Shenandoah Telecommunications Company Reports Strong First Quarter 2017 Results
- Revenues Increase to
- Operating Income of
Consolidated First Quarter Results
For the quarter ended
Wireless service revenues increased 107.3% as a result of increases in average postpaid and prepaid subscribers of 128% and 69%, respectively. Cable segment revenues increased 9.7% due to a 2.2% increase in average Revenue Generating Units (RGUs), video price increases to offset increases in programming costs, and new and existing customers selecting higher-speed data packages. Wireline segment revenues increased 4.2% due to increases in fiber and access contracts.
Total operating expenses were
For the quarter ended
Adjusted OIBDA (Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization) increased 82.0% to
Following the close of the first
quarter, the Company announced the
President and CEO
Wireless Segment
First quarter wireless service revenues increased
Shentel had 717,150 wireless postpaid customers at
There were 243,557 prepaid wireless customers at
During the first quarter, the Company migrated 28,555 postpaid nTelos customers to Sprint's back office, for a total of 116,348 since the acquisition. As planned, the prepaid migration was completed in late December, and the outsourced prepaid billing arrangement was terminated. At the current pace, Shentel expects to complete migrating the remaining postpaid nTelos customers by the end of the third quarter 2017.
First quarter Adjusted OIBDA in the Wireless segment was
Cable Segment
Service revenues in the Cable segment increased
Adjusted OIBDA in the Cable segment for first quarter 2017 was
"We recognize the importance of
providing our customers with a robust cable network that delivers high speed bandwidth as well as reliability. Our state of the art network meets these requirements and is gaining recognition in the marketplace among both new customers looking for a cable provider with the ability to consistently meet their high speed data needs and among our existing customers as they look to upgrade the alternatives available to them with their monthly subscription,"
Wireline Segment
Revenue in the Wireline segment increased 4.2% to
Adjusted OIBDA in the Wireline segment for first quarter 2017 was
Other Information
Capital expenditures were
Cash and cash equivalents as of
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About
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties.
The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of unforeseen factors. A discussion of factors that may cause actual results to differ from management's projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations is available in the Company's filings with the
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) | |||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 39,927 | $ | 36,193 | |
Other current assets | 110,553 | 125,272 | |||
Total current assets | 150,480 | 161,465 | |||
Investments | 10,607 | 10,276 | |||
Net property, plant and equipment | 689,948 | 698,122 | |||
Intangible assets, net | 443,308 | 454,532 | |||
144,001 | 145,256 | ||||
Deferred charges and other assets, net | 14,645 | 14,756 | |||
Total assets | $ | 1,452,989 | $ | 1,484,407 | |
Total current liabilities | 110,353 | 164,263 | |||
Long-term debt, less current maturities | 810,873 | 797,224 | |||
Total other liabilities | 232,328 | 227,026 | |||
Total shareholders' equity | 299,435 | 295,894 | |||
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | $ | 1,452,989 | $ | 1,484,407 |
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (in thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||
Three Months Ended | ||||||
2017 | 2016 | |||||
Operating revenues | $ | 153,880 | $ | 92,571 | ||
Cost of goods and services | 53,761 | 31,762 | ||||
Selling, general, and administrative | 40,153 | 21,426 | ||||
Integration and acquisition expenses | 4,489 | 332 | ||||
Depreciation and amortization | 44,804 | 17,739 | ||||
Total operating expenses | 143,207 | 71,259 | ||||
Operating income | 10,673 | 21,312 | ||||
Other income (expense): | ||||||
Interest expense | (9,100 | ) | (1,619 | ) | ||
Gain on investments, net | 120 | 88 | ||||
Non-operating income, net | 1,255 | 468 | ||||
Income before taxes | 2,948 | 20,249 | ||||
Income tax expense | 607 | 6,368 | ||||
Net income | $ | 2,341 | $ | 13,881 | ||
Earnings per share: | ||||||
Basic | $ | 0.05 | $ | 0.29 | ||
Diluted | $ | 0.05 | $ | 0.28 | ||
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic | 49,050 | 48,563 | ||||
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted | 49,834 | 49,249 | ||||
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In managing our business and assessing our financial performance, management supplements the information provided by financial statement measures prepared in accordance with GAAP with Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA, which are considered "non-GAAP financial measures" under
Adjusted OIBDA is defined by us as operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, adjusted to exclude the effects of: certain non-recurring transactions; impairment of assets; gains and losses on asset sales; straight-line adjustments for the waived management fee by Sprint; amortization of the affiliate contract expansion intangible asset reflected as a contra revenue; actuarial gains and losses on pension and other post-retirement benefit plans; and share-based compensation expense. Adjusted OIBDA should not be construed as an alternative to operating income as determined in accordance with GAAP as a measure of operating performance. Continuing OIBDA is defined by us as Adjusted OIBDA, less the benefit received from the waived management fee by Sprint over the next approximately six-year period, showing Sprint's support for our acquisition and our commitment to enhance the network.
