price of $180.97, for a total cost of $50 million for the third quarter of 2020. On September 30, 2020, the company had $329 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization.3
Conference CallVerisk’s management team will host a live audio webcast to discuss the financial results and business highlights on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. EST (5:30 a.m. PST, 1:30 p.m. GMT). All interested parties are invited to listen to the live event via webcast on the Verisk investor website at http://investor.verisk.com. The discussion will also be available through dial-in number 1-877-755-3792 for U.S./Canada participants or 512-961-6560 for international participants.A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days on the Verisk investor website and through the conference call number 1-855-859-2056 for U.S./Canada participants or 404-537-3406 for international participants using Conference ID #5734408.About VeriskVerisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading data analytics provider serving customers in insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk draws on unique data assets and deep domain expertise to provide first-to-market innovations that are integrated into customer workflows. Verisk offers predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, natural resources intelligence, economic forecasting, and many other fields. Around the world, Verisk helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Verisk operates in more than 30 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor’s S&P 500® Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index. In 2018 and 2019, Forbes named Verisk to its World’s Best Employers list. For more information, please visit www.verisk.com.Contact:Investor Relations  
Stacey Brodbar
Head of Investor Relations
Verisk 
201-469-4327 
stacey.brodbar@verisk.comMedia
Joe Madden
Verisk Public Relations
401-965-4284
Joseph.Madden@verisk.comForward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause Verisk’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. This includes, but is not limited to, the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial performance, its expectation and ability to pay a cash dividend on common stock in the future, subject to the determination by the Board of Directors and based on an evaluation of company earnings, financial condition and requirements, business conditions, capital allocation determinations, and other factors, risks, and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond the company’s control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements.Other factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements can be found in Verisk’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, annual reports on Form 10-K, and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize or if its underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what the company projected. Any forward-looking statement in this release reflects the company’s current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions relating to its operations, results of operations, growth strategy, and liquidity. The company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.4
Notes Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresThe company has provided certain non-GAAP financial information as supplemental information regarding its operating results. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for, U.S. GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP measures reported by other companies. The company believes that its presentation of non-GAAP measures provides useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to its financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the company’s management uses these measures for reviewing the financial results of the company, for budgeting and planning purposes, and for evaluating the performance of senior management.EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Expenses: EBITDA represents GAAP net income adjusted for (i) depreciation and amortization of fixed assets; (ii) amortization of intangible assets; (iii) interest expense; and (iv) provision for income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA adjusted for acquisition-related costs (earn-outs), gain/loss from dispositions (which include businesses held for sale), nonrecurring gain/loss, and interest income on the subordinated promissory note. Adjusted EBITDA expenses represent adjusted EBITDA net of revenues. The company believes these measures are useful and meaningful because they allow for greater transparency regarding the company’s operating performance and facilitate period-to-period comparison.Adjusted Net Income and Diluted Adjusted EPS: Adjusted net income represents GAAP net income adjusted for (i) amortization of intangible assets, net of tax; (ii) acquisition-related costs (earn-outs), net of tax; (iii) gain/loss from dispositions (which include businesses held for sale), net of tax; (iv) nonrecurring gain/loss, net of tax; and (v) interest income on the subordinated promissory note, net of tax. Diluted adjusted EPS represents adjusted net income divided by weighted-average diluted shares. The company believes these measures are useful and meaningful because they allow evaluation of the after-tax profitability of the company’s results excluding the after-tax effect of acquisition-related costs and nonrecurring items.Free Cash Flow: Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP minus payments for capital expenditures. The company believes free cash flow is an important measure of the recurring cash generated by the company’s operations that may be available to repay debt obligations, repurchase its stock, invest in future growth through new business development activities, or make acquisitions.Organic Constant Currency (OCC): The company’s operating results, such as, but not limited to, revenue and adjusted EBITDA, reported in U.S. dollars are affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations because the underlying foreign currencies in which it transacts change in value over time compared with the U.S. dollar; accordingly, it presents certain constant currency financial information to assess how the company performed excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The company calculates constant currency by translating comparable prior-year-period results at the currency exchange rates used in the current period. The company defines “organic” as operating results excluding the effect of recent acquisitions and dispositions (which include businesses held for sale) that have occurred over the past year. An acquisition is included as organic at the beginning of the calendar quarter that occurs after the one-year anniversary of the acquisition date. Once an acquisition is included in its current-period organic base, its comparable prior-year-period operating results are also included to calculate organic growth. A disposition (which includes a business held for sale) is excluded from organic at the beginning of the calendar quarter in which the disposition occurs (or when a business meets the held-for-sale criteria under U.S. GAAP). Once a disposition is excluded from its current-period organic base, its comparable prior-year-period operating results are also excluded to calculate organic growth. The organic presentation enables investors to assess the growth of the business without the impact of recent acquisitions for which there is no prior-year comparison. A disposition’s results are removed from all prior periods presented to allow for comparability. The company believes organic constant currency is a useful and meaningful measure to enhance investors’ understanding of the continuing operating performance of its business and to facilitate the comparison of period-to-period performance because it excludes the impact of foreign exchange rate movements, acquisitions, and dispositions.See page 10 for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted EBITDA and a segment results summary and a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA. See page 11 for a reconciliation of segment adjusted EBITDA margin, a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA expenses, and a reconciliation of diluted adjusted EPS. See page 12 for a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow.Attached Financial StatementsPlease refer to the full Form 10-Q filing for the complete financial statements and related notes.5
VERISK ANALYTICS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 20196
VERISK ANALYTICS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)
For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and 20197
VERISK ANALYTICS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and 20198
9
Non-GAAP ReconciliationsConsolidated Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation
(in millions)
Note: Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure. Margin is calculated as a percentage of consolidated revenues.Segment Results Summary and Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation
(in millions)
Note: Organic revenues and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures.
10
Segment Adjusted EBITDA Margin Reconciliation
Note: Segment adjusted EBITDA margin is calculated as a percentage of respective segment revenues.
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA Expense Reconciliation
(in millions)
Note: Adjusted EBITDA expenses are a non-GAAP measure.Diluted Adjusted EPS Reconciliation
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Note: Diluted adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP measure.11
Free Cash Flow Reconciliation
(in millions)
Note: Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure.