CoreLogic Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Financial Results

Business Wire 26-Feb-2019 4:30 PM

Company Expands Insurance and International Footprint and Outperforms U.S. Mortgage Market Trends; Margin Expansion and Free Cash Flow Generation Highlight Strong Operating Execution

CoreLogic (NYSE:CLGX), a leading global provider of residential property information, insight, analytics and data-enabled solutions, today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2018.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190226006192/en/

CoreLogic President & CEO Frank Martell (Photo: Business Wire)

Full-Year Highlights

• Revenues of $1,788 million, down 3% as organic growth and benefits of acquisitions partially offset an estimated 15% drop in U.S. mortgage origination unit volumes and lower appraisal management company ("AMC") revenues.
• Operating income from continuing operations of $223 million, down 7% as cost productivity benefits and favorable revenue mix partially offset U.S. mortgage market headwinds, increased investment spending and a 2018 $8 million non-cash impairment charge related to the planned exit of certain non-core software units.
• Net income from continuing operations of $122 million, down 18% , reflecting a one-time benefit of $38 million in the 2017 tax provision, attributable to the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
• Diluted EPS from continuing operations of $1.49, down 15%. Adjusted EPS of $2.72, up 15%.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $493 million, up 3%; adjusted EBITDA margin of 28%.
• Repurchased 2.3 million shares, or 3% of outstanding shares, for $109 million.

Fourth Quarter Highlights

• Revenues of $403 million, down 11%, primarily driven by an estimated 25% drop in U.S. mortgage volumes and lower AMC revenues.
• Operating income from continuing operations of $29 million, down 56%, on lower mortgage market volumes, elevated investment spending, and the above described 2018 non-cash impairment charge.
• Net income from continuing operations of $13 million, down from $65 million reflecting the effects of U.S. mortgage market headwinds, the 2017 tax benefit and the 2018 non-cash impairment charge.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $103 million, compared to $117 million in 2017.

"CoreLogic continued to successfully execute against its long-term strategic plan in 2018 despite significant U.S. mortgage market headwinds. We also reduced our costs significantly and drove productivity. In addition, we continued to scale our core operations, expanded our international and insurance business, accelerated the transformation of our AMC and initiated the exit of certain non-core legacy units," said Frank Martell, President and Chief Executive Officer of CoreLogic. "Throughout 2018, we reinvested in our business with a focus on building our core capabilities in data and technology, which we expect will be a foundation for future growth and margin expansion," Martell added.

Fourth Quarter Financial Summary

Fourth quarter reported revenues totaled $403 million compared with $454 million in the same 2017 period. During the quarter, U.S. mortgage market volumes declined by an estimated 25% on lower refinancing activity and home sales. Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions ("PIRM") revenues fell 7% from 2017 levels to $168 million, due mainly to lower contributions from weather-related natural hazard solutions, the impact of lower U.S. mortgage loan volumes and unfavorable foreign currency translation. Underwriting & Workflow Solutions ("UWS") revenues totaled $239 million, down 14% from 2017 levels, as benefits from market outperformance and higher collateral valuation platform revenues partially offset mortgage market unit declines and lower AMC volumes.

Operating income from continuing operations totaled $29 million for the fourth quarter compared with $65 million in 2017. Lower operating income was principally attributable to the impact of a 25% decline in origination unit volumes, lower weather-related natural hazard revenues, higher investment spend, and the 2018 non-cash impairment charge discussed previously.

Fourth quarter net income from continuing operations totaled $13 million, a decline of $52 million when compared to 2017. The decline was primarily driven by U.S. mortgage market headwinds, the above described 2017 tax benefit and the 2018 non-cash impairment charge. Diluted EPS from continuing operations totaled $0.16 for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared with $0.78 in 2017. Adjusted EPS totaled $0.48 compared with $0.55 in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Adjusted EBITDA totaled $103 million in the fourth quarter compared with $117 million in the same prior year period. The year-over-year reduction in adjusted EBITDA resulted principally from lower revenues and higher levels of investment on data and technology capabilities, partially offset by cost management benefits. PIRM segment adjusted EBITDA totaled $41 million compared to $50 million in 2017. UWS adjusted EBITDA was $71 million, in-line with the prior year total of $72 million.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At December 31, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $85 million compared with $119 million at December 31, 2017. Total debt as of December 31, 2018 was $1,797 million compared with $1,777 million as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had available capacity on its revolving credit facility of $522 million. During 2018, the Company made $90 million in voluntary principal payments against its outstanding term loan obligations.

Net operating cash provided by continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $355 million. Free cash flow ("FCF") for the year ended December 31, 2018 totaled $258 million, which represented 52% of adjusted EBITDA.

In 2018, the Company repurchased 2.3 million of its common shares for $109 million. In line with its strategy of growing its platform, insurance and international revenues, during the fourth quarter of 2018 the Company purchased HomeVisit and the remaining interest in Symbility.