In a capital-intensive industry such as telecommunications, management believes that Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA and the associated percentage margin calculations are meaningful measures of our operating performance. We use Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA as supplemental performance measures because management believes they facilitate comparisons of our operating performance from period to period and comparisons of our operating performance to that of other companies by excluding potential differences caused by the age and book depreciation of fixed assets (affecting relative depreciation expenses) as well as the other items described above for which additional adjustments were made. In the future, management expects that the Company may again report Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA excluding these items and may incur expenses similar to these excluded items. Accordingly, the exclusion of these and other similar items from our non-GAAP presentation should not be interpreted as implying these items are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual.
While depreciation and amortization are considered operating costs under generally accepted accounting principles, these expenses primarily represent the current period allocation of costs associated with long-lived assets acquired or constructed in prior periods, and accordingly may obscure underlying operating trends for some purposes. By isolating the effects of these expenses and other items that vary from period to period without any correlation to our underlying performance, or that vary widely among similar companies, management believes Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance, which are used by management for business planning purposes, and also facilitates comparisons of our performance relative to that of our competitors. In addition, we believe that Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA and similar measures are widely used by investors and financial analysts as measures of our financial performance over time, and to compare our financial performance with that of other companies in our industry.
Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA have limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. These limitations include the following:
- they do not reflect capital expenditures;
- many of the assets being depreciated and amortized will have to be replaced in the future and Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA do not reflect cash requirements for such replacements;
- they do not reflect costs associated with share-based awards exchanged for employee services;
- they do not reflect interest expense necessary to service interest or principal payments on indebtedness;
- they do not reflect gains, losses or dividends on investments;
- they do not reflect expenses incurred for the payment of income taxes; and
- other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.
In light of these limitations, management considers Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA as a financial performance measures that supplement but do not replace the information reflected in our GAAP results.
The following table shows Adjusted OIBDA for the three months ended
Three Months Ended | ||||
(in thousands) | ||||
2017 | 2016 | |||
Adjusted OIBDA | $ | 73,541 | $ | 40,416 |
Continuing OIBDA | $ | 64,601 | $ | 40,416 |
The following table reconciles Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA to operating income, which we consider to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, for the three months ended
Consolidated: | Three Months Ended | |||||||
(in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Operating income | $ | 10,673 | $ | 21,312 | ||||
Plus depreciation and amortization | 44,804 | 17,739 | ||||||
Plus (gain) loss on asset sales | (28 | ) | (15 | ) | ||||
Plus share based compensation expense | 1,566 | 1,048 | ||||||
Plus straight line adjustment to management fee waiver | 4,206 | — | ||||||
Plus amortization of intangible netted in revenue | 4,978 | — | ||||||
Plus amortization of intangible netted in rent expense | 258 | — | ||||||
Plus temporary back office costs to support the billing operations through migration (1) | 2,595 | — | ||||||
Plus integration and acquisition related expenses | 4,489 | 332 | ||||||
Adjusted OIBDA | $ | 73,541 | $ | 40,416 | ||||
Less waived management fee | (8,940 | ) | — | |||||
Continuing OIBDA | $ | 64,601 | $ | 40,416 |
(1) Once former nTelos customers migrate to the Sprint back office, the Company incurs certain postpaid fees retained by Sprint that would offset a portion of these savings. For the three months ended | |
The following tables reconcile Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA to operating income by major segment for the three months ended
Wireless Segment: | Three Months Ended | |||||||
(in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Operating income | $ | 9,137 | $ | 19,932 | ||||
Plus depreciation and amortization | 35,752 | 8,494 | ||||||
Plus (gain) loss on asset sales | (24 | ) | 13 | |||||
Plus share based compensation expense | 725 | 271 | ||||||
Plus straight line adjustment to management fee waiver (3) | 4,206 | — | ||||||
Plus amortization of intangible netted in revenue | 4,978 | — | ||||||
Plus amortization of intangible netted in rent expense | 258 | — | ||||||
Plus temporary back office costs to support the billing operations through migration | 2,593 | — | ||||||
Plus integration and acquisition related expenses (1) | 3,792 | — | ||||||
Adjusted OIBDA | $ | 61,417 | $ | 28,710 | ||||
Less waived management fee (2) | (8,940 | ) | — | |||||
Continuing OIBDA | $ | 52,477 | $ | 28,710 |
Cable Segment: | Three Months Ended | |||||||
(in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Operating income | $ | 3,139 | $ | 597 | ||||
Plus depreciation and amortization | 5,788 | 6,095 | ||||||
Plus (gain) loss on asset sales | (23 | ) | (13 | ) | ||||
Plus share based compensation expense | 364 | 358 | ||||||
Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA | $ | 9,268 | $ | 7,037 |
Wireline Segment: | Three Months Ended | |||||||
(in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Operating income | $ | 5,073 | $ | 5,098 | ||||
Plus depreciation and amortization | 3,132 | 3,033 | ||||||
Plus (gain) loss on asset sales | 30 | — | ||||||
Plus share based compensation expense | 146 | 169 | ||||||
Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA | $ | 8,381 | $ | 8,300 |
(1) | Integration and acquisition costs consist of severance accruals for short-term nTelos personnel to be separated as integration activities wind down, transaction related expenses, device costs to support the transition to Sprint billing platforms, and other
transition costs to support the migration to Sprint back-office functions. Once former nTelos customers migrate to the Sprint back office, the Company incurs certain postpaid fees retained by Sprint and prepaid costs passed to us by Sprint that would offset a portion of these savings. For the three months ended |
(2) | As part of the Company's amended affiliate agreement, Sprint agreed to waive the management fee, which is historically presented as a contra-revenue by the Company, for a period of approximately six years. The impact of Sprint's waiver of the management fee over the approximate six-year period is reflected as an increase in revenue, offset by the non-cash adjustment to recognize this impact on a straight-line basis over the contract term of approximately 14 years. |
(3) | Pursuant to the intangible asset exchange with Sprint, the Company recognized an intangible asset for the affiliate contract expansion received. Consistent with the presentation of related service fees charged by Sprint, the Company recognizes the amortization of this intangible as a contra-revenue over the contract term of approximately 14 years. |
Supplemental Information
Subscriber Statistics
The following tables show selected operating statistics of the Wireless segment as of the dates shown:
2017 | 2016 |
2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Retail PCS Subscribers - Postpaid | 717,150 | 722,562 | 315,231 | 312,512 | ||||||||
Retail PCS Subscribers - Prepaid | 243,557 | 236,138 | 142,539 | 142,840 | ||||||||
PCS Market POPS (000) (1) | 5,536 | 5,536 | 2,437 | 2,433 | ||||||||
PCS Covered POPS (000) (1) | 4,836 | 4,807 | 2,230 | 2,224 | ||||||||
CDMA Base Stations (sites) | 1,476 | 1,467 | 556 | 552 | ||||||||
Towers Owned | 196 | 196 | 157 | 158 | ||||||||
Non-affiliate Cell Site Leases | 206 | 202 | 202 | 202 | ||||||||
The changes from
Three Months Ended | ||||||||
2017 | 2016 | |||||||
Gross PCS Subscriber Additions - Postpaid | 38,701 | 17,356 | ||||||
Net PCS Subscriber Additions (Losses) - Postpaid | (5,412 | ) | 2,719 | |||||
Gross PCS Subscriber Additions - Prepaid | 42,168 | 21,231 | ||||||
Net PCS Subscriber Additions (Losses) - Prepaid | 7,419 | (301 | ) | |||||
PCS Average Monthly Retail Churn % - Postpaid (2) | 2.05 | % | 1.56 | % | ||||
PCS Average Monthly Retail Churn % - Prepaid (2) | 4.86 | % | 5.05 | % |
(1) | POPS refers to the estimated population of a given geographic area and is based on information purchased from third party sources. Market POPS are those within a market area which we are authorized to serve under our Sprint PCS affiliate agreements, and Covered POPS are those covered by our network. |