2019 Full Year Financial Guidance and Assumptions

2019 guidance ranges for revenues, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS are as follows:

• Revenue of $1.620 to $1.680 billion,
• Adjusted EBITDA of $450 to $480 million, and
• Adjusted EPS of $2.25 to $2.55.

The Company's 2019 guidance ranges are based on the following key estimates and assumptions:

• U.S. mortgage loan origination unit volumes expected to decline approximately 5% from 2018 levels,
• Realized savings totaling $20 million from ongoing cost management and productivity programs,
• Foreign currency translation is expected to reduce reported revenues and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $10 million and $4 million, respectively,
• 2019 tax planning rate of 25%, and
• Repurchase of approximately 2-3% of outstanding common shares.

The Company's previously announced acceleration of its AMC transformation program and the wind-down of certain non-core software units are expected to reduce UWS and total revenues $70 to $100 million during 2019. The corresponding reduction of 2019 adjusted EBITDA is expected to range from $10 million to $15 million. We may incur additional cash and non-cash charges as these programs are actioned.

In connection with the Company's previously announced adjusted EBITDA margin enhancement program (designed to reach a 30% target level in 2020), we intend to incur discrete charges of approximately $15 million over the course of 2019. These investments will increase the operating efficiency and accelerate the transformation of certain technology and data platforms. Consistent with past practice, these charges will be reflected in the company's GAAP financial results and will be excluded from adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS metrics which are non-GAAP measures.

Our full year 2018 financial results included the benefit from accelerated revenue recognition of approximately $23 million resulting from the amendment of a long-term contract which is not expected to repeat in 2019.

Teleconference/Webcast

CoreLogic management will host a live webcast and conference call on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time (11:00 a.m. Eastern Time) to discuss these results. All interested parties are invited to listen to the event via webcast on the CoreLogic website at http://investor.corelogic.com. Alternatively, participants may use the following dial-in numbers: 1-888-220-8451 for U.S./Canada callers or 1-786-789-4776 for international callers using confirmation code 1070297.

A replay of the webcast will be available on the CoreLogic investor website for 10 days and also through the conference call number 1-888-203-1112 for U.S./Canada participants or 1-719-457-0820 for international participants using Conference ID 1070297.

About CoreLogic

CoreLogic (NYSE:CLGX) is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The Company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed solutions. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

Safe Harbor / Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including but not limited to those statements related to key estimates and assumptions related to 2019 guidance, savings expectations from cost management and productivity programs, results of investments in R&D, as well as data and technology platforms, results of a planned acceleration of the AMC transformation program, and results of a planned wind down of certain non-core software units. Risks and uncertainties exist that may cause the results to differ materially from those set forth in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the anticipated results to differ from those described in the forward-looking statements include the risks and uncertainties set forth in Part I, Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended or updated by our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These additional risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: a cyber-based attack, data corruption or network security breach, or inability to secure the electronic transmission of sensitive data could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation; we rely on the ability to access data from external sources at reasonable terms and prices; systems interruptions may impair the delivery of our products and services; we are subject to significant governmental regulations; our revenue is affected by the strength of the economy, interest rate environment and the housing market generally; we rely on our top ten clients for a significant portion of our revenue; and we operate in a competitive business environment that is impacted by technology advancements or new product development; our reliance on outsourcing arrangements subjects us to risk and may disrupt or adversely affect our operations; our acquisition and integration of businesses may involve increased expenses and may not produce the desired financial or operating results. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Use of Non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) Financial Measures

This press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EPS and FCF, which are provided only as supplemental information. Investors should consider these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with or a substitute for U.S. GAAP. A reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in this press release. The Company is not able to provide a reconciliation without unreasonable efforts of its forward-looking guidance related to adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EPS or FCF to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure due to the unknown effect, timing and potential significance of special charges or gains that are material to the comparable GAAP financial measure.

The Company believes that its presentation of these non-GAAP measures provides useful supplemental information to investors and management regarding the Company's financial condition and results of operations. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income from continuing operations adjusted for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, non-operating gains/losses, and other adjustments. Adjusted EPS is defined as diluted income from continuing operations, net of tax per share, adjusted for share-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, non-operating gains/losses, and other adjustments; and assumes an effective tax rate of 25% and 26% for 2019 and 2018, respectively. FCF is defined as net cash provided by continuing operating activities less capital expenditures for purchases of property and equipment, capitalized data and other intangible assets. Other firms may calculate non-GAAP measures differently than the Company, which limits comparability between companies.

(Additional Financial Data Follow)

CLGX-F

Please refer to the full Form 10-K filing for the complete financial statements and related notes that are an integral part of the financial statements.

Please refer to the full Form 10-K filing for the complete financial statements and related notes that are an integral part of the financial statements.

Please refer to the full Form 10-K filing for the complete financial statements and related notes that are an integral part of the financial statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190226006192/en/