(2) | PCS Average Monthly Retail Churn is the average of the monthly subscriber turnover, or churn, calculations for the period. |
The following table shows selected operating statistics of the Wireline segment as of the dates shown:
2017 | 2016 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Telephone Access Lines (1) | 18,160 | 18,443 | 19,682 | 20,252 | ||||||||
Long Distance Subscribers | 9,134 | 9,149 | 9,377 | 9,476 | ||||||||
Video Customers (2) | 5,201 | 5,264 | 5,232 | 5,356 | ||||||||
DSL and Cable Modem Subscribers (1) | 14,527 | 14,314 | 14,200 | 13,890 | ||||||||
1,997 | 1,971 | 1,744 | 1,736 | |||||||||
Total | 145,060 | 142,230 | 125,559 | 123,891 |
(1) | Effective |
(2) | The Wireline segment's video service passes approximately 16,500 homes. |
(3) | Fiber miles are measured by taking the number of fiber strands in a cable and multiplying that number by the route distance. For example, a 10 mile route with 144 fiber strands would equal 1,440 fiber miles. |
The following table shows selected operating statistics of the Cable segment as of the dates
shown:
2017 | 2016 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||
Homes Passed (1) | 184,819 | 184,710 | 181,375 | 172,538 | |||||||||
Customer Relationships (2) | |||||||||||||
Video customers | 47,160 | 48,512 | 50,195 | 48,184 | |||||||||
Non-video customers | 30,765 | 28,854 | 26,895 | 24,550 | |||||||||
Total customer relationships | 77,925 | 77,366 | 77,090 | 72,734 | |||||||||
Video | |||||||||||||
Customers (3) | 49,384 | 50,618 | 52,468 | 50,215 | |||||||||
Penetration (4) | 25.5 | % | 27.4 | % | 28.9 | % | 29.1 | % | |||||
Digital video penetration (5) | 77.1 | % | 77.4 | % | 74.8 | % | 77.9 | % | |||||
High-speed | |||||||||||||
183,935 | 183,826 | 180,814 | 172,538 | ||||||||||
Customers (3) | 61,815 | 60,495 | 58,273 | 55,131 | |||||||||
Penetration (4) | 33.6 | % | 32.9 | % | 32.2 | % | 32.0 | % | |||||
Voice | |||||||||||||
| 181,198 | 181,089 | 178,077 | 169,801 | |||||||||
Customers (3) | 21,647 | 21,352 | 20,786 | 20,166 | |||||||||
Penetration (4) | 11.9 | % | 11.8 | % | 11.7 | % | 11.9 | % | |||||
Total Revenue Generating Units (7) | 132,846 | 132,465 | 131,527 | 125,512 | |||||||||
3,233 | 3,137 | 2,955 | 2,844 | ||||||||||
Total | 100,799 | 92,615 | 80,727 | 76,949 | |||||||||
Average Revenue Generating Units | 132,419 | 131,218 | 129,604 | 124,054 |
(1) | Homes and businesses are considered passed ("homes passed") if we can connect them to our distribution system without further extending the transmission lines. Homes passed is an estimate based upon the best available information. |
(2) | Customer relationships represent the number of customers who receive at least one of our services. |
(3) | Generally, a dwelling or commercial unit with one or more television sets connected to our distribution system counts as one video customer. Where services are provided on a bulk basis, such as to hotels and some multi-dwelling units, the revenue charged to the customer is divided by the rate for comparable service in the local market to determine the number of customer equivalents included in the customer counts shown above. |
(4) | Penetration is calculated by dividing the number of customers by the number of homes passed or available homes, as appropriate. |
(5) | Digital video penetration is calculated by dividing the number of digital video customers by total video customers. Digital video customers are video customers who receive any level of video service via digital transmission. A dwelling with one or more digital set-top boxes or digital adapters counts as one digital video customer. |
(6) | Homes and businesses are considered available ("available homes") if we can connect them to our distribution system without further extending the transmission lines and if we offer the service in that area. |
(7) | Revenue generating units are the sum of video, voice and high-speed internet customers. |
(8) | Fiber miles are measured by taking the number of fiber strands in a cable and multiplying that number by the route distance. For example, a 10 mile route with 144 fiber strands would equal 1,440 fiber miles. |
Segment Information
Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker. The Company has three reportable segments, which the Company operates and manages as strategic business units organized by lines of business: (1) Wireless, (2) Cable, and (3) Wireline. A fourth segment, Other, primarily includes
The Wireless segment has historically provided digital wireless service to a portion of a four-state area covering the region from
The Cable segment provides video, internet and voice services in
The Wireline segment provides regulated and unregulated voice services, DSL internet access, and long distance access services throughout
Three months ended March 31, 2017
(in thousands) | Wireless | Cable | Wireline | Other | Eliminations | Consolidated Totals | |||||||||||||||||||||
External revenues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service revenues | $ | 108,186 | $ | 26,411 | $ | 5,048 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 139,645 | |||||||||||||||
Other | 6,042 | 2,035 | 6,158 | — | — | 14,235 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total external revenues | 114,228 | 28,446 | 11,206 | — | — | 153,880 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Internal revenues | 1,235 | 567 | 7,948 | — | (9,750 | ) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total operating revenues | 115,463 | 29,013 | 19,154 | — | (9,750 | ) | 153,880 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below | 38,318 | 15,228 | 9,273 | — | (9,058 | ) | 53,761 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below | 28,464 | 4,858 | 1,676 | 5,847 | (692 | ) | 40,153 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Integration and acquisition expenses | 3,792 | — | — | 697 | — | 4,489 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 35,752 | 5,788 | 3,132 | 132 | — | 44,804 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 106,326 | 25,874 | 14,081 | 6,676 | (9,750 | ) | 143,207 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | $ | 9,137 | $ | 3,139 | $ | 5,073 | $ | (6,676 | ) | $ | — | $ | 10,673 | ||||||||||||||
Three months ended
(in thousands) | Wireless | Cable | Wireline | Other | Eliminations | Consolidated Totals | |||||||||||||||||
External revenues | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Service revenues | $ | 52,179 | $ | 24,340 | $ | 4,960 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 81,479 | |||||||||||
Other | 3,203 | 1,846 | 6,043 | — | 11,092 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total external revenues | 55,382 | 26,186 | 11,003 | — | — | 92,571 | |||||||||||||||||
Internal revenues | 1,136 | 260 | 7,376 | (8,772 | ) | — | |||||||||||||||||
Total operating revenues | 56,518 | 26,446 | 18,379 | — | (8,772 | ) | 92,571 | ||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below | 16,578 | 14,647 | 8,643 | — | (8,106 | ) | 31,762 | ||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below | 11,514 | 5,108 | 1,605 | 3,865 | (666 | ) | 21,426 | ||||||||||||||||
Integration and acquisition expenses | — | — | — | 332 | — | 332 | |||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 8,494 | 6,095 | 3,033 | 117 | — | 17,739 | |||||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 36,586 | 25,850 | 13,281 | 4,314 | (8,772 | ) | 71,259 | ||||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | $ | 19,932 | $ | 596 | $ | 5,098 | $ | (4,314 | ) | $ | — | $ | 21,312 | ||||||||||
Wireless Service Revenues
(in thousands) | Three Months Ended | Change | |||||||||||||
Service Revenues | 2017 | 2016 | $ | % | |||||||||||
Postpaid net billings (1) | $ | 92,989 | $ | 45,638 | $ | 47,351 | 103.8 | ||||||||
Sprint fees | |||||||||||||||
Management fee | (7,383 | ) | (3,651 | ) | (3,732 | ) | 102.2 | ||||||||
Net service fee | (7,200 | ) | (3,934 | ) | (3,266 | ) | 83.0 | ||||||||
Waiver of management fee | 7,383 | — | 7,383 | NM | |||||||||||
(7,200 | ) | (7,585 | ) | 385 | (5.1 | ) | |||||||||
Prepaid net billings | |||||||||||||||
Gross billings | 25,945 | 13,083 | 12,862 | 98.3 | |||||||||||
Sprint management fee | (1,557 | ) | (785 | ) | (772 | ) | 98.3 | ||||||||
Waiver of management fee | 1,557 | — | 1,557 | NM | |||||||||||
25,945 | 12,298 | 13,647 | 111.0 | ||||||||||||
Travel and other revenues | 5,636 | 1,828 | 3,808 | 208.3 | |||||||||||
Accounting adjustments | |||||||||||||||
Amortization of expanded affiliate agreement | (4,978 | ) | — | (4,978 | ) | NM | |||||||||
Straight-line adjustment - management fee waiver | (4,206 | ) | — | (4,206 | ) | NM | |||||||||
(9,184 | ) | — | (9,184 | ) | NM | ||||||||||
Total Service Revenues | $ | 108,186 | $ | 52,179 | $ | 56,007 | 107.3 |
(1) Postpaid net billings are defined under the terms of the affiliate contract with Sprint to be the gross billings to customers within our service territory less billing credits and adjustments and allocated write-offs of uncollectible accounts. | |
CONTACTS:Source:Shenandoah Telecommunications, Inc. Adele Skolits CFO and VP of Finance 540-984-5161 Adele.skolits@emp.shentel.com OrJohn Nesbett /Jennifer Belodeau Institutional Marketing Services (IMS) 203-972-9200 jnesbett@institutionalms.com
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